The Mati Lamp
A family-oriented product to visualise, through the warmth and coolness of light, the screen-time usage of a device, in the form of a matryoshka lamp to have in dormitories or living spaces.
Purpose
The MATI Lamp was created with the issue of "phone addiction" in mind. Perceiving it as a problem that family households may have, it is meant to be the first step into addressing this issue by visualising the amount of time spent looking at a screen in a family-oriented space.
Although it stands for a potential complication, especially for forthcoming generations, it functions as a friendly reminder that with a few marginal changes, it can be handled.
Mati as a collection item
The shape of the MATI is inspired by the shape of the traditional Russian Matryoshka Dolls, which can be associated to 'family.' In fact, the name MATI derives from the combination of "Matryoshka + Timer."
The MATI Lamp is a type of collection item, given that there is one for each family member, and comes in different sizes to represent a family structure like the original matryoshka dolls do.
How it works
MATI is an object that works with light. Each MATI is meant to connect to the phone or device of each family member and collect the data from their daily screentime. Each person would need to download the MATI App, in order to connect to the object, and the light will change colors with the ongoing collection of data.
The tone of light that the MATI displays is directly correlated with the amount of time the user has spent on their phone that day. Warmer tones of light (which we are more sensitive to) and which remind us of warnings and to be alert, will shine through the Mati when the screen time is getting higher. Consequently, cooler tones will be displayed when the screen time is lower.
How it works
"The idea behind this object is that if you walk past your living room and all of your families' MATI are bright red, it would trigger a reaction within you that encourages you to stop using your phone that day, and have you encourage your family members to stop using their phones.
Essentially your MATI is a representation of you, it’s something that you want to take care of, like a bruise that changes color, and that you don’t want to turn bright red. This way, MATI can help people become aware of how much time they are spending looking at a screen, and begin to take the steps to self-reflect on what else they could be spending that time."