Onsen Noise Machine

“Many devices simply beep and burp. Real, natural sound is as essential as visual information because sound tells us about things we can’t see, and it does so while our eyes are occupied elsewhere.” - Don Norman

38% of Americans turn to white noise or sleep sounds to aid in sleep.

Onsen is personal project born out of my own struggles with tinnitus and sleep, asking how we can assist in sleep using purely natural sound.

How Onsen works

When activated, the heating pad circulates water through convection currents while bubbles are released through aeration.

The bottom light illuminates through the textured glass and water, creating a warm dynamic glow.

The two elements work together to create a both visually and audibly relaxing environment for sleep.

Development

With only basic form changes to my original sketch, I focused on clean proportions and a user interface that keeps the mind relaxed.

Bubble intensity slider

Light brightness dial

Light warmth adjust

Sleep is as essential as it gets. We should have better options than audio from your phone.