DESIGN PROJECT
| 2021 · TU/e × TNO × INNO4HEALTH
Birdo
Cardiac Rehabilitation Companion
Translating biometric recovery data into clearer, more motivating support for home rehabilitation.
3
connected layers
Sensing, ambient feedback, and mobile reflection.
4
app experience areas
Recovery overview, cardiac trends, sleep, and diary support.
3
feedback perspectives
Patients, non-patient participants, and domain experts.
01
Overview
Designing a more understandable and motivating home recovery experience
Birdo explored how cardiac rehabilitation data could become more meaningful in everyday life. Rather than presenting recovery through isolated clinical metrics, the concept connected physiological sensing, ambient feedback, and a mobile companion into one home-rehabilitation experience.
The system translated biometric signals into simplified recovery cues that patients could understand, reflect on, and act upon without constantly monitoring a screen.
My contribution focused on the mobile experience, system interaction, 3D modelling and animation, and the integration between digital feedback and the physical Birdo device.
Project introduction video.
Role
Product & Interaction Designer
Project
TU/e design project with TNO and Inno4Health
Scope
Interaction design, healthcare UX, information visualisation, physical–digital interaction, system design, prototyping
Team
Poyang Huang, Rick Knops, Lotte van Berkel
Mentored by Aarnout Brombacher and Steven Houben
Project Status
Research-informed concept prototype · early concept feedback
Duration
September–December 2021
02
Product Problem
Why cardiac rehabilitation needed more than data
Cardiac rehabilitation depends on sustained engagement over time, yet many existing tools frame recovery through isolated charts, raw measurements, or clinically oriented interfaces.
Literature and expert input suggested a gap between what rehabilitation systems can measure and what patients can meaningfully understand, feel encouraged by, and act upon in daily life.
The opportunity was therefore not simply to track more data, but to translate physiological signals into feedback that could make recovery feel clearer, more supportive, and more emotionally legible.
03
System Strategy
Connecting sensing, feedback, and reflection into one recovery ecosystem
Birdo was structured as a three-layer ecosystem connecting physiological sensing, ambient motivation, and mobile reflection.
A wearable patch captured relevant signals, the physical Birdo device translated selected states into light, motion, and sound, and the mobile app provided detailed trends, guidance, and opportunities for reflection.
The goal was to distribute information according to context: immediate feedback could remain ambient, while more complex interpretation stayed available on demand.
System principle: Recovery should be sensed continuously, communicated selectively, and explored in detail only when needed.
04
Digital Experience
Translating biometrics into understandable recovery signals
The mobile app acted as the reflective layer of the ecosystem. Instead of exposing raw sensor outputs alone, it translated selected signals into simplified views that could support awareness, reassurance, and self-reflection.
The concept was research-informed rather than clinically validated. Its purpose was to explore how cardiac and recovery-related information might become easier to interpret within everyday home rehabilitation.
◀ Try the prototype
01 — Human Battery
A simplified recovery indicator combining heart rate, sleep, and activity into an intuitive daily overview.
02 — Cardiac Trends
Heart-rate information was reframed into readable current and historical summaries rather than raw measurements alone.
03 — Sleep & Recovery Context
Sleep duration, quality, and wake-up patterns were presented as part of the broader recovery picture rather than isolated metrics.
04 — Diary & Asynchronous Support
A symptom and reflection log supported continuity between home recovery and later conversations with healthcare professionals.
05
Physical Experience
Turning invisible recovery data into ambient motivation
The physical Birdo device was conceived as a motivating presence in the home rather than another screen. Through light, subtle motion, and sound, it translated selected recovery states into ambient feedback that could encourage progress without demanding constant attention.
Within the wider ecosystem, the device acted as a bridge between invisible physiological data and tangible everyday motivation.
01 — Ambient Recovery Feedback
Uses light, subtle motion, and sound to represent recovery status as a physical reward and encouragement cue in the home.
02 — Wearable Integration
The wearable patch was refined for long-term use, balancing sensing needs with comfort, hygiene, and discreet reassurance.
06
Concept Feedback
Exploring how the physical concept was perceived
At a later stage, we gathered early concept feedback on the physical Birdo device from two cardiac patients, a student focus group, and domain experts.
These sessions did not evaluate the complete ecosystem, app, or clinical effectiveness. Instead, they explored how the device’s presence, multisensory feedback, emotional tone, and role in the home were understood.
07
Reflection & Takeaways
Designing recovery feedback with empathy and restraint
Birdo showed that health data becomes more meaningful when it is translated into feedback people can understand and relate to in everyday life.
The project also reinforced the importance of restraint in healthcare design: not every signal needs to demand attention, and early concept feedback should inform design direction without being overstated as clinical evidence.
01 — Translate data, do not simply expose it
Physiological data becomes more useful when users can understand what it means for daily recovery rather than having to interpret raw measurements themselves.
02 — Ambient interaction can complement screens
Physical feedback can create presence, reassurance, and lightweight motivation in situations where constant screen attention would be unnecessary or counterproductive.
03 — Healthcare concepts require multidisciplinary alignment
Designing across clinical, technical, behavioural, and business perspectives required balancing different priorities while remaining explicit about the limits of the evidence.
The concept therefore became less about displaying more health information and more about choosing when, where, and how recovery feedback should appear.
