Michael Joseph, 45, from Southend, who graduated with a BA (Hons) Interior and Spatial Design, explored how thoughtfully designed spaces can support wellbeing, particularly for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, SEND learners and neurodiverse individuals. His research focused on alternative education settings, including the local Southend YMCA, and examined the relationship between environment, cognitive load and emotional regulation.
Through his work, Michael sought to understand how the design of physical spaces can influence mood, behaviour, concentration and a sense of belonging, highlighting the importance of creating inclusive, supportive environments that respond to the diverse needs of the people who use them.
Alongside his studies, Michael developed Breathing Line, an innovative wellbeing tool that combines colour psychology, eye movement tracking and calming audio to help users regulate stress and improve focus. Developed in response to his interest in the connection between the built environment, sensory experiences and emotional wellbeing, Breathing Line explores how a combination of visual and auditory stimuli can encourage relaxation and support self-regulation.
The tool aims to provide an accessible and engaging way for users to pause, refocus and become more aware of their emotional state, with potential applications across educational, therapeutic and everyday settings. Its inclusive approach reflects Michael’s wider commitment to supporting young people, SEND learners and neurodiverse individuals through thoughtful, user-centred design.
Michael, 45, from Southend, said:
“I chose the course because it embodied a lot of my creative interests. I really enjoyed studying at UCSE, I learnt so much and because the class size was small we had access to one-to-one tutoring.”
Now equipped with a fully functional prototype, Michael hopes to see Breathing Line introduced across educational settings to support students and staff with wellbeing and self-regulation.
His award-winning work demonstrates how creativity, research and technology can come together to create meaningful, inclusive solutions that have the potential to make a real difference in people's lives. UCSE congratulates Michael on this outstanding achievement and wishes him every success in developing Breathing Line further.
Michael’s story demonstrates how creativity, dedication and innovation can lead to outstanding achievements. Winning the St Mark’s Rainbow Award for Arts Dissertation, he developed Breathing Line, a wellbeing tool designed to help people manage stress and improve focus. With ambitions to introduce it across educational settings, Michael hopes to make a positive difference to students’ and staff wellbeing, inspiring others through his innovative approach to inclusive design.