Shengjie Guo
Department of Design and Culture
Bachelor's thesis WS 23/24
First supervisor: Prof. Pelin Celik
Second supervisor: Prof. Jan Vietze
Industrial Design
HTW Berlin
Rut System is a system that specialises in improving the culture and working environment within an organisation. It also helps employees and managers reduce their stress levels at work. With R-mess, employees can measure their stress levels scientifically and accurately. The data is uploaded to the Rut app, which provides them with the most professional stress analysis and tailor-made solutions, whether it's an intuitive analysis of their stress levels, a professional breathing exercise or a personalised relaxation plan. Rut offers everything. Employees can also reduce stress at work by using R-relief to receive breathing relaxation training that engages all the senses.
The data measured by R-mess and transferred to the mobile app can be used by users as a basis for connecting to R-relief.
As the programme is customised for each individual, the parameters will vary. However, by connecting to the mobile phone with a single click, the employee can obtain their own effective decompression solution.
In the theoretical foundation of the Rut System, I explored how toxic workplace culture is not just an individual problem, but a systemic issue shaped by social and organizational structures. Drawing on cultural and design theory, this study examined the psychological impacts of hierarchical pressure, emotional suppression, and fear-based performance expectations.
By critically analyzing the *2024 Global Culture Report*, I identified key patterns in harmful leadership behavior and communication breakdowns. The aim was to understand how design can intervene not only on a surface level (e.g. UI/UX), but on a cultural level—shaping environments that promote psychological safety, empathy, and emotional resilience.
This theory study laid the groundwork for the Rut System: a speculative design project that challenges the normalization of stress in professional life and seeks new narratives of care within corporate culture.
Global data shows strong leadership and community, but low wellbeing, flexibility, and high attrition risk remain critical challenges.
The Rut System is a speculative biofeedback tool designed to interrupt stress cycles in toxic work environments. Based on principles of embodied interaction and affective design, it uses physiological data (heart rate variability, skin conductance, respiration) to help users develop real-time emotional awareness.
The system consists of two parts: one for employees and one for managers. For employees, it provides gentle feedback through light and haptic cues when stress levels rise—inviting micro-breaks, breath regulation, or emotional reflection. For managers, it translates aggregated anonymous data into abstracted visualizations, offering insights into collective well-being without breaching individual privacy.
The core principle is to shift stress perception from a silent, internal burden to a shared, design-mediated conversation. Instead of punishing performance loss, the Rut System promotes emotional visibility, organizational empathy, and a speculative rethinking of what it means to be “productive.”
The Rut System is built as a dual-interface biofeedback tool that connects employees and managers through shared yet protected emotional data. Physiological signals (HRV, GSR, RSP) are collected alongside optional self-reports and are translated into virtual images—personal avatars for employees and collective visualizations for managers. Employees decide whether or not to share their work status, ensuring privacy and autonomy. The central product supports relaxation training, stress reduction, and communication enhancement, shifting the workplace dynamic from hidden stress to transparent, empathetic dialogue.
The design personas revealed how workplace culture is perceived differently depending on role and position. Two users were studied: a 48-year-old tea shop owner in Berlin seeking more transparent communication with her staff, and a 27-year-old administrator facing heavy financial and career pressure in China. Both highlighted the urgent need for tools to relieve stress, improve emotional regulation, and create healthier communication channels.
The user experience design of the Rut System translates biofeedback data (HRV, GSR, RSP) and self-report questionnaires into intuitive visual avatars. For employees, the app provides real-time stress visualization, personalized relaxation programs, and private communication with managers. For managers, it aggregates anonymous group data into collective avatars and cultural indicators, offering actionable insights while preserving privacy. This dual-experience framework ensures empathy, transparency, and a shared approach to tackling toxic workplace culture.
Zhen Cheng is a 27-year-old administrator based in Beijing who faces strong financial and career pressures typical of young professionals in large cities. She experiences anxiety from housing and job insecurity, and recognizes the harmful effects of toxic corporate culture. Although she has tried stress-reduction apps like Tidal, she finds them insufficient in addressing her deeper challenges. Her motivation lies in seeking healthier ways to regulate emotions and reduce workplace stress. As a persona, she represents a generation of young workers burdened by structural pressures and emotional fatigue, making her an essential archetype for designing tools that promote resilience, empathy, and cultural change.
He Lin is a 48-year-old tea store owner in Berlin who strongly values transparent communication and a healthy workplace culture. Despite her leadership role, she often struggles to understand her coworkers, which leads to conflicts, inefficiency, and additional stress. While she tries to cope through hobbies, conversations with family, or relaxation apps, these solutions feel insufficient. Her motivation lies in creating a work environment where communication flows more easily, reducing stress for herself and her employees alike. As a persona, she embodies the managerial perspective: someone responsible for both business outcomes and employee well-being. She highlights the importance of designing tools that not only reduce individual stress but also transform organizational communication and cultural dynamics.
R-mess is a special product for measuring the user's working pressure. The overall design consists mainly of smart textile materials. The sensor elements for measuring the three biofeedback signals (HRV, GSR, RSP) are integrated into a single unit.
The R-mess must be used in conjunction with an app, and once attached, the strap part can be replaced after three weeks. The R-mess is also waterproof, so the fabric sensor will not get wet even if the user takes a shower, etc., by simply removing the battery. The product consists of three parts: the measuring device, the app and the pressure relief system. Each part works in synergy with the other to provide the user with the best possible experience.
Final Rendering
Adhesive tape part Sensor part Fully assembled form
R-mess consists of the following main components:
Battery part:
1. The housing
2. Sensor
3. The battery
4. PCB
Sensor part:
5. Intelligent textile fabric
6. HRV-GSR sensor
7. Elastic sensor
8. Intelligent textile fabric
Developing Process
Technical drawing
Multiple colours
R-relief is an office chair that specialises in quickly relieving stress for employees at work. Advanced intelligent textile technology can change the temperature, release aromas, and provide sound effects and humidification, while the movement of the two-layer textile discs can change the visual effect in front of the user, guiding staff through effective decompression breathing training. R-relief can be adjusted according to these aspects to provide employees with comprehensive relaxation and decompression conditions to help them relieve work pressure in a timely and effective manner. R-relief can be adjusted according to these aspects to provide employees with comprehensive relaxation and decompression conditions to help them relieve work stress in a timely and effective manner. At the same time, it allows users to communicate with each other to promote communication and improve the working environment.
Final Rendering
R-relief consists of the following main components:
1. Metal baffle
2. Smart textile discs
3. Smart textile disc
4. Humidifying aromatherapy component
5. Motor
6. Audio component
7. Wooden box
8. Wooden baffle
9. Heat sink
Each part works together with the others to provide employees with the best conditions for relaxation.
The shifting of the panes creates a visual effect to guide staff through breathing exercises.
The design process is described above.
Developing Process
Technical drawing
Model building
The app tailored to the product is very important. It is the link between the measuring device and the treatment device as well as the connection between the employees and the management. Based on the data obtained from the measuring device, the app analyzes the various indices and not only creates a detailed program for the employee- user, but also gives appropriate advice to the management, and at the same time, the employee can use his own personal work stress data for personal treatment guidance by linking the app to the treatment device.the process of the app is as follows.
Rut App employee version
Rut App Tutorial
© 2025 Shengjie Guo. All rights reserved.
Based in Berlin – Available for collaboration worldwide.
Based in Berlin – Available for collaboration worldwide.