{"id":76,"date":"2026-09-14T08:13:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T08:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sofia-uxdesign.de\/?page_id=76"},"modified":"2026-10-11T17:30:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T17:30:49","slug":"use-case-fidget-cube","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sofia-uxdesign.de\/?page_id=76","title":{"rendered":"UC4 – The Effects of a Fidget Cube With an Integrated Ambient Display"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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STUDY PROJECT<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The Effects of a Fidget Cube With an Integrated Ambient Display<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Today’s work can be stressful, so we explored whether fidgeting and biofeedback could help people become more aware of their emotional state<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project combined UX research, physical prototyping and interaction design<\/strong> to explore whether a playful physical object could support emotional self-regulation during desk work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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View Paper<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Duration<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

1 Semester<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Study design \u2022 Hardware Prototyping \u2022 Usability Testing <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tools<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Google Forms, Arduino IDE, Cinema 4D<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is…?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Fidgeting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fidgeting is a natural behavior that often happens unconsciously. Fidget toys provide a way to channel this behavior<\/strong> while keeping the user’s attention on a primary task.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Ambient displays<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ambient displays communicate information in the periphery of attention<\/strong>, aiming to be useful without interrupting the user’s main activity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Biofeedback<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Biofeedback makes otherwise unconscious body signals<\/strong> more noticeable, allowing users to reflect on and potentially regulate their own state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How does it work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our vision was a Fidget Cube with an integrated ambient display<\/strong>, connected to a smartwatch that tracks the user’s biosignals. The LED ring would provide subtle visual feedback based on the user’s emotional state and signal when it might be helpful to take a moment to fidget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Concept art – Interaction between fidget cube with integrated ambient display and the smartwatch with biofeedback sensors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Concept Validation Survey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before building the prototype, we conducted an online survey with 31 participants<\/strong> to explore our concept and understand our target group. We asked about perceived effects on focus and performance, attitudes towards fidget toys, and the visual design<\/strong> of the concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hardware prototyping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The original concept was technically more complex than what we could build within the available time. We therefore adapted it while keeping the core interaction intact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of a smartwatch, we used a PPG sensor and Arduino<\/strong> to measure pulse and control the cube. A blue LED ring is triggered when the pulse exceeds 90 bpm<\/strong>, creating a short pulsing animation. This makes the user aware of the bio signal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PPG sensor for measuring heart rate<\/mark><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Fidget Cube with integrated ambient display<\/mark><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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main controller<\/mark><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Usability Study<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We then sent the prototype to 11 participants<\/strong>, together with assembly instructions, questionnaires and all necessary components. Participants used the prototype during their usual desk work for 30 minutes to up to 8 hours<\/strong>, allowing us to evaluate the interaction in a real-life setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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parts of the device: finger sensor, fidget cube, main controll unit, power cord<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Results<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The study did not show an improvement in general focus or performance<\/strong>. However, participants reported feeling more supported when working while nervous or anxious, suggesting a possible effect on emotional self-regulation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept was also well received visually<\/strong>, but the ambient light raised an interesting tension: while participants considered it a suitable signal, it could also become distracting. We also found that many participants had reservations about fidget toys \u2014 yet the actual reactions from colleagues were predominantly curious or amused rather than negative<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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comparison of several emotions – how well can you focus on your work, when being in [this] emotional state vs. how well can you focus, when being in [this] emotional state with the help of the system?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

STUDY PROJECT The Effects of a Fidget Cube With an Integrated Ambient Display Today’s work can be stressful, so we explored whether fidgeting and biofeedback could help people become more aware of their emotional state. The project combined UX research, physical prototyping and interaction design to explore whether a playful physical object could support emotional […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-76","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sofia-uxdesign.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/76","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sofia-uxdesign.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sofia-uxdesign.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sofia-uxdesign.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sofia-uxdesign.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/sofia-uxdesign.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/76\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":458,"href":"https:\/\/sofia-uxdesign.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/76\/revisions\/458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sofia-uxdesign.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}