Even in the closest of friendships, one doesn't always know when someone in their circle is having a good or a bad day.

While appearing to be a piece of home decor, MoodBlend is actually a tool for friends to discreetly communicate their emotional state. Each person in the group receives a MoodBlend lamp, contributing their mood to the collective blend. The default state is a light shade of yellow, which can be changed through specific interactions:

• HUG: Hugging the MoodBlend when having a bad day turns the light blue.

• SHAKE: Shaking the MoodBlend when having a great day turns the light orange.

• 
  

Group members can see color changes on the lamp, and any friend can acknowledge the emotion by bringing their lamp close to their forehead. The colors then glow, signifying acknowledgment. The goal of MoodBlend isn't to provide immediate comfort or solve problems, but to reduce the friction of reaching out through traditional methods like texting or calling. Acknowledging an emotional state through the lamp is akin to saying, "I understand how you're feeling, and I'll check in with you soon."

Through this process, the team learned that sometimes a subtle nudge is all that's needed to facilitate authentic human connection.