DeLight: biofeedback through ambient light for stress intervention and relaxation assistance

Bin Yu,Mathias Funk,Loe Feijs,Jun Hu

doi:10.1007/s00779-018-1141-6

Bin Yu, Mathias Funk + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-018-1141-6

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Abstract

Light is a common ambient medium to express additional information in a peripheral and calm way, but it is also an environmental stimulant to create atmosphere, evoke moods, and provide immersive experiences. Through the design of the DeLight system, we aim to establish a biofeedback-driven lighting environment that informs users about their stress level for intervention and assists them in biofeedback relaxation training. In this study, DeLight is interfaced with a heart rate variability biofeedback system with two modes for different purposes: stress intervention and relaxation assistance. We evaluated the prototype of DeLight in two user studies. The results of the first study show that DeLight has the potential for stress intervention; the HRV biofeedback through the changes of ambient light could improve a user’s awareness of stress and trigger behavioral conditioning, such as deep breathing. The results of the second study confirm that DeLight has potential as a new biofeedback interface for relaxation assistance; biofeedback through an immersive lighting environment can support physiological regulation as effectively as graphic biofeedback; it offers enhanced relaxation effects regarding both subjective experience and physiological arousal. These findings suggest that the biofeedback-driven ambient light can perform as persuasive technology in the domain of health self-management. The combination of decorative and informative aspects enables the lighting interface to offer the users a comfortable and relaxing condition for biofeedback-assisted relaxation training.

Highlights

Since Weiser (1991) coined the term Ubiquitous Computing [1], the idea of a peripheral and more environmentally integrated way of information display has been appealing to many researchers and designers in the human-computer interaction (HCI) realm
The increase of Heart rate (HR) under the cool-toned (M = 2.6%, SD = 4.9%; p = 0.027) and warm-toned (M = 2.6%, SD = 4.9%; p = 0.033) lighting biofeedback conditions were significantly lower than the control condition
No significant differences were found between the cool-toned and warm-toned light conditions. These results suggest that the biofeedback through DeLight was useful in helping the users control their heart rate response to stress

Summary

Introduction

Since Weiser (1991) coined the term Ubiquitous Computing [1], the idea of a peripheral and more environmentally integrated way of information display has been appealing to many researchers and designers in the human-computer interaction (HCI) realm. Ambient information systems can be Balways-connected^ to data sources, communicating information calmly through the subtle changes in an architectural space [6, 7], decorative objects [8, 9], sound [10], or ambient light [11]. These displays tend to be esthetically pleasing and seamlessly merged with a physical environment, where various everyday objects are turned into an interface between people and digital information. One of the best-known examples is ambientROOM [12], a physical architectural space supporting peripheral awareness of information with light patches on the wall, natural sounds in the background, and water ripples projected on the ceiling

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