Reluminate
A multisensory bedside concept using light, sound, and scent around the daily routines of people with dementia
MSc Coursework
01 — Project Overview
Reluminate was a group project developed during the Multisensory Design course at the University of Twente. We explored how light, sound, and scent could be used together to support nighttime routines for people with dementia living in residential care.
Our starting point was the relationship between dementia, disrupted sleep, and sundowning. People with dementia may experience increased confusion or agitation later in the day, alongside difficulties maintaining regular sleep patterns [1,2]. Rather than treating each sense separately, we wanted to explore whether environmental cues could work together across the transition from evening to morning.
Project Information | |
|---|---|
Course | Multisensory Design |
Institution | University of Twente |
Programme | MSc Interaction Technology |
Team | 6 students |
Tools | Figma, 3D modelling, physical prototyping |
02 — Looking at Nighttime in Dementia Care
We started by reading about sensory changes in dementia, sleep problems, and sundowning. We also spoke with caregivers and family members who had experience with dementia. [1,2]
Sleep became an important part of the project because several things can happen during the night. A resident may have difficulty falling asleep, wake up without knowing what time it is, wander outside their room, and need help getting back to bed. Poor sleep can then carry into the following day. [2]
We became interested in what the room could do during these moments, especially through sensory changes that already happen naturally between morning, daytime, evening, and night.
03 — Why Work with the Surroundings?
Because this was a multisensory design course, we knew we would be working with more than one sense. The question was where that would actually make sense.
Sleep and daily routines gave us a reason to look at the surroundings. Light already changes between day and night, while sounds and smells can be connected to familiar moments such as waking up or preparing for sleep.
We wanted to see what would happen if these changes became part of the room instead of another interface that the resident had to actively use.
04 — What We Wanted to Find Out
We did not test Reluminate with people with dementia, so the project could not tell us whether the concept would improve sleep or reduce nighttime confusion.
The question guiding the design was:
How might light, sound, and scent be used around the daily routines of people with dementia in residential care?
05 — Following a Night and Day
We created a patient journey around Peter, a fictional 74-year-old resident. It followed one day from going to bed through the following afternoon.
At night, Peter has trouble falling asleep. He later wakes up confused about the time and leaves his room. A staff member eventually helps him return to bed. The next morning and afternoon, he is tired.
Putting these moments on a timeline helped us think about when the design would actually be present. The interaction at 9 PM would not need to be the same as at 2:30 AM or 7 AM.
That timeline became the basis for developing Reluminate.
06 — Choosing the Sensory Elements
We looked at light, sound, and scent separately before thinking about how they might work together.
Light was connected to changes between daytime and nighttime and to research around circadian rhythms in older adults with dementia. [3]
For sound, we considered quieter sounds at night and birdsong in the morning. Previous work on birdsong gave us one reference for thinking about how environmental sound might influence mood, although that study was not conducted with people with dementia. [8]
For scent, we looked at lavender for nighttime relaxation and familiar morning smells such as coffee. [6,7]
The literature gave us a starting point, but it did not tell us that these combinations would work in Reluminate. We were using the findings to decide what was worth exploring in the concept.
This became especially relevant for scent, where some of the evidence we used was not specific to people with dementia.
07 — Finding a Form for Reluminate
Our first sketches did not start with one fixed form. We made three directions called Vines, Globe, and Lantern, and looked at how each could show changes between morning, daytime, and night.
The concept later became a circular light on a wooden base. The base included physical controls for light, sound, and scent, with speakers integrated into the object.
We wanted it to sit in the room as a bedside object rather than feel like another digital device.
Looking back, familiarity is something I would question more. Giving a familiar-looking object new functions does not necessarily mean that the interaction itself will feel familiar to someone with dementia.
08 — Connecting the Device to the Routine
We used Peter's journey again to work through what Reluminate might do at different times.
At night, the concept used dimmer light, quieter sounds, and scent around bedtime. In the morning, the proposed cues changed to daylight, birdsong, and a familiar morning scent.
We also considered what could happen if Peter left his bed during the night. A bed sensor was proposed to detect this and activate the device again.
This was a scenario for how the system might behave. We did not know whether Peter, or an actual resident, would understand the sensory changes in the way we intended.
09 — Giving Caregivers Control
We also designed an app concept for care staff.
The app allowed settings for light, sound, and scent to be scheduled or adjusted around an individual resident's routine. We also proposed using information from the bed sensor so staff could see changes in nighttime activity.
This raised another question for us. Personalising the room could be useful, but it also means asking caregivers to manage another system.
We did not evaluate the app with care staff, so we could not know whether this would support their work or add more work to it.
10 — What I Would Test Next
The next step would be to take the concept back into the care context.
I would first speak with care professionals about the proposed routine and controls. I would want to know which parts fit how they already work and which assumptions we made from outside the care environment.
The sensory choices also need to be tested separately. Scent in particular needs stronger evidence for this context, something that was already raised in the feedback on the project.
I would also look again at familiarity. Our prototype used a familiar bedside form, but I would want to understand whether the controls and sensory changes themselves are recognisable and comfortable for residents.
Only after that would I want to study how residents respond to the cues themselves. I would not assume that a particular light, sound, or smell carries the same meaning for everyone.
11 — Reflection
Reluminate was one of the projects where I started noticing how easy it is to move from “research suggests this” to “therefore our design will do this.” They are not the same thing.
We had literature supporting why certain sensory elements were interesting to investigate. We did not have evidence that Reluminate itself could improve sleep, reduce confusion, or change someone's behaviour.
I also became more interested in the context around an interaction. The bedside device was only one part of the project. There was also the resident's routine, the room, the caregiver, and decisions about when each sensory element should appear.
If I worked on Reluminate again, I would spend less time adding features and more time checking those assumptions with the people who would actually live and work around it.
References
[1] Alzheimer’s Association. (2023). What Is Dementia?
[2] Alzheimer’s Association. (2020). Sleep Issues and Sundowning.
[3] Figueiro, M. G. (2017). Light, sleep, and circadian rhythms in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Neurodegenerative Disease Management, 7(2), 119–145.
[6] Bavarsad, N. H. et al. (2023). Aromatherapy for the brain: Lavender’s healing effect on epilepsy, depression, anxiety, migraine, and Alzheimer’s disease. Heliyon, 9(8).
[7] Hawiset, T. (2019). Effect of one-time coffee fragrance inhalation on working memory, mood, and salivary cortisol level. Integrative Medicine Research, 8(4).
[8] Stobbe, E. et al. (2022). Birdsongs alleviate anxiety and paranoia in healthy participants. Scientific Reports, 12(1).
