In Minnesota, there is an average of 140 days of snow on the ground per year. Typically, temperatures range from -30 degrees to 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the coldest months of winter, like December and January (Atlas, 2024). Seasonal depression, or seasonal affective disorder, is a problem that plagues many people who live in the northern hemisphere, since their exposure to the outdoors, warmer temperatures, and the sun is extremely limited for long periods of time.
On the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, students are coming from a wide range of backgrounds, with various experiences with colder weather & climates. Regardless of where they may come from, many struggle to find motivation, feel productive, and have a positive experience during the cold & dark winters. Personally, I am someone who struggles with feeling joyful during the winter months. I tend to spend more time inside at home, and I constantly struggle with finding ways to stay motivated to focus on my schoolwork. People often supplement time in the sun and outdoors with vitamin D pills or light therapy (Mayo Clinic, 2021). Through this research-intensive project, I strive to help support students’ mental wellbeing during this seasonal period and find a product solution that can benefit everyone.
I started by conducting observations of study behavior in campus environments. I visited several different on-campus libraries with different environments and watched how people interacted with each other and the shared study environments for several hours.
3 participants- in person setting
The interview process consisted of a series of questions, followed up by a short collage activity where participants were prompted to design their ideal study space for wintertime. Users were provided magazines, paper, various art supplies and glue.
Participants in the interview process had to be older students (not freshmen) who had experienced wintertime on campus, or recent graduates who could reflect on their time. All participants had to report experiencing mental health deterioration during the winter months, aka seasonal depression. Due to the more sensitive nature of asking people to participate in a lengthy interview about depression, I chose to limit participants to my closer circle so they would be comfortable discussing details. I also considered a balance of individuals, since I knew interviewees had different personalities and priorities.
Quotes from interviews were used to identify areas for potential design
I started this activity individually, and the refined the categories and results with a peer.
