Sensa

Inspiration

Our inspiration came from wanting to explore how technology could help people overcome addiction and regain control over harmful habits. At first, we considered focusing on doomscrolling and digital addiction, since it’s something many people struggle with daily. However, as we continued researching, we realized that the same loss of control also appears in more serious forms of addiction, such as substance use, binge behaviors, and other compulsive habits. Addiction affects millions of people worldwide, and while many individuals want to stop these behaviors, cravings and impulses can feel overwhelming and difficult to manage in the moment. This led us to explore whether technology could help people recognize the early warning signs of a craving before it fully takes hold.

What is Sensa?

Unlike traditional habit-tracking apps, Sensa focuses on interoception—the body’s ability to detect internal physiological signals. The Sensa BioPatch adheres to the user’s skin and continuously monitors subtle changes in breathing patterns, heart rate, digestion, and stress levels, which often shift before a craving becomes consciously recognized. By identifying these signals early, Sensa can anticipate moments when a user may be at risk of engaging in a harmful habit and provide timely support.

When these internal changes occur, the app sends a notification with actionable interventions to help interrupt the craving before it turns into behavior. Each event is logged, allowing Sensa to track patterns and generate insights into the user’s habits over time.

If the behavior continues, the system activates a precognition signal—a strong sensory cue designed to discourage further engagement. Over time, this process helps users recognize their body’s internal warning signs, increasing self-awareness and helping them make healthier decisions sooner.

How We Built Sensa

First, we began by researching different forms of substance addiction to better understand the challenges people face when trying to quit. Through this research, we identified key pain points, as well as the goals and motivations that drive individuals to change their behaviors. Using these insights, we developed a user persona that represented our target user, giving us empathy and a clear perspective to design around.

Next, we conducted a competitive analysis of existing recovery and sobriety apps, including I Am Sober, Quitzilla, and Pavlok. This allowed us to understand what tools and features are already available, while also identifying gaps and opportunities where our solution could provide additional value.

After establishing our research foundation, we created journey maps and user flows to visualize what a typical day might look like for our user, both with and without the support of our app. These helped us better understand where cravings might occur and how Sensa could intervene at the right moments.

Finally, we moved into prototyping. We initially experimented with Figma Make to generate early concepts, but ultimately completed the project in Figma Design, where we were able to refine the interface, make visual adjustments more easily, and build a functional prototype of the app.

Challenges We Faced

One of our main challenges was working with Figma Make and getting it to accurately build what we had envisioned. While it was able to generate basic wireframes based on our user flows, we wanted to refine the content and layout to make the interface more intuitive and user-friendly. After redesigning the wireframes, we attempted to reintroduce them into Figma Make, but encountered several development issues that slowed our progress down significantly. Because of the tight project timeline, we ultimately decided to move away from Figma Make and complete the prototype entirely in Figma Design, which allowed us to make visual edits more easily and finalize the interface efficiently.

Accomplishments + Key Takeaways

We are proud of how much we were able to accomplish within the limited time we had for this project. From conducting research and defining our target user to designing user flows and building a functional prototype, we were able to turn an initial idea into a fully developed concept. Throughout the process, we also learned the importance of flexibility in the design process—especially when working with new tools like Figma Make. When challenges arose, we adapted our workflow and ultimately completed the prototype using Figma Design, which allowed us to move forward efficiently while refining our design. Overall, this project strengthened our skills in research, user-centered design, and rapid prototyping.

What's next for Sensa

The next step for Sensa would involve further research and development to improve the accuracy and reliability of detecting internal body signals. Because physiological responses can vary between individuals, the system would need to be refined through larger-scale testing to better understand how cravings manifest across different users. Continued development of the wearable technology and data models would also help ensure that the BioPatch can consistently interpret physiological patterns and provide timely interventions in real-world environments. Over time, these improvements would allow Sensa to deliver more personalized insights and support users more effectively in managing their habits.