Quantuary
The challenge
How can we support students in managing and mitigating their sensory overload during school hours?
The solution
Implement VR environments to provide a calming escape, helping students relax, clear their minds, and focus on their well-being.
Team
Merel van Ooijen, UX/UI designer
Disciplines
UX research
UX design
Interaction design
Responsibilities
UX research
Sketching
Prototyping
Testing
Tools
Figma
Bezi
Blender
Meta Quest 3
Projects phases
1
Connect
Identifying problems
Formulate design question
Desk research
User surveys
Diary studies
User- & expert interviews
2
Concept
Identifying problems
Formulate design question
Desk research
User surveys
Diary studies
User- & expert interviews
3
Create
Mid-fidelity prototype
High-fidelity prototypes
User testing
Refine design
Research
Key insights on
current situation
Surveys and interviews provided insights into student overstimulation, highlighting triggers, effects of sensory overload, and the need for calm environments in schools to improve well-being.
Noise
87.1% of students are overstimulated by noise, with the most disruptive sounds being talking and shouting (83.9%).
Effects
Top effects of overstimulation include decreased concentration (87.1%), increased irritability (71%), and headaches (51.6%).
Noise
Students report feeling stressed (71%), tense (64.5%), fatigued (51.6%), and rushed (41.9%) during periods of overstimulation.
Thoughts
Students emphasized that taking breaks is important to release worries and achieve mental clarity and relaxation.
Experimenting
Trying out
augmented reality
I found that while AR added interactive digital elements, it failed to provide the complete escape needed to effectively manage and reduce sensory overload. This caused me to pursue virtual reality instead.
Testing
VR-prototype
VR-prototype
Testing
User insights on
final product
The orange markers indicate initial feelings, while the blue markers show emotions after interacting with the prototype. Users moved from stress and frustration to relaxation and happiness, proving the prototype’s ability to effectively reduce overstimulation.
Emotional assessment emojis
Emotional assessment grid
Emotional assessment spiral
The final product
VR tool for
relaxing at school
Quantuary offers a calming virtual environment where students can reduce stress and overstimulation. Customizable time-of-day and color options help create the perfect setting for each user’s relaxation needs.
What did I learn?
"This project revealed to me how powerful virtual reality can be in providing a complete escape from reality"
