Nupky - Little Devil

Little Devil being tested in-context on a worker at the GGZE Mental Health Institute.

Little Devil photoshoot for 'ID12' exhibition during DUTCH DESIGN WEEK.

A child is mezmerized by the movements at 'Design Cares' during HELSINKI DESIGN WEEK.

First low-fidelity prototype of the Little Devil concept.

Little Devil was one of many chosen concepts, except that it had the most potential for emotional attachment.

Prototyping went through many iterations to find the right shape change. Based on Wabi-Sabi and Zen; deformation and imperfection is beautiful.

Prototyping Little Devil using a servo, some stiff rods and an Arduino.

The chosen covering textile is a beige, single piece fabric. This simplism was inspired by Wabi-Sabi and implemented to remove connotations.

Little Devil being tested on students at TU/e.

Little Devil - The design, inspired by research: Providing non-smokers with an excuse to take a break regularly at work.

Showcased at the 'ID12' Exhibition during DUTCH DESIGN WEEK.

Also, showcased at the 'Design Cares' Exhibition during DUTCH DESIGN WEEK.

And before that, showcased at the 'Design Cares' Exhibition during HELSINKI DESIGN WEEK.

My MSc research project in Industrial Design at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is about exploring the benefits of negative reinforcement for encouraging stress-relieving behavior. I saw an opportunity to consider alternative methods for dealing with stress. Instead of fixing the problem of people who have stress problems, why was it that people were allowed to reach a level that requires treatment? Also, are there other ways of dealing with stress other than talking with a counselor? How about spirituality or tough love? My goal for this research project was to test methods designers hesitate to use with regards to stress.

Working alongside the workers at the GGZE, it was noticed that non-smokers were hesitant to take a break because they had no reason to. They were scared of being told by their colleagues and bosses that they should be working. This is where Little Devil comes in...

Little Devil is the final design concept and it acts as an excuse for non-smokers to take a break. Little Devil slowly moves from its relaxed state, to it's uptight state over a period of 1.5 hours. Within this time you must take a 10 minute break or suffer a funny consequence.

This project has been selected to present at the World Design Capital Helsinki Design Week and the Dutch Design Week. Individual MSc project: University of Technology Eindhoven (TU/e) - Industrial Design

“His design is a powerful conclusion of his research, based on strong premises and flawless intuition. It’s not for nothing that his work was chosen to be presented at the Design Cares exhibition in Helsinki and Eindhoven later this year.” - Dirk Snelders