The motivation behind this project was the way our society treats highly sensitive individuals. Being highly sensitive means being prone to becoming easily overwhelmed and experiencing life in a different way. For instance, a highly sensitive person often perceives a positive influence as extra positive, but a negative influence can have a significant impact on their life and emotions. In my (dutch) research report, you can read all about high sensitivity and my complete study.

I wanted to make others experience what it's like to be highly sensitive, with the hope of fostering empathy among the users. However, I also wanted to make my design critical (through satire) because I aimed to make a statement and reach a broader audience. Therefore, once I put the helmet on my users, I decided to decorate it with the characteristics of a cartoon rat, such as large eyes, ears, and a tail. This made fun of my users and gives them the same downgrading feeling our society gives highly sensitive people. I made a video of this final experience and (with consent) shared it on social media, where I asked for a discussion in the comments. People expressed their opinions and also gained a better understanding of each other. I can say that I achieved my goal and hope that this helps take small steps in changing our current society.