Faculty of Design

Industrial Design

Alberto Tamburri

Evolve

Evolve explores vaping addiction as both a neurological dependency and a learned behavioural system, with a focus on young adults currently in therapy. The proposed service, Evolve, integrates a mobile application with a physical lockbox that regulates access to vaping devices, extending care beyond the clinical environment and into everyday life.While nicotine drives chemical dependence, vaping is equally sustained through repetitive hand-to-mouth gestures that become embodied and automatic over time. This project addresses addiction as a loop of craving, motion, and reward, where physical habit and psychological impulse reinforce one another. Evolve intervenes by introducing both awareness and friction at critical moments of use.The mobile application acts as the central support system, offering educational content, therapy-based exercises, and personalized coping mechanisms that align with clinical practices. Users engage with structured “therapy homework,” track behavioural patterns, and gain insight into their triggers through an analytical feedback system. A built-in rewards framework encourages gradual reduction, while social features allow users to compare progress and engage in light competition, fostering accountability and motivation.Together, the app and lockbox create a continuous feedback loop between reflection and action. By combining digital guidance with a tangible intervention, Evolve reframes addiction as an interactive system, supporting users in disrupting habitual patterns, rebuilding control, and sustaining progress beyond therapy sessions.

“Evolve is a service system designed to support young adults in therapy as they work to overcome vaping addiction. Combining a mobile app with a physical lockbox, the system regulates access to nicotine while extending behavioural support into everyday contexts. The app provides education, therapy-based exercises, coping mechanisms, and real-time habit tracking, alongside a reward system and social features that encourage accountability and progress. By addressing both nicotine dependency and the habitual hand-to-mouth motion, Evolve interrupts cycles of addiction and use, bridging the gap between clinical care and lived experience through continuous, interactive support.”