Harmony

Harmony is your ultimate peacekeeper, stepping in when two flatmates clash over noise levels. Think of it as a friendly mediator that takes the awkward out of “Hey, you’re too loud!”. Say goodbye to passive-aggressive notes and hello to living in, well... harmony!

The value lies in its ability to reduce tension, promote harmonious living environments, and foster better understanding between flatmates. By mediating disputes in a structured way, Harmony minimizes emotional friction and builds trust.

How does it work?

• Default State (Yellow): The lights start off in a serene yellow, a symbol of harmony in the household.
• Quiet Mode (Blue): Need some space? Just take your personal light into your room, and the system shifts to blue, signaling your flatmates to keep things quiet.
• Pulsing Alert: If someone’s not getting the memo, shake your light! All the lights will start pulsating as a gentle nudge. Shake it again if needed, and the pulsation speeds up to make your point louder (without actually being loud).
• Acknowledgment (Petting): Your flatmate can acknowledge your request by petting their light, calming the pulsations across the system.
• Gratitude Glow: Seal the deal with some gratitude—pet your light to make the whole system softly glow yellow, celebrating the return to harmony!

Using frameworks such as Bill Verplank’s 8-box model and iterative prototyping, the team recognized the need for a structured yet empathetic tool to manage these conflicts. Bodystorming and testing helped refine inputs and outputs to ensure the solution addressed real user needs effectively.