The Comfort Lamp project was developed as part of the Form Project assignment in Design Principles II. For this assignment, I was tasked with selecting a natural specimen from the RISD Nature Lab and designing a product inspired by it. I chose a cactus as my subject and conducted a comprehensive analysis of its structural, functional, and emotional qualities to gain a deeper understanding and inform the design process.

Form Analysis

As part of the structural and qualitative analysis, sketches and sketch models were created to explore the inherent structure in greater depth.

After conducting quality and structural analyses, I discovered that the functional aspect of the spine holds an emotional quality capable of providing comfort to users and aligning with the design concept of protection. Leveraging these cactus qualities, I recognized its potential as a night lamp, particularly beneficial for individuals grappling with a fear of darkness.

Before ideating the design of the lamp , researches on Nyctophobia, a extreme fear of night or darkness, were done to understand the phobia and patients better.

Nyctophobia is often common among children. Up to 45 % of children in the United States experience nyctophobia. It is especially common at the age between 6 and 12. However, according to clinical psychologist, John Mayer, Ph.D., author of Family Fit: Find Your Balance in Life, about 11 % of adults in the United States also suffer from nyctophobia. Knowing that about 12.5 % of the U.S adults experience some kinds of phobia at their life, nyctophobia is relatively common than other phobias.

As people with nyctophobia fears absence of light, night is often a trigger of their phobia. Due to the fear of dark, people with nyctophobia tend to have sleep problems including insomnia, somniphobia, and nocturnal panic attacks. Furthermore, a study done at Ryerson University in Toronto found a linkage between insomnia and nyctophobia; half of participants with insomnia had the fear of dark. Moreover, the researchers have found that participants with poor sleep showed more self-reported discomfort in the darkness compared to the other participants with good sleep.

Mood board

Inspired by the shadows cast by wire and foldable lamps, I incorporated similar structural elements into the cactus form, representing its spine and stem. While the final design does not include actual metal wires, the concept of light filtering through negative space guided the intentional placement of slits along the model’s edges to create subtle and dynamic visual effects.

A rapid prototype was created to test the feasibility of the final design concept

Product Branding

SPYN is a comfort lamp designed to support restful sleep and ease nighttime anxiety. Its name combines Spiral, Spine, Pyeon (편, meaning "on your side" in Korean), and Protection, reflecting its role as a calming presence. Warm-toned lighting and layered brightness control minimize sleep disruption while reinforcing the product’s narrative of emotional and physical comfort.