The current dominance of digital workflows and emphasis on cognitive skills in all aspects of our lives have led to an undervaluation of our body as it exists in the physical world, correlating to our modern-day busy lives and a global rise mental health issues. Undertone is a device that offers a unique way of returning to your body and becoming calm, defamiliarizing the relation between a user’s sense of touch and the resulting audio feedback. It amplifies the sound of touched textures, emphasizing a felt experience locally to increase bodily awareness. The project takes inspiration from both design work done in the field of somaesthetics, as well as traditional methods of becoming more self-aware (i.e. mindfulness practices).

This project introduced me to several key methods I now feature in many of my projects. The essence of the Undertone process was to explore how materials can aid in reflective practices; as such, material development and exploration formed a key activity in making sense of the design space. This was complemented by thorough development & finishing of the final prototypes The design process was also heavily conducted from multiple perspectives: third-person (designing for users), second-person (designing with users), and first-person (designing as users ourselves).