Speculative Design for and with
the Product Impact Tool
Case Study of Health Monitoring and Sleep Prediction Technologies
November 2023 - February 2024
Individual Project · Bachelor Level · Industrial Design Engineering
Course: Scientific Challenges
This module bridges education and research, allowing for an in-depth exploration of specialised topics within Industrial Design Engineering. It offers the freedom to define a personal research or design challenge in collaboration with faculty, to deepen expertise in a chosen field. My focus combined Open Script Design and Human-Technology Relation Aesthetics, exploring how design can influence product attachment, user interpretation, and the acceptance of innovative technologies.
This project explores how sleep tracking and prediction technologies influence user behaviour, and how those effects can be intentionally reshaped through design. Using the Product Impact Tool, I analysed five categories of sleep-related devices across their cognitive, physical, environmental, and abstract impacts, then developed speculative redesigns that shift their dominant quadrant of influence.
Research Approach
I applied Findeli’s project-grounded research method, beginning with user interviews to understand how people perceive, use, and sometimes resist sleep technologies. Devices were grouped into wearables, bedside monitors, smartphones and apps, environment control devices, and bedding products. Each group was examined through the four quadrants of the Product Impact Tool: cognitive guidance, physical interaction, environmental conditions, and abstract or symbolic meaning. This process revealed patterns in how current products influence behaviour and where opportunities existed to reframe that influence through design.
Key Findings
The analysis showed that most devices rely heavily on cognitive strategies, such as providing information or persuasive prompts, and physical interventions like alarms or vibrations. Environmental influences, such as altering the room’s ambience or integrating sustainable practices, were much less common, despite their potential to create subtle yet powerful behavioural change. Interview insights suggested that users lose interest when devices only deliver passive data, but remain engaged when feedback is personalised and active. Privacy concerns, over-reliance on technology, and stress from constant monitoring also emerged as recurring themes.
Speculative Redesigns
The redesigns aimed to shift each product’s dominant impact quadrant. For example, wearables were reimagined to focus on environmental influence rather than purely cognitive feedback, using organic materials such as bamboo or clay to increase comfort and presence, while adaptive AI tuned the sleep environment in real time. Bedside monitors were redesigned to emphasise physical interaction, incorporating tactile materials, gesture controls, and immersive soundscapes. Smartphones and apps were reframed to balance all quadrants, replacing intrusive notifications with gentle haptic cues and integrating with smart home systems for environmental adjustments. Environment control devices were given stronger cognitive and physical layers through visually engaging forms, eco-impact displays, and sensory manipulation of light, scent, and temperature. Bedding products adopted a multi-quadrant approach, combining AI-driven adjustments with coercive wake-up features and premium aesthetics that reinforced health-conscious living.
Reflection
This project was an opportunity to explore speculative design as both a creative and analytical tool. I discovered how powerful the Product Impact Tool can be for questioning the role of technology in shaping everyday experiences, and how intentional design shifts can open up entirely new ways of interacting with familiar products. More importantly, it reaffirmed my passion for creating designs that go beyond function, combining cultural context, sensory experience, and behavioural insight to create meaningful interactions.