Fourth Year Capstone Project
Tools Used: Sketching, Model Making, SolidWorks, Keyshot, MicroBit
Introduction
Social connectivity is a necessary part of human life, by utilizing new technology, individuals can develop a sense of belonging to help maintain well-being during time of uncertainty. By combing key aspects such as personal informatics and social connection, I wish to encourage individuals to improve and maintain overall well-being.
Project Background
COVID-19 has aggravated social isolation for many, thus introducing new challenges in managing one’s well-being with increased stress levels and lack of social interactions due to abrupt changes and restrictions put in place. The pandemic restrictions caused unexpected interruptions and discontinuity in peoples’ lifestyles, causing undeniable impacts on both mental and physical health. The barriers denying connection between individuals and social support networks in physical settings creates a demand for virtual support systems to aid in strengthening mental and physical well-being during times of isolation.
Problem Space
Lifestyle changes due to COVID-19 caused individuals to experience:
Objective
Combat the negative effects of social isolation by fostering a sense of connectedness through the use of personal informatics.
Timeline
Primary Research
Primary research allowed me to gain a further insight into the topics of COVID-19, mental health, loneliness, physical activity, mindfulness practices and personal informatics. Performing virtual surveys’ and one-on-one interviews informed me of my target user’s daily struggles and opinions on the related topics. The covid-19 pandemic caused a majority of participants to experience a decline in their mental health which negatively interfered with daily life.
3 key concepts discovered through field work that I intend to focus on in the conceptualization phase are:
Everyone plays a large role in each other’s mental health. Individuals admitted to sharing personal experiences with the goal of supporting someone else
Sharing of mental health experiences creates deepened connection between individuals.
Poor mental health is frequenlty linked to a decrease in motivation to maintain proper physical health.
Concept Development
Mood Board
Creating a mood board aided in seleecting the overall aesthetic and direction I aim to follow for my solution. I was really drawn to a couple images of colourful acrylic JENGA sets, the clean look of the clear acrylic mixed with fun colours produced a unique aesthetic. As well, the soft glow of light created by frosted acrylic lamps really caught my attention.
Exploratory Sketches
Through my sketches I was able to identify block shapes that I thought fit for my product, stacking methods and base shapes. I continued to use sketches to explore new concepts and shapes throughout the ideation process.
Preliminary Concepts
Through some preliminary concept designs I tested different forms and directions for the device. Quick mock-ups allowed me to identify an inital concept and user flow of a solution which included stackable blocks to represent specific goals.
Form Development
User Testing
User testing was a effective tool to gain feedback from real life users to further justify my product and its usability. The insights obtained from testing allowed me to make improvements to my existing design to further enhance the user journey.
Solution
Groove allows users to connect with an individual who shares the same goal of increased social connection and improved well-being. Together users select a habit through the app which they wish to develop over a 28 day period, and interact with the device to hold each other accountable. Unlike popular fitness and health trackers, Groove is a physical product that is designed around the concept of collaboration. Users must complete their task in order for their partners device to illuminate and vice-versa. This shared responsibility users experience encourages consistent habit building. By combining a fun aesthetic and game-like aspects, groove provide users with a health and wellness device that is able to be proudly displayed in any living space. Through daily use, users are assisted in developing healthy habits, connecting with others, and getting back into the groove of a happy lifestyle post COVID-19.
Product features
Base
I chose to go with a fun and funky aesthetic for my product to really draw the attention of consumers. I intended to create a device that users would be proud to display in their home to encourage prolonged use.
I chose to keep the design of the base very clean and simple with enough room to house all internal components such as the main PCB, LEDs and touch sensors for the buttons.
The simple design of the base allows users to power on and off their device, snooze the device which allows each device to function individually, and to send a nudge notification to the other user.
Blocks
I chose to make the blocks the centre piece of this product. Based off of the idea “building blocks of a healthy lifestyle” I incorporate stackable blocks that represent each day of the week. The device includes 7 blocks that users will move from tier 1 to tier 2 once they have completed their task.
The blocks are a circular shape with a slanted face that incorporates the use of grooves to stack the blocks. I included 2 different block shapes in my design to create a puzzle like element causing users to manipulate the orientation of the blocks to position and stack correctly.
Colour Ways
I chose three colour ways that the device will be produced in. Going along with the fun aesthetic I chose a light orange, blue and clear colour for the device. This provides users with two fun colours and one neutral to chose from to match their home environment.
Use Cycle
Once having selected a habit to build for the following 28 day period, users interact with their devices daily to notify of progress and hold each other accountable
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Phone Application
Allows users to:
Track progress
View consistency
Connect with other groove devices
View others progress and achievements
Select and customize habits
Model Making Process
It was important to me to have a working looks like model. The final model is made mostly out of 3D printed PLA plastic. I used various methods of model making such as 3D printing, painting using an airbrush, sandblasting, vinyl cut stickers and lazer cutting to achieve the final look.
kkg
Final Model: works-like/looks-like
Grad Show Presentation Board
