Week 8-9

After making the decision last week to design a smart pillow, adapted to ALS patients, we went to verify the idea and the need with Shay. The response we received was negative, there wasn’t a need or will on the patient's behalf. The explanation was that the emotional experience of listening to music is less relevant or less interesting. Therefore, we tried to understand Shay's life better, the patient that has been escorted us throughout this process. We met with him in order to deepen our understanding about his lifestyle. The meeting with Shay was very significant and it enabled us to connect better to the population we chose to work with, as well as to understand their day to day challenges. We chose to focus on the "waking up" stages of patients in the morning. Something that could help Shay communicate with his surroundings before he is connected to the existing systems that enable him to communicate. We understood that this level is critical. The feeling of helplessness a person experiences when waking up and not being able to say he is awake or needs something, even not being able to say "good morning", is the critical point we want to make an influence on.