OMS: rapid stress relief through behavior-intervention design

Stress, especially stress from anxiety disorders, significantly impacts individuals, particularly those who face stress alone. About one-third of Americans experience anxiety disorders, lasting an average of seven months, and costing $33 billion annually in medical expenses. There are four existing solutions. Slowed and regulated breathing, known as mindfulness and meditation; focused behavioral activation therapy; outbreak active projection; and emotion regulation strategies. However, the effectiveness of these current solutions for treating anxiety and stress is limited, as none of them offer immediate relief, except for immersing your head in cold water. These current solutions are also expensive and socially stigmatizing. Thus, this study focuses on creating a more elegant, inconspicuous, immediate, cost-affordable, and dry alternative. This study aims to design an innovative product that directly addresses anxiety symptoms through temperature regulation and to foster broader acceptance of anxiety as a common and manageable experience. Through mixed-method research and market analysis, this project discovered that existing approaches do not effectively break the vicious cycle between anxiety symptoms and physical behaviors. The design of the proposed product provides immediate sensory feedback by cooling the cheek and targets specific anxiety symptoms, including difficulty breathing, finger fidgeting, and facial flushing, thereby filling a significant market gap. The study demonstrates that this product not only alleviates anxiety by breaking the link between anxiety symptoms and physical behaviors but also improves users’ overall quality of life, proving its practical value and effectiveness in managing anxiety. This design also visually conveys the message that anxiety and stress deserve open conversation and social understanding.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.F.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Art and Design

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Yue, Xinran

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dearborn, Lynne
• Heaton, Rachel
• Ekici, Didem

• Anxiety Disorders
• Stress Management
• Behavioral Intervention
• Temperature Regulation
• Sensory Feedback
• Wearable Product Design

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Xinran Yue

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130218

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F130218