Final Solution
WITH Light is more than just a lamp it's an adaptive, intuitive lighting system that works with you. Whether you need soft ambient guidance or a portable light for focused use, WITH Light ensures nighttime navigation is effortless and sleep-friendly.
Initial Solution
Understanding Nighttime Needs
Early tests revealed that users found the free-moving lamp very useful in navigating the night. They, however, expressed two major concerns with the product as it was. While the the automation was very helpful when they woke up it, it left something to be desired when going to sleep for the first or waking up for the day. To help users find a better was to get more control over the lamp, a companion app was designed that would help them turn off the light remotely and change the functionality of the onboard sensors to better meet their needs.
The second major concern was the shape of the moving lamp which, while comfortable, was sometimes hard to remove from its cradle on the lamp. These also meant that from an accessibility perspective, users with limited movement in their hands would also have a hard time holding the lamp. The design was then iterated to feature finger holes for easier lifting and carrying.
Design Decisions
The WITH Light was developed to meet the real needs of users who sleep in complete darkness to have access to light without disturbing their sleep or scrambling.
Reach and Access
Users who sleep in complete darkness often struggle to find things in the night including their phone, light switches and water. The light should have an intuitive way to sense when users are awake to minimize this friction
Intelligent Context Recognition
Knowing that breaking out of sleep to a shock of light can deeply disrupt sleep, the WITH light builds up to full brightness and fades to off gradually.
Companion Lamp
To remove the need for interaction with a user's phone, which also disrupts sleep, the WITH light features a free-moving light to help them navigate their home seamlessly.
Focus Areas
Sleep-Optimized Illumination
Warm, low-lumen light preserves melatonin levels and reduces wakefulness.
Adaptive Motion Detection
Customizable sensitivity ensures lights activate only when needed.
Smart Power Management
Efficient battery usage and app monitoring prevent nighttime failures.
Seamless Home Integration
Works with existing smart home setups while maintaining privacy-first functionality.
Key Insights
Behavior Patterns
People instinctively avoid bright light at night to protect their sleep cycle.
Motion-activated lighting often fails due to poor detection timing.
Users want light that adapts to different nighttime activities (e.g., quick navigation vs. prolonged use).
Pain Points
Sudden bright lights disrupt sleep and increase wakefulness.
Motion sensors often fail at the wrong moments.
Current solutions lack customization for individual needs.
Market Context
28% of Americans actively seek better sleep solutions.
Smart home devices are on the rise, but most lighting solutions lack sleep-conscious design.
The demand for intuitive, non-intrusive home lighting is growing rapidly.
73% of adults regularly wake at night but lack an ideal lighting solution.
89% of people have some nighttime lighting, yet none balance sleep preservation with accessibility.
Smart home adoption is growing, but most solutions are overly complex or intrusive.
Research
Users disable motion-activated lights due to poor sensitivity and harsh brightness.
People create workarounds to avoid turning on overhead lights (e.g., using their phone screen or memorizing paths).
The biggest frustration? Lights that don't adapt to personal nighttime behaviors.
The Problem
73% of adults wake up at night, yet conventional lighting forces a choice: wake yourself up fully or risk injury in the dark. Motion sensors are unreliable, nightlights are static, and phone flashlights are too disruptive. People need lighting solutions that respect their natural sleep patterns.
With Light
Role
Research, Ideation, Prototyping, Usability Testing
Tools
Figma, AutoCAD, Stratsys, Arduino, C++
Duration
14 weeks
What if your light understood you? Traditional lighting solutions disrupt sleep or leave you fumbling in the dark. WITH Light is designed to illuminate your path intuitively providing the right amount of light, exactly when and where you need it.
Leading this project allowed me to merge human-centered research with intuitive product design, creating a seamless sleep-friendly lighting system. User testing revealed strong adoption potential, emphasizing the need for ambient, motion-sensitive solutions in nighttime environments.
Developed an ergonomic and adaptive lighting system that automatically adjusts brightness to minimize sleep disruption.
Designed a detachable modular lighting component that provided users with flexible, portable illumination for different needs.
Conducted usability studies that informed of needs for the lamp needed accessibility modification, improving carrying
This project reinforced my ability to prototype and iterate quickly, using real-world feedback to refine a product’s accessibility, functionality, and usability.
