enigma-designathon2021

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Panda Pal - After lot of iteration we came up with this idea of making an AI integrated toy companion + mobile application model that attempts to solve the alienation and disconnect from society which this pandemic caused.

Panda Pal is a voice AI-built toy that speaks with you when felt lonely, alerts you in the right time to sleep, exercise, and overall lead a more disciplined lifestyle that fosters mental care.

AI Technology has developed immensely and has the potential to grow even further in the upcoming years. Currently, AI can be used in our product to:

Understand voice inputs in multiple languages

Understand emotional patterns through voice inflections (Angry/ stressed/ upset/ happy) (Sources mentioned in citations)

The app can be used to monitor sleep routine, dietary cycles, exercise and physical activity, the overall emotional state through mini questionnaires each day.

A professional mental healthcare official may intervene and conduct therapy or counseling if necessary.

The AI will provide short motivational phrases, help form schedules and journal (speech to text converters) etc

We thought of bringing up with a various features like Speak, Exercise, Dance, Sleep, Story time with Panda. Later we prioritized the most essential features like

Speak with Panda - Voice AI connected Panda Pal doll speaks with you to break the monotonicity and loneliness

Sleep with Panda -  helps in bringing back the sleep cycle which you lost in this Covid outbreak, it also sings calm music and tell soothing stories while you sleep. Usually doctors around the world advice is to sleep 6-8 sleep everyday. But due to Covid, people spend lot of time before screens by watching movies and scrolling social medias. This leads to inadequate secretion of melatonin which causes insomnia and may Alzheimer like horrible mental problems in future.

Exercise with Panda - Panda Pal with the voice AI instruct your workouts by giving counts while you are doing pushups, squats. Also, it plays music according to the situation.

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Here is what we propose :)

Simple solutions for complex problems 

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Citations and Research

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/10/designing-experiences-improving-mental-health/

design experiences to improve mental health

https://www.verywellmind.com/why-are-some-people-more-prone-to-depression-1067622

some people are prone to depression because of their varying exposure to situations . Researchers don’t have an exact answer as to why some people are more prone to depression than others, there's likely more than one causative factor. Research has implicated everything from physical and chemical differences in the brain to social and environmental risk factors

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/why-lack-of-sleep-is-bad-for-your-health/

An occasional night without sleep makes you feel tired and irritable the next day, but it won't harm your health.

After several sleepless nights, the mental effects become more serious. Your brain will fog, making it difficult to concentrate and make decisions

If it continues, lack of sleep can affect your overall health and make you prone to serious medical conditions

https://www.verywellmind.com/how-sleep-affects-mental-health-4783067

Lack of sleep may trigger the onset of certain psychological conditions

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/the-mental-health-benefits-of-exercise.htm

Exercise promotes all kinds of changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduced inflammation, and new activity patterns that promote feelings of calm and well-being.

It also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals in your brain that energize your spirits and make you feel good.

exercise can also serve as a distraction, allowing you to find some quiet time to break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression.

Trying to notice  the rhythm of your breathing,  the feeling of the wind on your skin , focusing on your body and how it feels as you exercise—you’ll not only improve your physical condition faster, but you may also be able to interrupt the flow of constant worries running through your head.

Even short bursts of exercise in the morning or afternoon can help regulate your sleep patterns.

https://balance.media/bedtime_stories_simba_sleep/

When our mind is swirling with the facts and thoughts of the day, stories help us shift down a gear before bed.

You don’t need a light on to listen. And in the dark your melatonin can start to do it’s thing.

As a more passive activity than reading, your thoughts have license to wander into those random thoughts that act as a precursor to dreams.

As we sleep, our hearing sense is one of last things to shut down. It’s also the first sense to come back in the morning

Crucially listening to a story may subliminally take you back to those soothing childhood sensations of calm and security

Emotional AI : https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/emotion-ai-explained

Employer survey on behavioral health during covid -19  :https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/national-employer-survey-reveals-behavioral-health-in-a-covid-19-era-as-a-major-concern

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User Persona

We know that empathy is one of the most important qualities that a designer should possess in order to identify the root of any problem. As mental health is more intrinsic, it is more difficult to extrapolate than other solutions. We spoke with a number of people, and we've included some information about one of our seniors who has struggled with depression.

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Further analysis of nuances contained within our problem statement and ways we can help our users. We have identified certain lifestyle changes that are proven to be beneficial for a persons mental health, and we have categorized them as per priority. 

So many possibilities, So much change, So little time.....

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Problem Statement

What it is;

How might we design a tangible or intangible service that helps those affected by the loneliness of isolation and disconnect from society due to the pandemic, deal with the effects that it could have on their mental or psychological well being. 

Why is this the focus of our project?

Although it is of utmost need to help those suffering from common mental issues like depression and anxiety (both of which have elevated and worsened during the pandemic) it is equally important to promote a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent these altogether.

How we arrived at this.

Statistics shows that 75% of mental health issues are prevalent in ages 18-24. Commonly those at this age are either unable to seek help or are unavailable for it due to busy schedules. Remaining disconnected from peers during such trying times and not having a companion through this only makes things worse.

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Getting our facts right. Research. Research. Research.

This is simply a small (more um.. presentable) snippet of all the info we collected, contemplated and stored in various various ways at the start of this journey. All of us had different views on how mental health has been affecting the general public and what sort of coping/preventive techniques were effective (all based on personal experience or beliefs). And that's when we realized- we were completely biased and not knowledgeable enough to tackle this project without extensive further input. And what did we do about this you ask? Research. Research. Research.

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As designers, identifying questions is as important as finding answers.

Multiple multiple Notion threads of thoughts and research later, we’ve understood that mental health is a vast topic and a highly sensitive one at that. Our research on previous attempts by other designers have shown us that trying to provide help to those in dire situations in terms of mental health without the paralleled guidance of a medical professional could be pointless and if done wrong, may even be detrimental to the user. So how can we help? What can we change? How can we alter the current situation even slightly to provide solace to those suffering and alone? Watch us find out by the end of these 24 hours.

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Mental Health, an often hushed topic in most parts of India even in todays modern age. Getting the opportunity to dive deep into this “tabooed topic”, learn even the tiniest nuances of it AND hopefully make an impact here has truly INSPIREd us.

One of our teammates could personally resonate with this topic and her experience and testimony was our first step at understanding mental health better from one who has experienced the dark side of things.

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Mini challenge 1!!

Remotely connected with a disconnected sense of humor XD We’re here and we’re trying :)