Echo
Echo reveals unconscious physical reactions during usability testing – leading to more empathetic design and new perspectives on user feedback.
A student project by Katja Bozic
4th semester, 2025
Supervising lecturers: Design: Prof. Tsune Tanaka; Technical aspects: Romina Marsico & Max Studanski; Management: Sarah Antes
What does good design feel like?
This question lies at the heart of the Echo project, which explores the role of the body in usability testing. In traditional tests, much remains unseen – such as restlessness, tension or spontaneous approval, which cannot be immediately put into words. Echo addresses precisely this issue and is developing a system that can detect subtle physical signals and feed them back into the design process.
The concept is based on embodied mindfulness.
The approach is observational, supportive and sensitive – it accompanies test subjects in the background without judging or disrupting them. Various sensors record spontaneous responses such as pressure, touch or skin conductance. This data provides insights into emotional reactions, thereby enabling a more comprehensive understanding of the user experience.
The prototype developed consists of a handy device,
which sits in the hand like a minimalist mouse. It contains a pressure sensor for active input, as well as sensors for touch and skin conductance – the latter is worn via a pair of fingerless gloves to better capture the signals. In addition, a 3D-printed model of the casing has been produced, showing the hypothetical shape of the final product. A supplementary HTML interface demonstrates how the collected data could later be presented visually.
The target audience comprises UX designers, design students and research teams who wish to explore user experience in greater depth – particularly during early design phases, when intuitive reactions are often crucial. Echo is not intended as a replacement for existing methods, but rather as a sensitive companion that reveals new perspectives.
Ultimately, Echois a call for more physicality in design.
It encourages us not only to ask what users say or do – but also what their bodies say when words fail. The project combines technology with mindfulness and demonstrates how design processes can become more precise, empathetic and holistic through embodied perception.