MRes Digital Art & Technology Tutor for Kyra Boyle, iMayflower Studentship – Adolescent Orientation Application.
This project focused on When this project started out, Krya was working towards a 360, Virtual Reality experience. In collaboration with Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, postgraduate student Kyra Boyle developed a smartphone application as part of her MRes in Digital Art & Technology. This easy-to-use prototype aimed to support children and young people struggling with mental health issues by providing accessible content that addresses key concerns, points to important resources, and enhances their overall support. Using a co-design approach, Kyra engaged both service users and clinicians, in a series of workshops and iterations, a process that revealed that a mobile app would be more effective than the originally planned virtual reality (VR) solution.
The decision to create a mobile app was informed by direct feedback from users, emphasising accessibility and usability. Additionally, embedding 360-degree photographs within the app was identified as an effective way to familiarize young patients with the hospital environment. This approach not only makes the content more relatable but also ensures that it can be easily accessed by users, fostering a more supportive and engaging experience for those visiting healthcare facilities.
https://fswi.org.uk/case-study/digital-futures-nhs-torbay-adolescent-orientation-application
MRes Digital Art & TechnologyTutor for Summer Ashbury, iMayflower Studentship – VR experience focused on wellbeing for patients
Summer worked on a VR project for patients that provided a restful experience of the outdoors and focussed on a tree, on which users could pin or explore photos, reocrdings and memories.
Final Project and Dissertation tutor for BSc (Hons) Digital Media Design for Jasmine Price: ‘An investigation on the effectiveness of using virtual reality in the treatment of claustrophobia VRET project’.
I supervised Jasmine’s dissertation and final project that investigated the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) in treating phobias, specifically focusing on claustrophobia and acrophobia. Her study explored the potential of immersive technologies, including virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, in addressing common anxiety disorders. Her methodology was really interesting, in that she developed a VR experience in Unity, that included a chest-band to measure breathing – which dynamically adjusted the size of a room dependent on the level comfort for the user.