Outside In: Creating Digital Nature Tailored to the Needs of Intensive Care Unit Patients

Intensive care unit (ICU) environments play a crucial role in supporting patients' recovery, and nature experiences, particularly their visual elements, are commonly used in ICUs to stimulate relaxation. Fueled by digital technology, applications of virtual nature have emerged to bring nature to environments without direct access, including windowless ICU rooms. Despite its healing potential, there is a lack of consensus and strategy in designing virtual nature catering to the diverse patients' needs. This study investigates how to create virtual nature for intended effects promoting relaxation. Informed by a framework explaining the working mechanism underlying relaxation in nature, we introduce Digital Nature, a visual stimulation featuring a 24-hour streaming video of constantly changing virtual scenes. We describe how we incorporated an evidence-based approach into the design process of Digital Nature. A pilot study is planned to validate the effectiveness of Digital Nature, and ideas for further design implications are discussed.