︎ Sensory Nexus
Reimagining Rest and Movement Through Sensory-Based Design
Sensory Nexus aims to innovate campus settings into a powerful holistic solution for student and staff health by reimagining walking paths and bus stops. The introduction of LED walkways creates a dynamic light experience as students move with engaging design encouraging more physical activity. For those who need rest and choose to not use the paths, our redesigned bus stops offer sensory-rich environments featuring musical swings, a warming and grounding sauna experience, and interactive artistic installations. Transcending simply being an option for stress relief or exercise, our design weaves health-promoting moments into campus users' daily routines, creating an ecosystem that naturally guides students to make better, more healthy choices in their campus community.
By Kristina Marchand ︎ , Laya Joseph ︎, Mare Byrd ︎, Zachary Haan ︎,
The persona provides a crucial point of understanding who will engage with our design. Maya is from Jackson, Michigan and she grew up in a low-income household. Her father is a roofer and her mother is a teacher, Maya was able to come to the University of Michigan because of the Hail Scholarship. She is 20 years old and a junior majoring in engineering. Maya lives in a co-op on the south campus and commutes to North Campus for work and class. Maya is a dedicated and driven student who cares deeply about her academic career while also working part-time at the Mujo Cafe in the Duderstadt Center. She also works the information desk in the Duderstadt Center in the evenings. She works about 20 hours at work outside of school. She struggled to find a balance between the weight of coursework, the inclusion of social life, sleeping enough, and working part-time. This leads to not enough hours in the day with stressful late-night study sessions and not enough time to relax. Maya values her mental and physical well-being and understands their importance but finds it very difficult to stay consistent with exercise or wellness routines due to her unpredictable and often busy schedule. She struggles to maintain a balanced diet and often eats late at night and has a lack of motivation to attend the gym when she just craves a rest from overwhelming stress during exam periods. She desires moments of calm throughout her busy day in a simple, engaging way.
Why
The college atmosphere is frequently characterized by stress, unpredictable schedules, and important decisions that have a lasting impact on behavior. This project seeks to tackle urgent health issues among students in college settings through strategic points of decision, where academic stress and social interactions often contribute to heightened stress levels and unhealthy habits.
The Upjohn Grant Project, in which HKS studied Point of Decision Design, stated that “US college campuses have become obesogenic environments, or in other words, places that contribute to obesity.” Research shows that close to 39% of college students undergo considerable stress, with over 30% stating they feel anxious to the point of being overwhelmed, which can impact their academic performance. Moreover, studies indicate that approximately 30% of university students partake in detrimental behaviors like eating late at night and not getting enough exercise, leading to weight gain and declining mental well-being. The Healthy Minds Survey found that “96,000 U.S. students surveyed across 133 campuses during the 2021–22 academic year, 44 percent reported symptoms of depression, 37 percent said they experienced anxiety and 15 percent said they have seriously considered suicide—the highest rates in the survey’s 15-year history.” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has highlighted loneliness as a public health challenge affecting one in every two adults, particularly college students.
Engaging in choice-based, sensory-rich spaces can help alleviate feelings of isolation by encouraging self-care and connection in communal areas same time, physical activity has been shown to reduce stress, and giving students the choice to walk or rest in spaces that address their unique needs enhances the likelihood of positive mental health and physical outcomes. Critical health issues faced by college students need to be addressed to create a healthier living environment by focusing on strategic points of decision, where academic stress and social interactions commonly contribute to elevated stress levels and unhealthy habits.
In terms of bus stop interventions, multiple areas throughout the world have been deploying new methods that reinvigorate bus stop design. In Umea, Sweden where frigid temperatures and minimal daylight are the norm, an innovative bus stop from Rombout Frieling Lab incorporates semi-enclosed structures that provide visibility and environmental protection to users. Constructed from local materials, the waiting area is more comfortable and inviting with a dynamic system where inhabitants can engage with others and the community. After the bus stop’s opening, there was a 35% increase in usage with some passengers taking extra time to just relax in the structure. Similarly, in terms of the guiding light design, Pavegen’s Walk to Light flooring specializes in the innovation of sustainable technology through the conversion of kinetic energy in footsteps into electricity that is deployed through dynamic lighting, connected clean energy, visually appealing and interactive lighting, and environmentally responsible configurations.
In terms of Campus Plan 2050, our analysis of the current proposal found gaps within the desired outcomes and design planning. For example, the transit-system plan does not mention the inclusion of a bus stop design, insinuating the continuation of the current design. The transit system does not have the inclusivity of neurodiverse users and multisensory accessibility. There is a need for more tactile and sensory features and principles that address human-centered design principles. Inclusion would address gaps within the current system as well as foster environments that are not only functional but go beyond simple transit system design to create systems that are enriching, inclusive, and engaging.
Our objective is to promote emotional and physical health by transforming ordinary spaces into sensory-rich environments. We utilized common areas such as bus stops and walking paths that serve as important Points of Decisions as vehicles for sensory design to encourage healthier decisions at crucial moments for design intervention. This project goes beyond just modernizing current infrastructure and shows a dedication to creating a campus atmosphere that prioritizes both academic success and the well-being of its students. Therefore, our objective is to enhance emotional and physical well-being by transforming mundane spaces into sensory-rich environments. Our interventions demonstrate how small-scale urban installations can become strong catalysts for a more healthy and vibrant campus experience for both staff and students alike. Our question then becomes: How do we help solve the issue of lack of physical and emotional health, which is linked to decisions related to rest and activity, on college campuses
How
We employed a comprehensive approach that begins with identifying key campus locations where bus stops and pedestrian pathways intersect, turning these areas into critical Points of Decision (PDs). This serves as the foundation for our design process, with an initial focus on mapping these locations and analyzing how sensory design can influence student behavior and well-being. Our methodology gathered user feedback through surveys and observational studies, allowing us to better understand daily routines, stressors, and desired improvements (Schuler & Namioka, 1993). This was followed by a thorough exploration of how sensory cues (such as lighting, sound, and texture) can be integrated into these spaces to encourage positive behaviors. By incorporating principles of tactical urbanism—an approach that emphasizes small-scale, low-cost interventions to prompt social change (Lydon & Garcia, 2015)—we created temporary prototypes to assess their effectiveness in real-world settings. The use of tactile urbanism— a design that engages users through physical interactions—plays a key role in making these spaces more engaging and interactive and fostering a connection between students and their environment. As part of this iterative design process, we refined our prototypes by incorporating ongoing feedback to enhance the balance between playfulness, emotional well-being, and sensory engagement. This approach was supported by research, which indicates that iterative design and gradual enhancement can lead to greater innovation and user satisfaction. Our goal was to incorporate tactical and tactile urbanism principles to improve campus infrastructure and promote healthier behaviors, fostering a more supportive and engaging campus atmosphere for students.
What
Our tactile urbanism aims to innovate campus settings into a powerful holistic solution for student and staff health by reimagining walking paths and bus stops. The introduction of LED walkways creates a dynamic light experience as students move with engaging design encouraging more physical activity. For those who need rest and choose to not use the paths, our redesigned bus stops offer sensory-rich environments featuring musical swings, a warming and grounding sauna experience, and interactive artistic installations. Transcending simply being an option for stress relief or exercise, our design weaves health-promoting moments into campus users' daily routines, creating an ecosystem that naturally guides students to make better, more healthy choices in their campus community. Our design focus is centered around creating and potentially implementing redesigned bus stops and concurrent paths that encourage healthy choices through sensory interventions and experiences. When a student encounters our newly designed bus stop the design creates more influence for the user to choose the option of continuing to their final destination on the guiding light walking paths. These Guiding Light Walkways enhance the walking experience by encouraging physical activity by integrating technology and design with user behavior responses in real time. Pathways are embedded with LED lights along the side of a sidewalk which illuminate as someone approaches and passes, creating a dynamic light experience that follows the student as they travel. This adds joy to the mundane walking experience and enhances safety for campus users. These lights could also correspond to the level of activity or levels of healthy activity that taking the path brings. For users who cannot walk due to mobile restrictions or are having sensory overload from the stress of their day, the bus stop offers a sensory environment point of refuge for those who do not decide to interact with the walkway. These redesigned bus stops include rest and respite as a wellness nexus from the struggles of the day through blue light experiences, healthy grounding stimulation such as visual art that encourages relaxation, musical swings, dynamic sculptures that incorporate movement and play, and interactive installations all while the student waits for their bus. Our project seeks to transform common campus areas, such as bus stops and walking paths, into engaging sensory-rich environments that promote healthier choices. By leveraging these Points of Decision, we aim to enhance both emotional and physical well-being among students and staff. Therefore, our hypothesis is if we create and integrate sensorial design interventions at critical points of decision along campus users' daily routines to either entice students to engage in physical activity or relax the stress-inducing campus life through reimagined bus stops, then we can increase the emotional and physical health of the overall campus population of community, staff, and students.
Now, Near, and Far
With our project completion in 2024, implementation of LED pathway system along key points of decision pathways throughout Central and North Campus with interactive movement response systems. Sensory interventions at bus stops consisting of art installations, sauna, and musical swings located at the beginning and end of LED embedded pathways. Digital app component mapping retrofitted bus stops and walkways with campus reward systems and community connection. Later, in 2040, smart technology in the materials of the guiding light pathways that measure the gait, balance, and walking patterns of campus users. Bus stops are weather-adaptive and adjust to environmental conditions to provide shelter from wind and sun protection with shading systems. Dynamic lighting that adapts to the time of day and usage patterns along with Energy-generating walking surfaces and predictive maintenance systems. Finally, in 2055, Integrating with Campus Plan 2050, the bus stops will be expanded to include all new locations within the new automatic travel system connecting North and Central Campus. Biorhythm-synchronized lighting systems across campus create a complete integration with natural systems and environmental factors. Advanced biometric sensors detect stress levels in students and deploy AI-powered recommendations for optimal routes based on on-campus student wellness goals. Bus stops are micro-climate controlled with air quality optimization systems and can be virtually activated when a user enters a movement-activated sone where the bus stop exists digitally.
So What
A bus stop is a point of many decisions that connects to the greater overconnected system of health for the users on campus. By finding the points where there are paths to walk instead of using the bus, we can intervene in that decision through design and create more walking which will lead to a general improvement in health due to physical activity. For users who could choose to not walk after the point of decision design, transforming the waiting space at the bus stop into a meaningful rest and respite will address the more emotional and mental facets of health depending on the exact focus of the site-specific design. Now, we are integrating health into every aspect of someone’s life on their daily route for those who may not be able to engage in physical activity in the same way as others and for those who need a moment of calm in the chaotic structure that college life introduces into everyone’s lives.
Design To Outcomes
Swing sets instill a freeing sense of childlike joy and our design employs this whimsy into campus life which will encourage campus users to engage in our design more to make healthier, joyful, and relaxing decisions and experiences. Additionally, sensory integration entices users to choose our design option due to the reduction of cortisol and blood pressure that arises from the use of bright colors that release dopamine, tactile engagement that creates complexity, and the desire to engage with others through evolutionary psychology. Finally, interventions at bus stops throughout the daily routine of students involving relaxing design capture users while they wait and lead more campus users to become involved in relaxing stimuli.
Links to Follow:
︎︎︎Two Page Report
︎︎︎Miro Board
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Works Cited
- American College Health Association. National College Health Assessment. ACHA, 2024, www.acha.org/ncha/.
- CADRE Research. (n.d.). Point-of-decision design (PODD) to support healthy behaviors in the college campuses. Retrieved October 2, 2024, from https://www.cadreresearch.org/pointofdecision-design-podd-to-support-healthy-behaviors-in-the-college-campuses
- Dezeen. "Rombout Frieling Lab Designs Sheltered Arctic Bus Stops for Swedish City Umeå." Last modified December 11, 2019. https://www.dezeen.com/2019/12/11/rombout-frieling-lab-arctic-bus-stop-umea-sweden/.
- Dorst, Kees. "The Core of ‘Design Thinking’ and Its Application." Design Studies, vol. 32, no. 6, 2011, pp. 521-532.
- Eisenberg, D. et al., 2023. The Healthy Minds Study: National Report 2021-2022, The Healthy Minds Network. United States of America. Retrieved from https://coilink.org/20.500.12592/b15ncf on 19 Nov 2024. COI: 20.500.12592/b15ncf.
- Lydon, Mike, and Anthony Garcia. "Tactical Urbanism: Short-Term Action for Long-Term Change." Journal of the American Planning Association 81, no. 3 (2015): 154–169. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2015.1054708.
- Pavegen. "Pavegen: The World’s Leading Provider of Sustainable Flooring." Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.pavegen.com/.
- Schuler, Douglas, and Aki Namioka, editors. Participatory Design: Principles and Practices. CRC Press, 1993.