During our two workshops with Clive, we discussed many different uses and ideas around Interactive Design. From apps to pieces of artwork and programs with therapeutic uses, Clive asked us to come up with our own idea for a piece of interactive media on an already existing platform.
The theme I chose to explore was the idea of a “digital doctor” and I wanted to focus on its use for mental health therapy and CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). As you can see from the PDF above, I thought about an app that you could have with you at all times of your phone to guide you through exposure therapy, helping you to track your progress and develop into a panic free individual.
Although I had previously thought about the uses for the Oculus Rift as a platform for phobia therapy I didn’t follow this through in the PDF. As it turned out, I didn’t actually show my PDF when discussing my idea with the workshop group, because throughout the session as more people talked about their ideas I had new thoughts about what I might want to create.
When it came round to my opportunity to talk about my Interactive Design thought process, I came out with this:
A set of programs specifically tailored for use on the Oculus Rift in conjunction with CBT, enabling the exposure therapy to be undertaken in an office environment. They could replicate situations for people with Panic Disorder, Generalised Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Specific Phobias, Agoraphobia etc that would challenge them to control their anxiety and get through the situation without ever being exposed to real threat. This would allow the therapist to work with them in a realistic situation, meaning they could teach applicable techniques to the patient and gain a better understanding of the experience of their patient when dealing with their phobia or anxiety. Alongside this, they would have a phone app to use outside of the therapy sessions to not only track their emotions and progress, but to suggest calming activities, visualisation, and to challenge the user to diminish their negative thought cycles.
I think my idea was well received and the feedback I got suggested that I pare it back a little and focus on one specific Anxiety Disorder to fully develop my ideas for. This is something I am currently thinking about expanding on to perhaps include in my final project this semester for Digital Media.