Poor sleep has been acknowledged as an increasingly prevalent global health concern, however, how to design for promoting sleep is relatively underexplored. We propose neurofeedback technology may potentially facilitate restfulness and sleep onset, and we explore this through the creation and study of "Inter-Dream", a novel multisensory interactive artistic experience driven by neurofeedback. Twelve participants individually rested, augmented by Inter-Dream. Results demonstrated: statistically significant decreases in pre-sleep cognitive arousal (p = .01), negative emotion (p = .008), and negative affect (p = .004). EEG readings were also indicative of restorative restfulness and cognitive stillness, while interview responses described experiences of mindfulness and playful self-exploration. Taken together, our work highlights neurofeedback as a potential pathway for future research in the promotion of sleep, while also suggesting strategies for designing towards this within the context of pre-sleep.

Interactive storybooks, such as those available on the iPad, offer multiple ways to convey a story, mostly through visual, textual and audio content. How to effectively deliver this combination of content so that it supports positive social and educational development in pre-literate children is relatively underexplored. In order to address this issue we introduce the "Counterpointed Triad Technique". Drawing from traditional literary theory we design visual, textual and audio content that each conveys different aspects of a story. We explore the use of this technique through a storybook we designed ourselves called "How Far Is Up?". A study involving 26 kindergarten children shows that "How Far Is Up?" can engage pre-literature children while they are reading alone and also when they are reading with an adult. Based on our craft knowledge and study findings, we present a set of design strategies that aim to provide designers with practical guidance on how to create engaging interactive digital storybooks.