COCOON-KID

COCOON-KID
A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Device for Children
Subject
3rd Year INDD Project
Collaboration
With Leah Pirani
Duration
3 Months
“Sleep problems not only disrupt a child’s nights - they disrupt his days, too, by making him less mentally alert, more inattentive, unable to
concentrate, and easily distracted. They also make him more physically impulsive, hyperactive, or lazy.” - Marc Weissbluth, Healthy Sleep
Habits, Happy Child
Sleep apnea is a type of sleep disorder characterized by infrequent breathing during sleep. 2 types of sleep apnea include: Obstructive
(when the throat muscles relax) and Central (when your brain doesn’t send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing)
Image Above
Source: Google
LEAH PIRANI
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines are a common solution for sleep apnea patients. They are extremely evasive and
often disrupt sleep patterns, positions and overall comfort of the user. Despite CPAPs quality of use, they continue to be uncomfortable
for the user and often are a hindrance rather than help. They can often cause, eye infections, stuffy noses, anxiety, pressure points, and
dry mouth. For Children with sleep apnea a CPAP machine can be a traumatizing experience, and the market has yet to be explored.
WORK SAMPLES
PORTFOLIO
5
DESIGN OPPORTUNITY
A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Device for Children
IMPROVING
the overall experience for children with sleep apnea by removing the intimidating
factors that are associated with CPAP machines. By making a CPAP machine that is
friendly, secure, supports routine, and is comfortable and interactive, this project will
help normalize the use of the medical product for children.
Disability can be associated with many stigmas as required assistive devices do not
always consider user experience or aesthetics. Our goal was to create a non-invasive
solution for children that would seamlessly fit into their everyday routine while also
promoting personal empowerment and comfort.
Creating a soft product,
using cuddly spheres to loop
Retractable string and
connectors will allow free
movement between child
and the caterpillar
Concealed tube feature will
ensure non-constricting
airflow
LEAH PIRANI
WORK SAMPLES
PORTFOLIO
6
DESIGN STRATEGIES
A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Device for Children
Step 1 - Launch
app in IPhone
Step 3 - Receive
notifications
Step 4 - Review
missed alerts
Step 5 - Observe
nightly sleep activity
Step 2 - Log in
Step 6 - Compare
weekly sleep activity
Scenario Of Use: Parent Checking Up On Their Child’s Well
Being
Step 7 - Toggle
settings to be alerted
in the future
LEARNING FROM EXPERTS
SYSTEMS MAPPING
RAPID PROTOTYPING
EMPATHY STUDIES
From speaking with a variety of
doctors, engineers and healthcare
providers, we were able to understand
the repercussions of those with
untreated sleep apnea, our refined
target market and the necessary steps
to further develop our project
Once we decided upon a design
direction, we developed a variety of
systems maps to resolve how our
digital app, storybook and CPAP
device would work as a whole, while
also being intuitively understood by
parents, their children and healthcare
providers.
A variety of prototyping methods were
used, including: material exploration,
sewing techniques, CAD drawings,
wireframing and clay modeling
to explore form and function. By
doing so, we were able to make
our complex ideas more tangible,
making it easier to communicate
with our faculty and peers to promote
and receive feedback for further
refinement.
To better understand our user group,
a variety of empathy studies were
conducted. One example involved
complying with a competitive CPAP
machine for a prescribed duration
of 2-4 hours. This allowed us to
experience the typical user scenario
of a child using a CPAP device while
also quickly identifying improvement
areas to expand upon and resolve.
LEAH PIRANI
WORK SAMPLES
PORTFOLIO
7
FINAL OUTCOME
A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Device for Children
Cocoon-Kid is a CPAP system for children that consists of four components to positively influence
children with Sleep Apnea and establish a holistic, kid-friendly experience. Snoozy the caterpillar
is a stuffed toy that contains a removable CPAP machine. The CPAP machine’s tubing runs
through the body of Snoozy to conceal its medical appearance, and to shorten the length of the
tube. A mobile app alerts parents if and when the CPAP machine’s mask falls off in the middle
of the night, and to record the duration of one’s sleep. A story book is also accompanied to lightly
introduce the concept of sleep apnea to children, including the importance of sleep.
LEAH PIRANI
WORK SAMPLES
PORTFOLIO
8
SCENARIO OF USE - IN DETAIL
A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Device for Children
1
Snoozy is played with
during the day
3
2
Parent reads story to child
about Snoozy the caterpillar
and how the cpap machine
is going to work
Mask is taken out for bed
time use
Child sleeps with Snoozy
CPAP (mask with sensors)
Mask becomes dislodged,
or falls off, sensors send
signal to app
OR
6
Parents launch the app
the next day to view their
child’s sleep progress on a
weekly and daily basis
LEAH PIRANI
4
5
Machine shuts down, and
parents are alerted through
notification on app
WORK SAMPLES
Parent re-adjusts mask
4
5
Machine shuts down, app
is alerted, but doesn’t wake
parents
PORTFOLIO
Parents view the missed
alert, launch the app and
observe how much sleep
their child had with the
mask on
9