Iyagi: Immersive Storytelling for a Dynamic Bedtime Routine

Iyagi is an interactive, immersive storytelling system designed to support parents and children through a fun, dynamic, and consistent bedtime routine. In addition to making the bedtime routine easier and more fun, Iyagi’s primary aim is to facilitate successful transitions from playtime to bedtime as well as provide meaningful moments for parents and children to bond during their nightly bedtime routine.

The Iyagi System

The Iyagi smart system is made up of several connected devices, the primary of which is a modular projector with embedded speakers, voice recognition and motion detection. Iyagi can also connect to other smart home systems, like smart lighting, to make these interactive stories even more immersive. Smart tags support further interactivity, incorporating physical objects and regular bedtime activities into Iyagi’s digital world. Children engage with the adventure by completing bedtime tasks to help their friends and progress the story. The system is supported by the Iyagi cloud, which seamlessly connects all of the unique devices, and can be controlled by the Iyagi smartphone app.

With Iyagi, parents and children can move through their normal bedtime routine, largely uninterrupted. Iyagi supports difficult moments of transition by moving parents and children through their bedtime routine without friction.

Iyagi can be started in any enabled room through voice activation or with the app. When it’s time to move, Iyagi sends parent and child into the next room where the interactive story continues. Lights in the house progressively dim, creating a calm and relaxing environment to help the child prepare for sleep. Finally, in the bedroom, Iyagi concludes the routine with a relaxing activity, before the immersive projection scales down to the size of a night-light, leaving the characters to fall asleep alongside the child.

Iyagi Interactions

Because bedtime is already complicated, we sought to reduce cognitive load and make interactions feel natural and intuitive. As such, speech input is the primary mode of interaction, with motion sensing technology supporting further interactivity and a smartphone app providing backend operational support.

In our consideration of interaction, we made sure the app served a supporting role, providing an alternative channel for interaction. After setup, all tasks can be completed with voice interaction, but the app provides flexibility to the user, which we felt justified this redundancy.

The Iyagi App

Though the app serves primarily a backend role, because it’s the first touchpoint in the Iyagi user experience, it was a significant consideration in our system.

When the user first downloads the Iyagi app, they are prompted through a one-time setup. First, users will create a user ID and Password. Next, the app provides a step-by-step guide that walks the user through installation, as each device is assigned to a room, scanned into the app, and logged into the Iyagi system. Confirming installation of all devices moves users onto tagging specific items to be brought into Iyagi’s immersive story-scapes.

Once again, users are guided through the process of specifying the room and object, tagging and scanning, and logging items into the Iyagi system. Confirming tags moves users onto the routine builder where they provide information about their child and desired bedtime routine. Once confirmed, users can check the status of their routine on Iyagi’s home screen.

Iyagi will send a notification if it senses the user hasn’t started their bedtime routine a few minutes after the specified start time. Clicking the notification brings users to the home screen where they can edit preferences, change the scheduled story, or start the nightly routine.

Every few nights, users receive a notification from Iyagi telling them how they’re doing on their bedtime routine. A graphical interface shows a week of bedtime data, and clicking onto a specific night reveals more information that can be helpful in training parents to maintain a more consistent bedtime routine.