01Case study · Healthcare & focus
NeuroHive
A multisensory productivity companion that helps people focus naturally.
It started as ADHD research — time blindness, executive dysfunction, cognitive overload. It grew into a productivity companion for anyone whose attention needs more support than a timer can give: one device that engages sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste.
- Role
- UI/UX Designer
- Duration
- 15 days
- Team
- Team of 6
- Industry
- Healthcare
- Scope
- Hardware + companion app
- Focus
- Sensorial design challenge
- Deliverables
- Concept, industrial design, app UI
- Tools
- Figma, AI rendering
02Introducing
Meet Neuro.
NeuroHive is a multisensory productivity companion designed to help people focus naturally by engaging all five senses — in one device, on one desk, instead of five apps.
- Organized
- Adaptive
- Calm
- Encouraging
- Supportive
NeuroHive is designed as a companion, not just a device.
03Product demo
See it work.
A short walkthrough of the companion in use — the timer, the light, the sound, the reward.
04Why this matters
Focus is a health problem before it is a productivity problem.
A 2020 study found the prevalence of symptomatic adult ADHD was 6.76% — around 366.33 million affected adults globally. Attention, time management and self-regulation shape whether a day feels survivable.
ADHD is not a lack of intelligence, laziness, or motivation. It's a difference in how the brain processes and regulates attention.
05Problem statement
Five tools, five senses, five places to lose your attention.
People often struggle with focus, time management, and self-regulation. Existing productivity tools engage only one or two senses, creating fragmented experiences that increase cognitive load.
There is a need for a single solution that integrates sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste to provide personalized multisensory support for sustained focus and healthy routines.
06Design challenge
Design for all five senses — without adding one more thing to manage.
Constraint
One device
Everything the user needs lives in a single object on the desk, not across apps and gadgets.
Constraint
Low cognitive load
Every sensory cue has to reduce effort, never add a decision.
Constraint
Companion, not coach
Encouraging and calm — support without judgement or streak pressure.
07Our solution
One hive. Every sense working on the same session.
A desk companion with expressive eyes, an ambient light ring, a Pomodoro dial, nature sound, aroma for focus and for rest, haptic reminders, and a reward drawer that opens when a session is done.
08Product walkthrough
Anatomy of the companion.
Each part of the hive maps to a sense and to a moment of the session.
The session, told by the timer
09Five sense experience
How NeuroHive engages the five senses.
Sight
- Interactive companion eyes
- Pomodoro timer
- Ambient lighting
- Visual progress
Hearing
- Nature sounds
- Voice guidance
- Gentle reminders
Touch
- Haptic reminders
- Touch controls
Smell
- Focus-enhancing aroma
- Relaxing aroma during breaks
Taste
- Reward drawer opens after a completed session with a mint or healthy gummy
10Mobile experience
The app is the quiet half of the product.
Setup, tasks, sessions and progress live on the phone so the device can stay expressive and simple.
11Product ecosystem
Device and app, one loop.
The phone plans the work. The hive runs the session and responds in the room. Progress returns to the app so the next session starts better informed.
12Why NeuroHive
It doesn't just help users focus. It creates an environment where focus happens naturally.
Five senses
AI personalization
Interactive companion
Positive reinforcement
One unified workspace
13Design journey
How we came to this solution.
A sensorial design challenge, narrowed domain by domain until it landed on the work environment.
- 01Started with a sensorial design challenge
- 02Explored multiple industries and domains
- 03Observed everyday frictions
- 04Brainstormed 20+ problem ideas
- 05Grouped and prioritized problems
- 06Identified common behaviour patterns
- 07Chose productivity and the work environment
- 08Narrowed to working adults
14Where it started
ADHD was the research entry point.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting attention and concentration, executive functioning, working memory, self-regulation and time management. Understanding it framed everything that followed — and the direction later widened from ADHD to productivity for working adults in general.
ADHD
A neurological condition
Wants to start but struggles. Executive dysfunction. Needs support and structure.
Procrastination
A behavioural habit
Chooses to delay. Lack of priority or motivation. Can improve with discipline.
People with ADHD often want to complete tasks but struggle to initiate, sustain, or switch attention due to executive dysfunction.
15Secondary research
What we read, and what we kept.
Secondary research on ADHD, time blindness, executive function and cognitive load.
Prevalence
6.76% of adults
A 2020 study found the prevalence of symptomatic adult ADHD was 6.76% — 366.33 million affected adults globally.
Time blindness
Start, stop, switch
People with ADHD often struggle to start tasks, stop tasks, and transition between them.
Result
Missed deadlines, hyperfocus, stress
The cost is rarely a single missed task — it is the pile-up across a week.
16Key insights
Six challenges that shaped the product.
- Executive dysfunction
- Time blindness
- Easily distracted
- Forgetting breaks and hydration
- Cognitive overload
- Difficulty switching between tasks
These daily challenges make maintaining focus and productivity difficult, even with strong motivation.
17Market gap
Existing solutions, and the gap between them.
Current productivity tools
- Pomodoro timers
- Reminder apps
- Smart speakers
- Smart lighting
- Aroma diffusers
The problem
- They work independently.
- They support only one or two senses.
- Users constantly switch between multiple tools, increasing cognitive load.
Opportunity
A single multisensory solution that integrates all five senses into one seamless productivity experience.
18Ideation
From twenty ideas to one unified concept.
- 01Defined the target user
- 02Refined the problem statement
- 03Started rapid ideation
- 04Generated multiple product concepts
- 05Shortlisted the top three ideas
- 06Merged the best features
- 07Built one unified concept
- 08Designed a multisensory experience
19Design inspiration
Inspired by the efficiency of a beehive.
Every cell in a hive has a purpose. Similarly, every feature in NeuroHive works together to support focus.
20Hardware design
Every view of the hive.
A soft, rounded body with a hexagonal language — approachable enough to sit beside a laptop all day.
21Final product
NeuroHive, on a real desk.
22Reflection
What designing for five senses taught me.
01
Sensory cues have to earn their place
Every added light, sound or scent is another thing the brain must process. Each one had to remove effort, not decorate the session.
02
Research widened the audience
Starting from ADHD gave the team the sharpest possible constraints — and the result turned out to serve any working adult with a hard afternoon.
03
Hardware and app are one product
Designing the screens without designing the object next to them produces two experiences pretending to be one.
23Future opportunities
Where NeuroHive could go next.
Next
Testing with ADHD adults
Validate the sensory intensity curve with the people the research started from.
Next
Deeper AI personalization
Learn which sense actually brings a given person back — and lead with it.
Next
Shared and workplace modes
Quiet sensory profiles for open offices and shared study spaces.