DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A SMART RING TO ADDRESS ANXIETY (INITIAL CASE STUDY AND MECHANISM REVIEW)

Abstract

Anxiety is one of the psychological conditions with a high prevalence in young adults, but the development of technological interventions that utilize tactile stimuli as a distraction is still limited. This research aims to design, build, and conduct initial effectiveness tests of a Smart Ring as a non-pharmacological technological innovation to help relieve anxiety. This research uses the Research and Development (R&D) method with a Waterfall model approach to the implementation stage. The trial was conducted through an initial case study on a student (N=1) who was identified as experiencing situational anxiety. Data was collected using the STAI-6 instrument to measure state anxiety before and after using the tool, supported by qualitative interviews to obtain user experience feedback. The results of the case study showed that the use of Smart Ring consistently lowered participants' anxiety scores in five different stress-inducing situations, with a score difference of between 4 and 8 points. The most significant decrease (8 points) occurred when participants faced the highest level of anxiety, i.e., during the final project proposal seminar. These preliminary findings present evidence that Smart Rings have the potential to be a functional and effective tool for the modulation of momentary anxiety, with a mechanism of action that can be explained through Attention Control Theory.