Mahendiran Sindhu

AR Immersive Reflections: Designing Calm XR Experiences for Bedtime Procrastination in Young Adults

It is late. You know you should sleep, but you are still scrolling on your phone. Many young adults delay sleep even when they feel tired. Sometimes they are finishing work, worrying about something, comparing themselves to others online, or simply enjoying some quiet time at the end of the day. This project explores how Augmented Reality can help people pause and think about these habits without making them feel judged or controlled.

Beach Wind Down is a calm immersive experience created for Meta Quest. Users can choose between sand, water, and woods environments. They can explore the space using hand tracking and interact with small elements around them. Glowing shells respond when touched, a campfire lights up when the user comes closer, and a paper lantern can be picked up and released into the environment.

The experience does not use scores, timers, notifications, or activity tracking. Instead, it gives users a quiet space away from endless scrolling and digital distractions.

The project was designed after speaking with young adults about their bedtime routines and the reasons they stay awake. Their experiences helped shape the environments and interactions in the final design.

Beach Wind Down shows how immersive technology can create a calmer and more personal way to reflect on everyday habits. It invites users to slow down, take a break from their phone, and spend a moment in a peaceful digital space.