tot·m
September 2023 - May 2024
Individual project
The University of Edinburgh
An estimated 2.5 to 3 million adults in the UK suffer from ADHD, an often misunderstood disorder which can strongly impact their ability to maintain focus, or manage their time, emotions and stress, in turn affecting significant parts of their daily functioning.
Tot·m is a customizable fidgeting based tool for young adults with ADHD, intended to help them combat overwhelm and plan their time more effectively. As part of their daily routine, users assemble a tot·m representing their tasks for the day. Fidgeting with it will serve as a soft reminder system to help them manage their time, with the fidgeting itself further helping them relax.
As people are often unfortunately still judged for having ADHD, the aim was also to create an object that feels special, and users can be proud of, reminding them they don't need to be ashamed of their difference.
A user with ADHD wakes up, and is getting ready for the day. Once they feel ready, they go to the home base that contains their totm pieces. They take this time to consider what they need to get done, and associate these tasks with sensory bits. They place these sensory bits on the base.
This is their totm for the day, which they carry with them. If they get stressed, or start feeling overwhelmed, they can reach for it. As they fidget with it, they can be reminded of what they need to do, whilst also relaxing thanks to the fidgeting.
