Students Hyun Dong-hee (Industrial Design, College of Art and Design, Kookmin University, Industrial Design, Class of 2018), Kang Dong-heun (Industrial Design, Class of 2018), and Choi Harim (Industrial Design, Class of 2018) have achieved the great honor of having their graduation project selected for poster presentation at the ACM CHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2025, the world's most prestigious academic conference in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI).

The VibroCushion (HOOAH, the title of the graduation project) proposed in this study, “VibroCushion: Design for Inclusive Connectedness Between Deaf and Hearing in Meditation Practice,” is an interactive cushion-shaped device designed to enable deaf and hearing people to meditate together. Focusing on the problem that most existing meditation programs are difficult for the deaf to access because they rely on auditory language, they presented an innovative way for both groups to engage together using tactile senses.

Students held a co-design workshop in which the deaf and the hearing participated together in the design process to derive the optimal conditions for tactile feedback, and based on this, they organized an actual meditation session. After this, a hearing person meditation instructor and a deaf person beginner conducted a meditation session and interview using VibroCushio. As a result, it was confirmed that the tactile interaction-based meditation device greatly increased the sense of connection between the hearing person and the deaf person, as well as the immersion of the participants. In addition, it discovered the possibility of non-verbal communication through touch, providing important implications for future design research.

This project was carried out with the active cooperation of the Seongbuk-gu Sign Language Interpretation Center and became a meaningful design practice case based on an understanding of the deaf culture, going beyond the development of a simple device. In particular, the co-design workshop facilitated cultural and experiential exchanges between deaf and hearing participants, presenting a model of truly inclusive design.

Hyun Dong-hee, the first author of the paper and a graduate, said, “It was a meaningful experience that made me deeply reflect on what kind of value a designer can create between technology and people.” He also said, “I was deeply moved to see the deaf and the hearing meditate together and connect through VibroCushion. I want to grow into a designer who makes meaningful changes through human-centered design.”

Professor Kwon Hyo-sun, who guided the students' research, said, “This achievement is the result of undergraduate students taking the initiative to discover social problems and persistently conducting experiments and research.” “It is very encouraging that the students have succeeded in conducting empirical research on designs for the socially disadvantaged, not just at the idea stage, and presenting them at a global academic conference.”

The ACM CHI conference is the top international academic conference in the field of human-computer interaction, and this year it will be held in Yokohama, Japan from April 26 to May 1.

Cover image of the graduation project (Hooah) © Donghee Hyun, Dongheun Kang, Harim Choi

Explanation image of the prototype used in the VibroCushion research © Donghee Hyun