Journey, 2024

My thesis is a holistic design and research project that proposes product, behaviour and system-level interventions with the objective of tackling the single most preventable cause of death worldwide:
tobacco addiction

Today, vapes are the most popular tool for smokers to quit...

However they don’t address the root cause of nicotine addiction, perpetuating it in a new medium

Their design leads to passive and continuous use, lacking the start and end points of cigarettes

Driven by a commercial market to deliver higher doses of nicotine in increasingly convenient packages.

The result is a single use product containing a rechargeable battery

With bright colours and sweet flavours driving underage usage

a smarter vaporiser

two pods

nicotine and placebo

prototype varying each pods output

reducing dosage automatically and comfortably

charging case

1. undock

2. flick scroll wheel to activate

3. ‘smoke’ for a finite amount

4. conclude the activity

mimicking the (familiar) gestural ritual of smoking

connected experience

setting realistic weekly goals of reducing a specific trigger

scroll wheel increases in resistance during target trigger times and locations to nudge adherence,

addressing both the chemical dependency and behavioural aspects of addiction

through digital and physical interventions

in an enduring and desirable form

that wears in physically and algorithmically to its user

ensuring they feel proud in their initiative towards a healthier future

always-present ambient display

growing and wilting based on goal adherence (feedback)

the day you quit smoking

a brand that aligns with cultural trends towards wellbeing and healthier lifestyle choices

rather than the clinical nature of current medical interventions

marketing that promotes quitting first, with the product as a means to the goal

research process