Somatic Design Project 2
UX 202 Maker Lab 2
Creation of a product that incorporates an electronic complement and somatic design strategies.
Somatic Design Project 2
Overview
For our second SDP2 project, we had to create a product that features an electronic component and is able to connect to the Internet of Things (IoT) or be an extension of it. Additionally, with the use of an electronic comment, it has to engage with the user's somatic experience through multiple human senses such as touch, hearing, etc. The deliverables we had to deliver were a 2-page brief write-up and a 15-minute presentation of our product and design process.
Tools
Canva
Google Docs
PowerPoint
Mural
Arduino Uno IDE
Type
Group Project
Duration
3 weeks
Team
Abibat, Anna, Emma, Jade, and Kaeleigh
Steps Taken
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Group Mural Brainstorm & Determined Target Users
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Conducted Research (Secondary)
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Identified Somatic Senses and Human Senses
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Created Prototype (Iterative)
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Sharing
Design Objetive
Our group was tasked with designing a product that could be new or builds upon the previous somatic design project done earlier in the semester. With this design project, we had to incorporate the somatic approach to critical making as well as several concepts learned in class regarding somatic design strategies. Our final prototype had to feature an electronic component that engages with the user’s somatic experiences (e.g., visual, auditory, haptic, and kinaesthetic) through multiple human senses, such as sight, hearing, touch, and motion. Additionally, it had to connect to the Internet of Things or be an extension of it.
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Problem Statement
What is the first thing you do when someone or something is at your front door? Most people rush to see what or who is there, however, this is not the case for everyone. Those who are hearing impaired might have difficulty hearing things like their doorbell ringing.
Our Solution
What if there was a device that could send signal users alerts in various ways that something is at their door?
The Alert Light Bracelet aims to assist and alert individuals to recognize when anything is at their door. With the utilization of electronic parts such as a proximity sensor and ping sensor, the Alert Light Bratelcet uses haptics to detect the objects and provide signals to the user about the presence of someone at their door. It also provides multiple ways users can engage their somatic senses to ensure the signal gets to the users.
Design Process
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Inspiration
Mural Brainstorm & Research
Understaning
Defined the Problem & Identifed our Target Users
Ideation
Created Design Concepts & Sketches
Making
Creation of the final prototype
Sharing
Show and Tell of the Design Process & Prototype
Prototype Sketch
We created this sketch to provide both the audience and our Professor with what our final would look like as well as the main parts where our electronic part would go. We did this because we were unable to get our prototype into the form of a bracelet. With that, instead of abandoning the idea, we came up with an alternative way of showing our initial idea even if it did not work out.
Materials Used
Piezo Buzzer
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Arunido Uno
Ultrasonic Sensor
LED Light Diode
Prototype Creation
Coding in Arduino IDE
The code used to detect when an object comes within 50cm of the Ultrasonic Sensor which then sends a signal to the Piezo Buzzer.
Final Product
Prototype Overview
Overview of all the different parts of our final prototype.
Creating our Prototype
Our group met up together to work on our final prototype. w
Breadboard View
Closer view of the breadboard used to connect the LED Light and wires to the Arduino Uno.
Conclusion + Reflection
Overall, I enjoyed this project a lot. It challenges me to think outside the box as well as critically think of ways to iterate on design features that may not be working as intended. Although there were some technical setbacks, I enjoyed working with my team as we were able to push through and still present our final prototype despite it not looking exactly like we wanted. Coding for the Arudino Uno was definitely a learning curve but a fun one nonetheless. Being involved in the creation of this product was enriching as I was able to work with software and items I have not worked with before. As a designer, my involvement with this project helped me broaden my knowledge of somatic design as well as allowed me to dabble in other fascinating areas of design.
What Worked and What Didn't
Overall, the Alert Light worked as intended. The Ultrasonic Sensor and Pizeo Buzzer we used were able to detect when an object came within 50cm of the sensor which then transmitted the noise to the buzzer in order to alert users. However, there were several times we had to do a lot of trial and error when it comes to coding in C++. Ultimately, we were able to debug parts of our code to ensure the main area of the product worked which it did.
As we were all working with new electronic parts we were not familiar with, there were moments while prototyping and testing that did not go as smoothly. The LED Light section of our product that was meant to light up simultaneously with the buzzer when objects come within 50cm of the Ultrasonic sensor would not light up. Due to time constraints, we were unable to debug our code before the Show and Tell. However, although all parts of the product did not work and we were unable to get in on a bracelet, our Show and Tell presentation went well. We presented an alternative to how we would fix these issues if we had more time and were able to iterate over our product more.
Next Steps
If we had more time, it would be great to not only improve the interface of our proposed app that would be paired with the product but also work on improving the product by researching different types of sound frequencies for the buzzer and how to fix our code to make the LED Light work. Furthermore, working on how the product could be made into a bracelet like we originally wanted is something that I think would be nice.
My Evoltuion as a UX Designer
As an aspiring UX Designer, this project has helped me greatly understand design concepts, and failures, as well as how to keep going even when something does not go your way. I have also improved greatly in my communication, ideation, and presentation skills. All in all, throughout the semester, it has been amazing to create products that I am truly proud of.
