Remind is a system for Alzheimer's patients and their families. Alzheimer's patients are connected with their families through a personalized music device and mobile application.

The device, a tangible music player, is used by the patient and managed by the family members or caregivers through the app. When the patient does not remember a face, a sound is used in place to "remind" the user and trigger memories. When the patient is alone, the device acts as a companion.

An estimated 5.4 million people suffers from Alzheimer's disease. Personalized music helps these people to remember who they are. What if loved ones could help awaken memories through music and sounds?

We identified the opportunity for improving the quality of life and relationship of Alzheimer's patients and their families through sound.

Research done by the Alzheimer's Foundation of America has proven that Music improves memory and taps deep into memories not lost to dementia, enabling them to feel themselves again, stimulate positive interaction and facilitate cognitive function. The foundation reported that, "Most people associate music with important events and a wide array of emotions. The connection can be so strong that hearing a tune long after the occurrence evokes a memory of it." It is also proven that music therapy helps even in the late stages of dementia.

We aimed to change the situation in which the patient is isolated and alone to become alive inside and more social.

The project was a collaboration between students from the Interaction Design and Advanced Product Design Master's Programs.

We were inspired by the documentary, "Alive Inside" (http://musicandmemory.org/) and their efforts to provide iPod shuffles to patients. We then identified the opportunity for improving the user experience by designing something more tangible and manageable with a holistic, user-centred approach.

Throughout the design of the product and platform we kept in mind that some of the most common effects of music therapy are improved social behaviours, like interpersonal interactions and conversations. We discovered that this therapy may also reduce wandering, restlessness and agitated behaviours. Therefore, we set out to design the user experience with the product and platform with these factors in mind.

The rigor that inspired our project was the documentary "Alive inside", interviews with a neuroscience researcher, prototyping the combination of sound and vibration as a tactile feedback, form and ergonomics exploration and finally resulting in a user test.

We considered the stakeholders such as the patient, their family and loved ones, and the caregiver of the clinic or nursing home. We wanted to create a user experience which enhanced the social aspects, tangibility and the usability of music devices, by combining vibration with sound.

With no known cure for the disease, an opportunity exists that will impact an estimated 5.4 million people. There is an abundance of digital music players in the world but a gap existed for our target group.

Remind is a music device that is user-friendly, ergonomic and simple to use, to fulfill the needs of Alzheimer's patients. The value of this system aims to satisfy their social needs and has a positive impact the user's well-being. In addition to empowering the patient, the system helps their family and caregivers communicate and show they care.

It has been proven by research that Alzheimer’s patients have difficulties in handling devices such iPods due to their complex touch-screen interaction and their physical appearance. Our user research has also shown that incorporating vibrations into the device and making it pleasant to hold can enhance user’s experience. We attempted to confirm this with user-testing sessions where participants gave feedback on the form, interaction and functions of the device and platform.

The device is designed to be used in nursing homes and hospitals it should be passed on to new patients when it is not needed anymore. It is personalized digitally and can be used by anyone, thus it's lifecycle is extended again and again. In addition, the application is used on a computer, or mobile device which can be updated as technology evolves.