Panic Attack Therapy Device
The panic attack therapy device was designed to help users calm down during a panic attack. The round, ergonomic, and ‘squishy’ exterior and embedded LCD screen with an inflating/deflating circle as a breathing guide allows users to ground themselves and regulate their breathing. The timing of the breathing guide follows the 4-4-4 breathing technique which has been proven effective in calming users.
After creating our device, we conducted tests with 15 users and control groups. From the experiments, we found that the device brought down user’s heart rates at a 10% quicker rate than for control participants, rendering it an effective and low-cost therapy device.
The Design Process
1) Ideation + User Insights
The design process for this device began with the question of what exactly a panic attack therapy device should do? We sent out surveys aimed specifically for people with a history of panic attacks to collect user insight on what it is they wish they had during a panic attack. The most common responses stated that they would find a breathing guide and something they can ‘squish’ useful, which then guided us into the prototyping stage.
2) Iterative Prototyping
With the user insight in mind, my partner and I began creating CAD models of various ergonomic hand held forms to find what is most comfortable while also containing enough interior space for the circuit and LCD screen. After fabricating many different options, we settled on a spherical design made out of TPU as it satisfied the constraints and was most popular during user testing.
3) Circuit Integration
After finalizing our form factor, we began to integrate the circuit into the device. We had 2 electrical engineering students on the team who handled writing the code for the screen animation and creating the circuit wiring while the rest of us soldered the final circuit to fit into the device.
4) Testing
To test the effectiveness of our device, we created a short experiment where participants were required to prepare and perform a short speech within 5 minutes on a topic unfamiliar to them to an audience. Then, depending on if they are a control or a user, they would calm down from this anxious experience either by simply resting or by using our device while their heart rate was measured.
From the results obtained from 15 participants, it was apparent that the heart rate of users returned to resting much quicker than those that did not use the device.
Feedback from users also including the following comments:
“Device was comfortable to hold” - Participants 4, 5, 8, 9, 12
“Animation was easy to focus on” - Participant 1
“I felt more calm after using the device than I did walking in” - Participant 9
