SomaSpace
A Visual Environment for
Returning To the Present
SomaSpace is an interactive visual environment that responds to subtle body movement and stillness. Using real time motion tracking, the system reflects how the body slows, settles, and stabilizes through gentle, ambient visuals.
Instead of instructions or tasks, SomaSpace invites users to simply enter the space and be present. As movement becomes quieter, the visuals soften and evolve, creating a feedback loop between the body and the environment. This allows users to become more aware of their physical state and reconnect with themselves through sensation rather than cognition.
Designed as a single user installation, SomaSpace explores how nonverbal visual feedback can support emotional regulation, bodily awareness, and moments of grounding. The project treats stillness as a meaningful form of interaction and reframes the body as an active input for digital systems.
SomaSpace responds to subtle body movements such as 1. gently waving the arms or 2. slowly clenching the palm, translating these actions into soft visual changes that encourage users to slow down, notice their body, and feel more grounded through the interaction.
Graphics - 01 Fluid-Based
User research showed that 80 percent of participants preferred slow, particle-based or
fluid movement, describing it as calming, spacious, and easier to settle into than structured or symbolic imagery. Based on these findings, the visual direction will explore fluid-based
graphics that shift gently with the user’s movement. The visual is planned to become more
expressive when someone moves quickly and to soften into a continuous stream as they
slow down.
Because participants consistently associated rhythmic motion with focus and comfort, the
expectation is that this fluid visual will support a similar response. People may feel drawn
to explore the visuals playfully at first, and then naturally ease into slower movement as
the graphics settle with them. The anticipated effect is a sense of grounding that comes
not from stillness alone, but from the quiet rhythm between movement and visual flow. In
this way, the fluid-based graphic is intended to act as a perceptual anchor, helping users
reconnect with their bodies through simple, responsive motion.
I created both warm and cool visual tones because the user research showed that
participants were almost evenly split in preferring warm or cool colors for stress reduction.
Graphics - 02 Depth-map Visual
Purpose: To visualize the continuity of movement and presence through residual imagery.
The Depth Map was separated from the original Flowing Visual following usability testing.
Participants often commented that seeing subtle traces of their movement would make
the experience feel more reflective and spatially immersive. The Depth Map visual captures
the user’s form as a field of particles that fade gradually, leaving behind a stain-like echo of
movement.
This lingering effect helps participants see their presence over time. It visualizes continuity
instead of fragmentation, encouraging them to slow down and notice how their body
occupies and shapes the visual field. The Depth Map supports grounding by making the
invisible connection between movement and time perceptible and calm.
Graphics - 03 Particle-Based
Purpose: To create a visual that feels alive, spacious, and responsive to subtle shifts in movement.
User research showed that 80 percent of participants preferred slow, particle-based or
fluid visuals, describing them as calming, open, and easier to engage with than structured
shapes or symbolic imagery. Many participants associated gentle motion with a sense of
release and found that rhythmic patterns helped them settle their attention. Based on these
insights, the particle system is being explored as one of the core visual modes.
Because particles naturally expand, disperse, and reconvene, they can reflect the softness
and flexibility that users responded to in the research. The visual is designed to behave
as a loose, cloud-like formation that shifts with overall movement rather than requiring
precise gestures. The expectation is that users will feel drawn into the motion first, then
begin to slow down as the particles follow them more quietly. The effect is intended to feel
immersive but not overwhelming.
Wider hand distance
System Mechanism
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