Serenilily is a conceptual design that visualizes workplace stress through a blooming flower, using subtle physical change to encourage awareness and reflection rather than interruption.
Bachelor project
16 Week Group project in collaboration with Workplace Vitality Hub
My Role
Research, concept development, prototyping, user testing, CAD modelling, 3D printing, material exploration, integration of electronics and mechanics.
Project overview
Workplace stress is common, but often invisible and difficult to talk about. SereniLily explores how collective stress can be visualised in a shared workspace in a way that raises awareness while respecting individual privacy.
Rather than reducing stress directly, the project focuses on helping coworkers recognise stress patterns and support each other.
The problem
Many office workers experience stress, but find it uncomfortable to communicate this to colleagues. Individual stress indicators can increase pressure or lead to unwanted visibility, while purely digital tools often remain private and disconnected from the shared workspace.
Design question
How can collective workplace stress be made visible in a shared space without exposing individuals?
Key insights
Based on literature research, a survey among office workers, user testing, and client feedback:
- Stress is often present but rarely discussed openly at work
- Making individual stress visible can increase discomfort or pressure
- Awareness is often enough for people to act on stress
- Collective visualisation feels safer than individual feedback
- Calm aesthetics are essential in already stressful environments
These insights led to a shift from individual stress indicators to an anonymous, collective representation.
Design direction
I focused on creating a shared installation that:
- Represents stress collectively and anonymously
- Fits naturally into an office environment
- Encourages reflection rather than judgement
- Uses calm, nature-inspired visuals
Early concepts explored individual desk-based indicators, but user feedback showed these could unintentionally increase stress. This led to a clear pivot towards a collective design.
Final concept: SereniLily
SereniLily is a physical installation consisting of a pond of water lilies, where each lily represents one coworker anonymously.
- Lilies open and emit soft blue light as stress levels increase
- Stress input can be manual or via wearable data
- No lily is linked to a visible individual
- The overall state of the pond reflects collective stress
Placed in a shared space, the installation makes stress visible without singling anyone out.
Prototyping & testing
A high-fidelity prototype was built using:
- 3D-printed petals
- Servo-driven opening mechanisms
- Integrated lighting and electronics
- A physical pond installation
User testing showed that:
- The collective display felt safe and non-judgemental
- The installation encouraged conversation and awareness
- Smoothness of movement and light diffusion could be improved
These findings informed clear directions for refinement.
Reflection
This project strengthened my interest in designing for social wellbeing and shared environments.
I learned how quickly design decisions can influence feelings of safety and pressure, and how important it is to test assumptions early—especially when designing around sensitive topics like stress.
In future iterations, I would improve the mechanical smoothness, refine the light diffusion, and explore modular installations that scale to different office sizes.
Sai Anish N. 