Mindful Experience in an RFID Zen Garden

Completed on an HCI design team for alternative controllers course.

Timeline: February 2024 - March 2024

Project Team: Amina Green, Bridget Ho, Samantha Chen, Bianca Villanueve

Keywords: Speculative Design, Alternative Controllers, Immersive Experience

Tools: Figma, Python, Blender

Concept

Inspired by traditional Zen gardens, I created an interactive, meditative space where users place 3D-printed objects into a soft, cloud-like garden. Each object contains an RFID tag, triggering a unique color pattern and ambient glow beneath the surface.

How It Works

  • An Arduino Uno detects the tag via an RFID scanner

  • LED lights glow specific colors based on the object (e.g., red = emotion, blue = calm)

  • All hardware is concealed beneath a frosted acrylic box filled with fluffy materials and the 3D printed rocks enhancing the illusion of ✨magic ✨

Designed the garden’s rocks in Blender…

… and 3d printed them!

Multimodalities

Headphones played serene sounds to enhance mindfulness

Guided with a slide deck

The color enabled rock garden allows customization.

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