alex
problem
People with alexithymia have difficulty recognizing and describing their own emotions. This makes it difficult for them to understand their own emotional world and to communicate their feelings to others.
solution
alex is a smartwatch app that helps people with alexithymia to better understand their own emotions through biofeedback and targeted questions.
Research
desk research
Through desk research, we found that alexithymia is a personality trait that affects around 10% of the population. People with alexithymia have difficulty recognizing and describing their own emotions. This makes it difficult for them to understand their own emotional world and to communicate their feelings to others.
target audience
Our target audience are people with alexithymia who want to better understand their own emotions. We focus on people who are already in therapy and want to use our app as a supplement to their therapy.
expert interview
In an interview with a psychotherapist, we learned that people with alexithymia often have difficulty distinguishing between physical sensations and emotions. For example, they may interpret a racing heart as anxiety when they are actually excited.
Functions
stage 1
In the first stage, the user learns to recognize physical sensations. The smartwatch measures various biophysiological values such as heart rate, skin conductance and temperature. These values are displayed to the user in real time.
stage 2
In the second stage, the user learns to link physical sensations with emotions. When the smartwatch detects changes in biophysiological values, it asks the user targeted questions about their current emotional state.
stage 3
In the third stage, the user learns to recognize and name emotions independently. The smartwatch continues to measure biophysiological values, but now only intervenes when the user actively requests help.
homescreen
The home screen shows the current emotional state and associated physical sensations. The user can also see the development of their biophysiological values over time.
insights
The insights page provides an overview of the user's emotional development. Here they can see patterns and trends in their emotional responses and track their progress.
