Week 9

Theme: "Design Resolution"

Introduction

This week our design team had an oral presentation with the format being a round table discussion. The team was able to receive feedback on our progress to date in order to identify problems and gain approval for our concept. The team made sure we addressed the three key elements, object, behaviour and scenario. The format of the presentation is displayed in the image below:

Tutorial

The team presented our concept from week 8 which was the office task management system. The feedback we received from the tutors and lecturer primarily revolved around issues with the context / scenario. The teaching staff outlined the pertaining issues involved with the office context, these included previously determined technological capabilities such as email and phones, general office etiquette restrictions on human behaviour, interference with employee's current work space environment and safety concerns relating to the height of the overall unit.

Below are a few images of the group's presentation:

After receiving this feedback the team organised a meeting and started to brainstorm ideas for new scenarios and contexts. In regards to my individual contribution, I came up with two new applications for the original design and two new scenarios / contexts. Our team's meeting and collaboration process is displayed below in the following images:

My first concept was a management system for people who have just been involved in a serious accident, for example, a car crash. These types of patients will require an intensive rehabilitation program in order to regain their previous health. The idea behind rehabilitation programs is to offer people who have suffered serious injuries a step by step system to help them get back on their feet. Throughout the program patients are able to see their progress to date, but for some it may be hard to keep track of their progress but more importantly maintain a good level of motivation to continue with the program. As a result, my concept idea is a progress management system for people in rehabilitation programs. The idea is to help keep patients motivated to achieve their goals while keeping up-to-date with their progress. Each of their stages in the program will be represented by "building blocks" which can be manipulated and interacted with by the patient to alert the associated health practitioner of their status.

The second concept builds on the first concept by linking the relevant health practitioners to allow a more collective and efficient collaboration process. Patients who are involved in rehabilitation programs are more than likely to have numerous health practitioners at any one time, ranging from doctors, physios to Musculoskeletal therapists. Having so many practitioners to worry about and making sure you keep in touch with all of them can be frustrating and time consuming for both the patient and practitioners. As a result, my concept idea is to provide a system which links all of the health practitioners and allows the patient to send them alerts and easily get in contact with them when needed. Patients will be able to monitor their sessions with each practitioner while also keeping track of their overall success in the program.

After much deliberation amongst the group we all decided to go with my second concept. However, this concept will be constantly reviewed and modified by the group as the semester progresses. The concept is more than likely going to change through further development.

Below is some of my preliminary research for the concept above:

      

Week 8

Theme: "Designing for Interaction"

Introduction

This week's lecture discussed theories and research relating to design led interaction and human behaviour. The speaker talked primarily about two different approaches to interaction design, these include the semantic approach and the action-centered approach. The semantic approach is a physical representation of digital information. For example an object that interacts with its external environment and creates a noise can be considered to be employing a semantic approach. The object is a container of digital information and is relaying a noise which can be transformed into a musical composition. An action-centered approach involves the kinetic movements or some type of human movement. This approach is explained as the carrier of information and a form of self expression.Both of these approaches may be used by a designer in an attempt to build on people's everyday embodied skills and way of knowing. Furthermore, the speaker stated there is now a move away from the cognitive focused design approach to a further in-depth look into physical interactions and the role they may be able to serve. 

It is my understanding that tangible interaction design is about focusing on ways of improving people's skills and experiences through their natural behaviour and predetermined abilities. New products are constantly being released onto the market but there is still a barrier that some users face when it comes to understanding how to operate a product. This process can be daunting and for others simply frustrating. This is where I believe interaction design is able to remove this barrier to learning and utilize people's own natural instincts and abilities in order to help them better understand how to use a product.  

Another point which I found to be thought-provoking was this idea that interesting actions equals difficulty. However, this does not necessarily mean designers should stay clear of such knowledge, but rather use this information to allow users to gain an emotional connection with a product. This emotional connection could possibly be one which creates a sense of challenge and motivation for the user to learn and succeed. Learning should not be an easy step by step guide with lengthy descriptions but preferably a stage of curiosity and development. 

Tutorial Exercises 

This week our design team had a meeting to discuss our semester's project - 'sensing the news.'  Our original concept was an office management system which would be used by a company to organise their projects and delegate tasks to employees. The idea behind it was to allow managers and C.E.O's to manage, control and regulate work load to allow a more efficient office environment. However, after talking with certain tutors we found that our concept lacked a well-resolved scenario and human behaviour. We were told that these areas needed more refinement and further development. The team took this feedback on-board and began to break down the original concept and identify possible alternatives and new applications. 

We decided to begin the tutorial by brainstorming some initial ideas and start generating new concepts and ideas. In regards to my individual concept my idea still related to the context of an office space but focused more on the human interaction aspect. Firstly, I looked at repetitive behaviours that are performed on a day-to-day basis by a majority of office workers. This repetitive behaviour was identified as typing. As a result, my concept involved a flexible typing board which uses vacuum suction and audio to alert employees of tasks and outstanding projects. The board works through a wireless receiver which collects information sent from the manager and displays it through audio, light and pressure.

When a task arrives a button simply lights up with an accompanied audio sound. When the task is urgent and has not yet been successfully completed, the pressure in the board will increase causing a specific button to rise up. This notifies the employee that they need to finish the task soon. The board suits the context well as it could be easily integrated into the context with minimal disturbance or need for new systems or infrastructure.

The other concept of mine related to the same idea but a new application. The same flexible board could be placed on the ground underneath an employee's feet. This application appears to be less invasive of an employee's personal space and a provides them with more space on their desk to work. The board works exactly the same way with lights, audio and pressure but it replaces the user's hands and gets them to use their feet as the control mechanism.  This application builds on the previous design by looking at this need for people to express themselves and show their emotions. When a task is not completed and a button on the board begins to rise, the user is able to gently hold their foot on it to show they are calm and in control or they are able to stomp on it in order to release their frustration.

The best aspect of this design is the fact that the object relies on the user to interact with it in order for it to work effectively. Without the user, the product would be obsolete and unable to function properly. As stated in the lecture, skill is not just about the individual but of the total field of context. Users gain skills from the content and learn through association. This concept encourages users to learn through interaction and association. User's are able to use their board differently to their other co-workers depending on their emotional state at the time.

Below are some images of the group's work and the overall concept which will be presented in week 9:

 

Week 7

Theme: "Universal Design"

Introduction

This week our class visited LifeTec which is located at Newmarket, Brisbane. LifeTec is a non-profit organisation and a leading provider in assistive technology which helps individuals to improve their quality of life and remain independent.   Assistive technology is an umbrella term for a range of adaptive devices for people with different types of disabilities. The main idea behind assistive technologies is to promote greater independence by enabling people to accomplish tasks that were previously difficult to achieve. 

Presentation

The staff at Lifetec set-up a short presentation which discussed aspects of design, a brief overview of their company and a small re-design project for the tutorial. During the presentation the idea of universal design was discussed and debated amongst the group. The presenter wanted to know what this term meant to us as designers.My understanding of universal design and the principles which underpin it, is a framework that promotes standardization and accessibility. It allows the greatest extent of usability for everyone including those with disabilities and those without disabilities.    

The project stipulated in the tutorial was to re-design a product currently in the LifeTec show room. Our design team selected a reaching arm aid. We assessed the current model using a marking criteria which evaluated three key areas, physically, technological and usability. The physical examination revealed there were numerous functional flaws in the design including, hard to grip handle, reaching beam was too long, uneven weight distribution and limited supporting mechanisms. During a usability test the team identified a major issue when grabbing objects and picking them up. Due to the fact that the length of the beam on the reaching aid  is far too long, when the jaw of the reaching aid clamps around an object it is difficult to support the weight of the object and the user is subsequently unable to maintain a solid grip causing them to strain their wrist. This problem can be seen as a hazard due to the fact it may cause even more damage to the user's wrist or hand joints due to the stress and uncomfortable weight distribution. 

The team brainstormed for half an hour and came up with numerous alternatives to the existing design to improve its usability and functionality. Firstly, the team decided to incorporate an adjustable arm to allow the user to change the length on the beam. Secondly, we decided to integrate a forearm attachment to provide increased support and a greater range of force. Next, we deemed it necessary to install different types of grips onto the jaw. Finally, the team believe it would be appropriate to use multipurpose and interchangeable jaws for different applications and environments. In regards to different applications of the reaching aid, the team came up with the idea of using it as a temperature detecting device for people with impaired vision to alert them when surfaces are hot and therefore dangerous to touch. 

The team's brainstorming and design solutions are displayed below:

Content including images and videos from other group's presentations and their work are displayed below:

  

Semester Project

The visit to LifeTec opened my mind to a range of new possibilities and design solutions to consider for this semester's project - "sensing the news." I have a concept in mind which involves an automated emergency service for the elderly and people with disabilities who struggle to use phones or similar communication devices. The idea of the product is to provide people with a sense of security, awareness and safety. The product will be an alarm system that can be activated through different buttons which immediately alert the relevant authorities and emergency personal. The buttons will have distinct hierarchical values for different types of emergencies such as non life threatening and life threatening in order for the service to be effective.