Humans constantly influence each other emotionally, but we rarely notice it happening. Walk into a tense meeting and everyone becomes quieter. Spend time with a joyful friend and your mood lifts. This phenomenon—emotional contagion—shapes our wellbeing, relationships, and productivity, yet it remains largely invisible.
We were inspired by the idea that humans may possess more sensory abilities than the traditional five senses. One emerging concept is social or emotional sensing: the subtle cues we pick up from body language, tone, and group dynamics.
Resonance imagines a future where this hidden layer of human interaction becomes visible. Instead of guessing how a space feels emotionally, people could intentionally perceive and navigate social energy—improving mental health, collaboration, and empathy.
Resonance is a speculative “empathic field detector” that tracks and visualizes emotional contagion and group energy dynamics.
Using future ambient sensors embedded in wearables and environments, the system analyzes signals such as:
- Micro-expressions
- Vocal tone shifts
- Physiological stress markers
- Spatial proximity
These signals combine to generate a real-time emotional field map of a space.
With Resonance, users can:
- Perceive group emotional energy that would normally be invisible
- Track emotional contagion as moods spread through a room
- Receive interventions that help stabilize or improve social environments
The system translates these signals into a new sensory layer called Resonance, visualized as a dynamic field representing collective emotional states such as:
- Calm
- Tension
- Curiosity
- Fatigue
The goal is to help people understand how environments affect them emotionally—and how they affect others.
Resonance was designed as a speculative multi-surface interface, rather than a traditional single app.
Our prototype was created in Figma, focusing on interaction design and user experience.
The system includes three primary components:
A lightweight wearable detects biometric signals such as:
- Heart rate variability
- Breathing patterns
- Micro facial cues
These signals help estimate emotional states in real time.
The interface visualizes emotional energy in shared environments through a live Resonance Field, showing patterns of:
- Calm
- Tension
- Engagement
across a physical space.
Users receive contextual insights and subtle interventions, such as:
- Guided breathing prompts
- Meeting pacing suggestions
- Environmental adjustments
We focused heavily on data visualization, ambient feedback, and low-disruption interaction design, allowing the system to augment human awareness without overwhelming the user.
One of the biggest challenges was designing a system that introduces a completely new sense without overwhelming users with information.
Key design questions included:
- How should emotional data be visualized without feeling invasive?
- When should insights appear to avoid interrupting real interactions?
- How can the system remain helpful without becoming distracting?
Another challenge involved the ethical implications of emotional sensing. If people can detect the mood of others, it raises important questions about:
- Privacy
- Consent
- Potential misuse
As a result, ethical safeguards became a core part of the design, rather than an afterthought.
Resonance goes beyond being another wellness tracker. Instead of measuring individual metrics like steps or heart rate, it explores an entirely new dimension of awareness: collective emotional dynamics.
Key accomplishments include:
- Designing a new sensory interface for emotional fields
- Creating a visualization system that communicates complex social data intuitively
- Integrating privacy and consent safeguards into the core experience
- Developing a concept that supports mental, emotional, and social wellbeing
Most importantly, the project reimagines how technology could help people become more empathetic and socially aware, rather than more isolated.
This project pushed us to think about technology not just as a tool for efficiency, but as a way to expand human perception.
Designing for a “new sense” required rethinking traditional interaction models. Standard dashboards and metrics don’t translate well to emotional experiences. Instead, we focused on:
- Ambient cues
- Subtle feedback
- Contextual insights
We also learned how critical ethical design becomes when working with sensitive human signals like emotions.
If developed further, Resonance could evolve in several directions:
Applications for workplaces, classrooms, and teams to monitor and improve collective emotional health.
Helping users recognize environments that increase stress or emotional fatigue.
Spaces that automatically respond to emotional signals—adjusting lighting, sound, or layout to support wellbeing.
Developing consent-based emotional sensing systems where individuals maintain full control over their data.
Resonance imagines a future where emotional awareness becomes a shared capability, helping people navigate social environments with greater empathy, clarity, and care.