Health-tech conceptResearch-led design2025

Unfog.

Unlock
your steps.

OverviewTeam project

A multidisciplinary concept exploring how technology might support people experiencing freezing of gait and reduce its impact on everyday movement.

Context: Health-tech concept
Team project
Role: Research, concept
UX/UI design
Focus: Parkinson’s disease
Freezing of gait

01 / The condition

An intention
without movement.

“A brief, episodic absence or marked reduction of forward progression of the feet despite the intention to walk.”

45%

The project research highlighted a meta-analysis estimate that freezing of gait affects around 45% of people with Parkinson’s disease.

Sources used in the original project: Heremans et al., 2013; Zhang et al., 2021.

This is a conceptual academic project, not a validated medical device or treatment.

02 / Research

Technology meets
lived experience.

The concept was informed by conversations with a movement-disorder specialist, patients, engineers and other experts. The goal was to understand both the clinical mechanism and what could realistically work in context.

Research visit with neurologist Alessandro Tessitore — Movement-disorder specialist

Remote conversations with patients — Patients

Research sessions with engineers and experts — Engineers & experts

03 / External cues

Redirect attention.
Prompt a step.

Rhythm

Music, metronome and counting can provide an external pace.

Weight balance

A deliberate weight shift can help prepare the next movement.

Cognitive focus

Redirecting attention creates a different route into the action.

Visual aids

Shapes, colour and pavement patterns can support step initiation.

Sensory feedback

An external stimulus can help interrupt the frozen moment.

04 / Product concept

Two aids.
One clear system.

Feature 01

Metronome

A rhythmic external cue designed to help redirect focus and establish a pace for movement.

Feature 02

Memo Aid

A personal prompt that lets the user save and retrieve a familiar cognitive cue during a freezing episode.

05 / Product judgment

Designing around
real constraints.

The team explored detecting freezing episodes automatically through accelerometer and gyroscope data. Expert input showed that the available approach was not reliable enough, so it was not presented as a solved feature.

RejectedUnreliable real-time detection

RetainedImmediate, user-controlled cues

06 / Original work

The concept,
as presented.

Original Unfog identity and app concept board

Unfog / Health-tech concept

Technology with
a human reason.

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