SunSet
Thesis Project
How might we support young professionals who suffer from stress-related sleep deprivation?
Context/Problem
The quality of our sleep is deeply influenced by the quality of our lifestyle. Sleep is deeply influenced by our waking life. Recent studies have revealed that exposure to natural light can significantly improve our mood and circadian rhythms, leading to reduced stress levels, increased productivity, and better sleep quality overall. However, when we look at the current market of sleeping aids, we see a heavy emphasis on invasive technology and artificial replacements.
Solution
SunSet helps young professionals improve their sleep by suggesting optimal sun exposure times based on location, circadian rhythm, and sleeping patterns. The SunSet lamp uses a weather API to predict these times and displays them with color-coded lights. The accompanying app suggests routes and destinations for optimal sun exposure. Acting as a subtle reminder, SunSet motivates practical, convenient, and fun habit forming to improve sleep quality in a holistic and natural way.
Interactive Demo
This is a live video of my interactive thesis demo for SunSet, a lamp/app that uses a local weather API to provide users with ideal sun exposure breaks, routes, and destinations. These are recommended using not only specific weather data (cloud cover/sun exposure) but also your sleeping chronotype in order to regulate circadian rhythm. The demo uses historical weather data from May 13, 2022 to simulate a bite-size experience.
Coding was done in collaboration with Miguel Henville, a 1st year Computer Science student at UofT