_Intel 19.11.09
Planning - Stage 1
Stage 1 - Branding and Corporate Identity - Project Time Planning - Development of initial brief
Stage 1 Branding
Planning - Stage 2
Stage 2 - Questionnaires - Ethnography - Trend Report - Mapping - Persona Generation
Stage 2 Research Stage 1 Branding
Planning - Stage 3
Stage 3 - Persona look and feel boards - Architecture generation -Chosen architectures -Development of Initial Ideas -Development of service or product Stage 3 Development Stage 2 Research Stage 1 Branding
Planning - Stage 4
Stage 4 -Refinement of product -Preparation of presentation Stage 4 Refinement Stage 3 Development Stage 2 Research Stage 1 Branding
_Stage 1 19.11.09
Branding & Corporate Identity - Logo + Styling Main Logo
Icon Logo
Web app Icon
Colour Swatches
#000000 #808080 #8FC73E
Bamboo We have decided to brand ourselves under the name Bamboo and intent to stick to a vigorous design language in order to distinguish our brand from other groups. We intend for the bamboo to grow along with the progression of our projects with the ability to branch out if needed. This document will act as a detailed project diary and very much represents the bamboo.
Branding & Corporate Identity - Blog
Blog To ensure our group functioned and worked as a community we set up a private blogging tool that every member of the team could manage and update. The Blog was kept separate from the general public and only people with accounts could access the site. For added security we stored all of our working files on the ‘onthemove’ servers.
Project Time Planning - Schedule Stage 4
Stage 3
Stage 2
Stage 1
20.1.2010
Preparation of Presentation
19.1.2010
Refinement of Product
11.12.2009
Development of Service or Product
1.12.2009
Development of Initial Ideas
2.11.2009
Chosen Architectures
30.10.2009
Architecture Generation
14.10.2009
Persona Look and Feel Boards
12.10.2009
Persona Generation
7.10.2009
Mapping
7.10.2009
Trend Report
6.10.2009
Ethnography
1.10.2009
Questionnaires
29.9.2009
Initial Brief Development
28.9.2009
Branding and Corporate Identity
25.9.2009
Project Timeline Planning
Development of Initial Brief - Final Brief
Blog To ensure our group functioned and worked as a community we set up a private blogging tool that every member of the team could manage and update. The Blog was kept separate from the general public and only people with accounts could access the site. For added security we stored all of our working files on the ‘onthemove’ servers.
_Stage 2 19.11.09
Research - Trend Report
Trend Report refinement
Idea
Throughout the Trend Report there will be core areas that will be analyzed to identify new areas/markets to help strengthen design decisions made. These core areas include -
Developing Trends
Communication Data Education Environment The Core Area is the general topic but as we research further into a topic, trends will begin to emerge and therefore focusing our ideas. Using the found trends we can identify new design directions and ideas.
Core Areas
Research - Trend Report
Multi Gestural Device Observation New multiple Gestural Devices are becoming available, most notably Apple products such as the iPhone and the new MacBook Pros and Microsoft Tables gives users a new experience towards their product by manipulation of two-dimensional electronics documents. E.g. Rotating and scaling photos and gaming.
Impact There are 1000’s of application that Multi Gestural Device (MGD) offer over their fixed feature rivals. One notable advantage is constant changeable interfaces giving new dimensions to devices. MGD could work with 3D environments allowing users to manipulate augmented reality further, using this whole gestural language. The gestures in its own right will become a new language, even possibly universal.
Research - Trend Report
Social Interaction Observation Large companies like Intel, Kodak and IBM are beginning to embrace the social networking scenes that are available on the Internet, so much so that they are integrating policies on how employees conduct themselves on social sites and blogs regarding their company. “The Good, the Bad, but not the Ugly. If the content is positive or negative and in context to the conversation, then we approve the content, regardless of whether it’s favorable or unfavorable to Intel. However if the content is ugly, offensive, denigrating and completely out of context, then we reject the content.�
Impact The impact this generates for companies is that they are targeting their customers through a new medium that is heavily used by people. Resulting in new dimensions to their advertising, allowing people to easily embrace them through something they enjoy, whilst simultaneously creating each of their employees a representative to their brand. It could humanize the company allowing their customers to be more comfortable with their brand and therefore creating more trust whilst speaking to real people who work at these companies.
Research - Trend Report
Augmented Reality Observation Augmented Reality (AR) is a fairly new and is only available since the iPhone 3GS. It uses the in-built camera and compass to overlay a virtual environment over the real world.
Impact The technology has many uses, for instant virtual maps over the real world. Social networking sites like twitter, show where ‘tweets’ are coming from using the compass. While Yelp uses the AR to give information on restaurant and shops by pointing the camera over the establishment. The technology can be maximized by giving information about the entire real world by pointing the camera over it. New ides could be to point the camera to the sky and it could give you weather update and prediction for the area you are in.
Research - Trend Report
Gender Balance Observation From a study read, women seem to out number men on social websites, there are many reasons why this could be happening. One reason could be due to the fact that they are more social comfortable to express themselves on sites like Twitter and Facebook. Men seems to be more compliant with the shift, this is evident in male fashion, something in which is usually a personal expression.
Impact The shift in gender balance could change the way we use internet sites, E.g. shopping sites. But also in how we approach problems. Our culture has shifted from being technically hands on; to having other people fix our problems, could this change how we report a fault, the product could self diagnose itself and report the problems to qualified people, rather than the owner. The shift could also mean that form factors will change and therefore we could see a rise in softer and curvier forms within products.
Research - Trend Report
Remote Computing Observation The Macbook Air Laptop does not have a built in CD/DVD driver, the lack of the driver allows the laptop to be extremely thin and light. However it does mean that the laptop has to wireless download its content from another computer. There is even an option with software companies to download their content from them instead of buying CDs.
Impact There is a huge impact that having a lack in CD/DVD drivers could have. It could eventually mean that the CD/DVD become obsolete. All software and programs will be bought and downloads from the companies website giving a more real time purchase. The use of WiMAX allows content to be downloadable away from home.
Research - Trend Report
Information Desire Observation Today it seems that we are in a society that wants information readily available. This is evident with mobile phone applications that allow you to scan bar codes, and find cheaper deals locally or on the internet. These allow you to do a range of things, including sampling a song, get sort coupons, acquire vehicle history report, acquire medical history on medicine bottles and a lot more.
Impact The impact this could have lets say with education at Universities is codes could be used to find out what rooms are free, what facilities do the have within the rooms, site mapping and reading lists.
Research - Trend Report
Cloud Mobility Observation There has recently been a lot of discussion around Cloud computing seeing a build in web application that run from a remote server and which can be accessed through the internet. The service would depend highly upon the reliability of internet service and connectivity. However super 3G HSPA+ and WiMax are beginning to offer super fast wireless speeds within the existing internet infastructure.
Impact There is a huge scope for the technology. All software could be shared and on a cloud server, it would result in all computing devices to be thinner and lighter, as the hardware would not need to be excessively larger. It would also begin to push more development in wireless technology and connectivity. The technology would also benefit large organization and businesses as workers can work on their desktops away from the work places.
Research - Ethnography Reports
Ethnography reports This is a sample of some of the ethnography we gathered and will use to aid creating our personas later on.
Ethnography - Sarah Hackett Name: Sarah Hackett Age: 21 Annual income: £12,000 or under What is the make and model of your mobile phone? Sony Ericcson Do you own a Laptop or Desktop PC, if So what make? Mac OS desktop. How do you use the computer? work, social networking, reading online magazines/blogs Where is the computer used the most regularly? in my bedroom Do you use any social networking sites? If the answer is Yes which site do you use? yes - facebook, twitter, wordpress (for an online portfolio only though) How and where do you access the site ? Occasionally facebook mobile, otherwise only really at home. Unless I’m staying at a friends house, I’ll probably check it there. What are the three main reasons for accessing the site? facebook - because if my friends lose their phone, it’s so much easier to stay in contact. - invites to events -sharing info with friends. do you regularly use printed documentation in your profession? if so, which? I sit in boarders allot and read the magazines there. I regularly read: Wired, New Scientist, National Geographic, Creative review, Ad-custers. Not always for my ‘profession’ but because I have a general interest in the area. do you regularly use digital media in your profession? if so, which? adobe CS3, mainly. And for word processing I use something called Neo-office which is the exact same as Microsoft office, but free for macs. do you ever have to digitize (scan or photograph) printed documents in order to access them on your computer/laptop? Yes..I think so. If I’m doing research for an essay, I would generally just write quotations down and write the references all by hand. The only time I would digitalize an image is by photocopying it if I didn’t already have access to it on the interweb.
Ethnography - Ayesha Asghar Name: Ayesha Asghar Age: 18-25 Annual income: ÂŁ12,000 or under What is the make and model of your mobile phone? Samsung g600 and lg cookie Do you own a Laptop or Desktop PC, if So what make? Laptop, Toshiba How do you use the computer? work, social networking Where is the computer used the most regularly? Living room Do you use any social networking sites? If the answer is Yes which site do you use? yes - facebook How and where do you access the site ? On my Laptop What are the three main reasons for accessing the site? Checking msgs, keeping in contact with friends and just to pass time Do you regularly use printed documentation in your profession? if so, which? Yes text books (neuroscience) Do you regularly use digital media in your profession? if so, which? Microsoft software and internet Do you ever have to digitize (scan or photograph) printed documents in order to access them on your computer/laptop? Yes
Ethnography - Jamie Richardson Name: Jamie Richardson Age: 18-25 Annual income: ÂŁ12,000 or under What is the make and model of your mobile phone? Sony Ericsson k800i Do you own a Laptop or Desktop PC, if So what make? Packard Bell Easynote Laptop How do you use the computer? work, social networking Where is the computer used the most regularly? Bedroom Do you use any social networking sites? If the answer is Yes which site do you use? Facebook How and where do you access the site ? On my Laptop What are the three main reasons for accessing the site? Checking msgs, see pictures of nights out and invites to events Do you regularly use printed documentation in your profession? if so, which? Yes text books and journals Do you regularly use digital media in your profession? if so, which? Internat and word processing Do you ever have to digitize (scan or photograph) printed documents in order to access them on your computer/laptop? Yes
Ethnography - David Hardie Name: David Hardie Age: 21 Annual income: ÂŁ12,000 or under What is the make and model of your mobile phone? Nokia 6700 classic Do you own a Laptop or Desktop PC, if So what make? Macbook pro How do you use the computer? Working Where is the computer used the most regularly? At home and university Do you use any social networking sites? If the answer is Yes which site do you use? yes - facebook How and where do you access the site ? Myown computer What are the three main reasons for accessing the site? Because I feel socially abliged to do so do you regularly use printed documentation in your profession? if so, which? Wired, handouts, briefs do you regularly use digital media in your profession? if so, which? Photoshop microsoft word
Research - Mapping
Mapping Thought Process We must begin by establishing what axis we will use. This decision will help us throughout the project by enabling us to identify key areas of interest. To achieve this we plan to map Dell’s product range as they only use Intel chip sets. By doing this we are able to see how consumers react to Intel’s products when they are successfully implicated into the market. Once we have established where the products lie we can then proceed by mapping the results of our Ethnography research to help us determine successful usable personas.
Mapping - Horizontal Axis
DESIRE
NECESSITY
Mapping - Vertical Axis
PROFESSIONAL
NECESSITY
DESIRE
ENTERTAINMENT
Mapping - Dell Products
PROFESSIONAL
NECESSITY
DESIRE
ENTERTAINMENT
Mapping - Dell Products
PROFESSIONAL
NECESSITY
DESIRE
ENTERTAINMENT
Mapping - Consumer groups
PROFESSIONAL
PROFESSIONAL BUYER CONSCIOUS BUYER
NECESSITY
DESIRE
CURATOR
RECREATION
ENTERTAINMENT
Persona Generation - Overview
Generated Personas From plotting our the results from our ethnography reports and comparing our qualitative data we gathered, we were able to create a number of aspirational personas to aid our design process.
Personas - Rich Hunt Name: Rich Hunt Age: 21 Occupation: Graphic design Student Location: Chislehurst Hobbies? Rich enjoys reading online blogs such as Creative review and Core 77, he is very passionate about his studies and finds that much of his free time revolves around his intrest for graphic design.
_use case scenarios
Personas - Andy Grainger Name: Andy grainger Age: 19 Occupation: Student studying surveying Location: Manchester Hobbies: Andy is a passionate football supporter and likes to spend his free time with his mates. On Thursdays he takes part in a 5 a side football league, and always finds a way to keep updated with the latest results. He also has a strong interest in music and works part time as a DJ in a local club.
_use case scenarios
Personas - Daisy Swires Name: Daisy Swires Age: 35 Occupation: Accountant and Mature Student, studying French par time. Location: London Hobbies: Daisy is passionate about healthy living and self improvement. She works as an accountant in the city but feels she would benefit from extra qualifications and enjoys the social benefits of university life.
_use case scenarios
Personas - Tom Smith Name: Tom Smith Age: 18 Occupation: Student studying Physics Location: Brighton Hobbies: Tom is heavily involved in online gaming. When he’s not working or socializing he enjoys playing on World of Warcraft but often finds himself consumed by gaming which makes him poor at time management.
_use case scenarios
Personas - Sara Wilkinson Name: Sara Wilkinson Age: 43 Location: Nottingham Occupation: Technician/ Tutor Hobbies: Sara spends as much time as she can with her family, She enjoys sharing her skills with other individuals however often is often overlooked in planning meetings and finds it hard to stay in contact with students.
_use case scenarios
Personas - Mapped
PROFESSIONAL
NECESSITY
DESIRE
ENTERTAINMENT
Development - Stage 3
Stage 3
Stage 3 Development Stage 2 Research Stage 1 Branding
- Existing Architectures - Architecture Generation - Chosen Architectures - Rejected Architectures - Persona Look and Feel Boards - Initial Sketch work
Development - Existing Architectures
Existing Architecture
Development - Existing Architectures
Development - Chosen Architectures
Chosen Architecture
Chosen Architecture - Integrated stand
Concept One This concept architecture uses a dual screen combination. One is used for more inputting while the other is passive, displaying text work. The nature of the extended back allows the device to rise from the surface and sit at an angle.
Chosen Architecture - Integrated stand
Concept Two This architecture plays on the aspect of being able to set down the device like a picture frame. It is perfect for moving around and uses the frame to fold back to hold the device up.
Chosen Architecture - Integrated stand
Concept Three This architecture uses a dual screen when open for productive work. The top screen is slightly smaller than the main screen which allows the user to stay update with constant live updates using the section of the screen that is still visible. The covered screen will turn off saving power for the device.
Development - Rejected Architecture
Rejected Architecture
Architecture
Concept Four This concept was looking at the aspect of having two devices that were attached together to make one complete device. But when the user is on the go, they can transfer files over from the larger device to the small, more mobile like device. This enables the users to still have all their files with them. When the user returns both devices together the files and devices sync back together.
Architecture
Concept Five This concept is looking at how the product is designed to be thin and light. However this can change the feel of the device, making it feel fragile. By adding a curved section adds substance, giving the perception that the device is thicker and more robust.
Architecture
Concept Six This concept was designed to look at hiding cable ports from view from the underside of the device. The cover would come down revealing the ports whilst supporting the device at an inputting angle. The device was designed to have changing interfaces, e.g. Design programs would be wacom style inputs, while word documents would have a touch keyboard.
Architecture
Concept Seven This concept was designed to having a main display screen with simple inputting interfaces. However for more complex inputting of work a secondary screen can be pulled out for greater complexity of gestures.
Development - Look and Feel
Look and Feel
Look and Feel - Daisy Swires
Look and Feel - Andy
Look and Feel - Rich Hunt
Look and Feel - Tom
Look and Feel - Sara Wilkinson
Development - Personas to take forward
By combining our personas we are able to work towards a more suitable outcome and found by combining the look and feels associated with each personas.
Look and Feel - Daisy Swires
Initial Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Sketchwork
Soft Models
Soft Models
Soft Models
Soft Models
Soft Models
_Refinement 19.11.09
Planning - Stage 4
Stage 4 Stage 4 Refinement Stage 3 Development Stage 2 Research Stage 1 Branding
-Interface -Material Samples -Refinement of product -Preparation of presentation
Interface
Interface
_TREE MAPS The main targets for the interface design as that it has to be very usable, but also adaptive to the users needs. It has to be quick and efficient.
For our device, the Tree Maps would analyse the following types of data in order to generate visual responses:
TREE MAPS are visual charts which feature sections of different size, which is determined by a given factor. A good online example of this in use was the homepage for TED talks, which rated its talks on how interesting they were, and generated a tree map based on this as a navigational tool.
_Frequency of use of a certain function (e.g. a Network) _Proximity of device to another (e.g. connecting to personal devices) _How relevant a function is to tasks which are already in progress (e.g. when using a file browser from a piece of software such as photoshop).
We felt that this would be a very suitable way of facilitating the navigation of our device, as it can key of a wide range of different data types and still remain relevant and familiar.
The most relevant would appear larger and would be positioned in a better location for viewing, which would be determined by the Golden Thirds compositional rule.
Interface
_Initial Workings The next step was to flesh out our ideas with some initial sketchwork. This involved an awful lot of thinking about what tasks were required, and how we could marry tree maps with gestural navigation. We decided that Alex would pioneer our Gestural Development and I would look into the tree maps and On-Screen navigation (although we did not work separately, each contributing ideas to the other.) The next couple of pages show some of our initial ideas and aesthetics which we were running with. I looked at how tree maps could be miniaturised and regimented to provide something instantly navigable but still fairly compact. You can see in the sketches for the connections pallette that we looked at a way the connection quality could be shown along with the relevance of the connection, and we did this using the size of the box as the relevance, and the amount it was filled as the speed.
Interface
_More Thinking These few ideas went down fairly well, but we were recommended by our tutors to perhaps go a little less commercial, and draft some really new and more interesting things. Mike suggested that we think of creating a new OS which was specific to our device and could become the benchmark for wireless touchscreen devices in the future. We would begin to look more at the flows of information, and a little less at the aesthetic (although it was necessary to create a strong aesthetic to make our work stand out and comply with some of our other guidelines).
A premium was placed on humanising navigation, and putting as few steps, and as little text as possible into completing tasks. It was important also not to rely on double-clicks, as with a finger, age and dexterity can become an issue, and health problems can prevent easy usage.
Interface
_Power On To turn the device on, we decided to make use of the human-touch infra-red touch screen. When the device is opened, the accellerometers determine which way the device is being held and shows the start up screen, which is the outline of the power symbol (or any symbol of the users’ choosing. The user then traces this symbol and upon completing that, the devices powers on. If no input is detected when the device is open for a short period of time, the power is turned off. The user is also given the option to access a help window, or to view the System Preferences.
Interface
_Security To humanise computing and security, the password (or passSign) involves inputting a series of shapes or letters to validate the computer. A quick-decaying light trail is used to increase usability, letting the user know the part of the shape already being entered, but not givign away the whole password.
Interface
_The SOUL We can’t avoid the fact that our device has 2 screens and that there is a bit of a space between them, so we decided that good design would help make this less noticeable and integrate it into the interaction. The SOUL was the answer to this. It is akin to Finder in Mac OS. This is the first screen when you start properly using the device, and acts as a browser. Providing the links to various pieces of relevant software and information and files, in free-form tree map form. The space between the screens was used as a metaphor in which all of the storage occurs, the soul emerges from the gap, and returns in there when it is not required. The default presentation of this is the multi-layered tree map, but more traditional views are offered in the forms of options at the top of the screen.
Interface
_Connecting The connections work in a similar fashion to the Soul’s navigation. Multi-layered Tree-Maps with additional text-prompts help simplify navigation. This works on the same principal as the soul, and can be ‘pulled from’ the side of the screen. The connections can be organised into favourites and groups. The white blocks represent cloud networks, and the green represent devices. Also, like the soul, the connections can be viewed in a more traditional list format. Search options are also available to help locate connections. To aid navigation of networks, there is a breadcrumb trail left from the device, through any networks to the target device (represented by the red line).
Interface
_Strip Usage The overlapping part of the larger screen is usable when the device is shut. This turns the rest of the screens off so the OLED doesn’t use as much power, making it more energy efficient. Along this 2cm-wide strip can be placed widgets and messages, as well as a quick overview of the status of various connections. This is for very passive and almost ambient usage, the colours of the status and battery bars giving information at a glance. To activate the strip, a finger is passed along the length of the screen, swiping on the display. The strip is used to inform, e.g. for the news you can see the headlines , but when the device is then opened, the whole article is viewable.
Interface
_Connecting pt.2 Because there are likely to be a large amount of devices connected to any one cloud network when a cloud network is selected, the display zooms in and the devices attached to the network are displayed. This makes it easier to connect to a single device, or a series of devices. Information about each device and network is shown on hovering. The devices (marked in green) can also be explored by clicking to view their contents.
Interface
_HotSpot Gestures The hotspot is in the bottom left corner of the screen (be default, and calculated by accelerometer input). When pressed, a secondary input mode is created, allowing gestural input on the windows (custom commands can also be created). Input areas are created, in which gestural commands are performed. On release of the hotspot the device reverts back to its primary input mode. Usage of this is quick and easy, maknig common taskts even quicker to perform without the need of a keyboard of mouse.
Interface
_OLED Screen We decided upon the modern OLED display for our device. The main reason for this was that we could turn off any pixels which weren’t being used, to save power. The design considerations for this are that there will be a lot of black involved in the design; keeping the screen as dark as possible will save more power, which, in a device relying a lot on wireless power, is very important. Also, GREEN OLED’s last the longest, so wherever possible and suitable, green will be employed. OLEDs can also be employed at higher resolutions than 72dpi which is very good for type rasterising as well as other things.
Interface
_Accelerometers Our device will be equipped with 4 pairs of accelerometers, so that the device knows how it is oriented at all times, and it will adjust its displays accordingly. This leads to a very flexible device which is very slick and natural to use. The accelerometers will be able to determine which hand the user predominantly uses, by working in tandem with the infra-red touch screen, which will aid even more in calibrating the displays. The accelerometers will also be employed to literally ‘shake up’ the display, a quick shake of the device will sort icons and parts of tree maps from natural forms into regimented rows, and the same with application windows.
Interface
_Infra-red Touch Screens We are using an Infra-red touch screen system which will be responsible for handling all of the touch interaction. Infra-red supports multitouch and can recognise the shape of the surface resting on it. We are keeping the interaction simple, using a combination of gestures as a base, which use one finger on each hand, instead of using a range of fingers on one hand. This makes it easier for older users, who may have limited dexterity.
Interface
Interface
The chosen architecture was CONCEPT 3 because of its versatility, its several modes of use would give the user very different and relevant ways of using the device, and gave the device its locational awareness.
Interface
_Usability Testing Testing was conducted firstly on a ‘paper prototyping’ basis. A subject was supplied with information about the capabilities of the device and templates of the tree maps for different scenarios, such as opening a file from THE SOUL, connecting to a network using the Connections panel and using the swipe on/off function for the segment of screen. Type was considered legible at all levels, the Password entry and Turning On procedures were passed without issue. Obviously, with this being a conceptual device for the near future it was important to inform the test subjects of the manner in which the product was expected to be used, tell them of the ways it was possible to interact with it, and after a brief lesson the testing was conducted.
The issues encountered during testing were mainly that we are pitcing and concepting ideas which aim to revolutionise how computers are used, and so it is naïve to assume that people will be able to successfully operate test models without an in-between step (e.g. having previously used a tablet-based machine). But, overall, the response we got was good, the interaction was intuitive and quick, which is what we were aiming for.
Interface
_Usability Tailoring _TYPOGRAPHY Typography is a big part of the usability of a system. A small change in the handling of on-screen type can correspond to a big change in user-experience. We opted for a user-friendly sans-serif, designed-for-screen Adobe font in Myriad Pro. Myriad Pro is modern and comes in a range of weights which are all very legible and user-friendly even down to smaller sizes. We were very responsible in colouring of text, using good contrast to the background, with opacities varying to indicate links. Green was chosen as a highlight colour due to the lifespan of Green OLEDs being longer than that of other colours.
_PROMPTS + INFO There was a lot of emphasis put on basic usability to make sure that the user’s attention was only drawn to where it should be. When the user hovered over an item like a network icon, the rest of the screen darkens accordingly and provides information about the selected item. Items like the hotspots and the pull-out tabs glow when the finger is close to one such feature. That is a visual cue to something which was otherwise hidden.
Interface
_Evaluation _Methods A lot of research went into developing the interaction for this device. Our mantra was ‘Research Research Research, and Development’. We made sure that our ideas were founded on intelligent research, firstly of the market. This intensive research enabled us to discover a target audience, and the best way to engage them. Once we had discovered our target audience, we researched them in more depth and interviewed and surveyed people in that audience, understanding their wants, needs and lives. We built up good maps of the products with which we could share the market, and then of the people we would be marketing to. We created detailed personas which we referred to throughout the duration of the project. The personas were very valid and relevant, which made the proj-
ect move along much easier. Designing for a captive audience meant that all the development for interaction was quick and efficient. It also was useful that the personas we were developing for were fairly similar to we were, so we had some understanding of their needs insofar as usability was concerned. Having designed with the audience in mind, and having tested on people who fell into the same category as the personas, we got responses which were incredibly useful, and it validated all of our R&D methods.
Materials
Visit
National Glass center To seek some insights into the manufacturing techniques behind glass we took a visit to the NGC in Sunderland to gain a better understanding of some processes that are used in the manipulation of glass products and what kinds of innovations in glass were available.
Samples
Opalika速 Opalika is a white or black flashed opal glass that evenly distributes light, and achieves nearly shadowless light that resembles the sky light. We felt this material finish could benefit our design and is available with touch capabilities.
Samples
Narima速 Narima is a dichroic colour effect glass from schott. The colours vary depending on reflections. the opportunity for this to be a usefull glass finish for our design comes from the fact the surface appears mirrored when not viewd head on and the screen would only be visable after the OLED screen was enabled.
Samples
Processed Flat Glass This technique allows for the parts to be pre formed and with the addition of backpainting techniques could prove ideal for our scenario. Applications: Interior architecture Furniture Display cases Shelving Modular solutions Additional Processes: Assemblies Heat emitting glass Touch Sensor technology SCHOTT Fibre Optics Design support Touch sensitive
Samples
Material Lab Visit After visiting Material Lab in Great Titchfield Street we were able to look at a vast selection of materials that could have some reference and influence some more ambitious design directions.
Samples
Verterra Verterra is a company that specializes in reforming leaves and turning them into cookware. However this material would provide an interesting materialise for the body is mixed with a resin.
Samples
Filzfelts Wool felt is an ecological, sustainable, and renewable material and due to its high quality has an innate durability and timelessness. FilzFelt focuses on 100% wool felt products imported from Germany and aims to promote high quality design and permanence in its materials and products. Since wool felt is made of sheep’s wool and viscous staple fibers, this means that after the felt product has been used or become worn out, it can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.
Samples
Felt Cases The idea of replacing existing card packaging with felt packaging that can double up as a carrying sleeve is a strong direction for our packaging intentions. Felt as a material can be made from 100% bamboo fibers, wool fibers or made from composites. As a material is it can be made water resistant and is durable enough to be shock absorbing.
Samples
Felt Cases Here are some more examples of existing felt carry sleeves.
Packaging Inspiration
Moulded felt This felt mouse shows how well felt can form and look using simple geometric shapes. The image on the left is an inspiring form for some packaging ideas we were considering.
Detailing
Detailing
Speaker Detailing Initially when looking for the best place to house a speaker and ventilation grill we used black tape to gain a better understanding of proportion. In the end we decided upon an air gap style speaker section aiming to make it as seamless as possible but also allowing maximum ventilation for the ultra thin device.
Detailing
Speaker Detailing Included on this page are some more iterations of the speaker detailing as well as some curvature detailing for the base sections.
Detailing
Hinge prototype This is a prototype model of the hinge assembly and the image below helps to show the detailing leading up to the hinge. We decided to make a feature of the mechanism rather than trying to disguise it.
Detailing
Hinge Detailing We decided to remove the central runner for the hinge assembly. This enables the user the ability to drag content from both screens.
Detailing
Hinge Detailing Below show the hinge assembly in a bit more detail.
Detailing
Charging Prototype Shown is a card model of our intended charging dock. The central section houses usb inputs and the final design will have 1 red mains cable. If usb devices are plugged in the heads are hidden within the triangle and the dock acts as a wireless home storage device. the actual charging element is achieved by induction charging.
Detailing
Charging Prototype Below is another example of the charging base with a usb device attached.
Detailing
Material Detailing This is an iteration of our final model, before assembly and spraing. From this we get a feel of the colour breaks and split lines.
Detailing
Speaker Detailing Although the renders havn’t quite come across exactly as the intended outcome, the recessed speaker grill becomes more apparent and links in with out hint of red that we have throughout the interface, laptop and stand.
Modeling
Product Moulding the Perspex to create the soft curve at both ends of the product. To get both ends exactly right a former was created to the exact dimension of what the bottom layer would look like. The Perspex was bend using a heat strip allowing the plastic to soften making it pliable and easier to form.
Modeling
Product The view of the product when the perspex is offered up against the white polystyrene plastic. The view shows the close relationship between the two layers before they have been fully model into its intended form.
Modeling
Product Using the sanding machine ensured that the product was squared properly allowing it to have straight even edges. It also allowed the product to open up properly when folded closed.
Modeling
Product The hinge mechanism was quite a difficult process to accomplish as it required the exact measurements and to be held perfectly within the milling machine. The tool was taken laterally into the product rather than downwards as it gave us more control over the cut. However the process did not come out fully as intend. The tool managed to pull the work in an awkward direction making the hole larger than wanted.
Modeling
Product These images are illustrating the air vent gaps that double as the speaker grill gap. Our team believed that this would be a interesting and exciting feature. The curved base allows for user to lift the device up from any surface easily without having to slide the product to the edge of a surface.
Modeling
Product The product itself is just a little thicker that an iPod touch. As the device is completely wireless and portable, it made all ports and connection obsolete within the product. Through our research and trends report its evident that within 2012 most device would limit the amount of ports available in a product.
Modeling
Product To create a back painted feel as seen by leading tv designs by Samsung. We had to spray the back of the perspex with black spray paint. This gave the illusion of a undercoat and also allowed us to create a visible screen all in one single piece of perspex.
Modeling
Charger The charger is made from vacuum from polystyrene plastics. Original the top layer of the plastic was to be 3mm in thickness, however because the of the form we were after the plastic would not drape over the form as we intended. This resulted us to use a 1mm thick polystyrene.
Packaging
Packaging Idea Although the renders havn’t quite come across exactly as the intended outcome, the recessed speaker grill becomes more apparent and links in with out hint of red that we have throughout the interface, laptop and stand.
Device
Final Photos
Device
Final Photos
Device
Final Photos
Justification Why is the product completely wireless? Through our research and trends reports that we have done and collated over the entire project it became evident that all mobile device will become completely wireless in a few years. There is a large trend that is seeing wireless internet, wireless transfers and even wireless charging. Why are we concentrating in the educational environment? We are concentrating on the educational environment because through our talks with Intel members we discovered that they are very interested in opening up the opportunities within education and computing. Our product has specifically been designed for the University environment as a testing ground for our product. This is because the number of students and mirco - environment allows us to test and learn more about the product and opportunities we can design for. Why does the product have two different sized screens and has the ability to fold? The product has to different sized screens when the laptop folds one screen is still visible allowing the users to continue using the product with limited features. When the laptop is fully open is acts as one completely touch screen surface allowing users to work between both screens.
Product Why are we using OLED Screens? OLED screens have a large advantage over traditional LED screens. Firstly the screen is more superior in quality than any other type of screen and more importantly it is 1mm to 3mm in thickness. Secondly the screen has the ability to turn of individual pixels on black scenes. This is extremely useful when the product is closed. It allows us to only activate the open section of the screen saving on battery life. Why is the screen interface predominately black? The screen interface is predominately black as it allows the product to use less power as the black pixels are turned off, therefore only turning on the active pixels and saving energy. Why is the screen off centre? This allows us to have an overlapping screen for quick referencing, of news, social media or e-mails, while the device is closed.
Justification Why is the glass back painted black? We decided to back paint the glass black to disguise the OLED screen when the device is turned off, this creates a discrete complete surface. Why is the product only 9mm thick when open? The product has been designed to be completely wireless therefore making the need for any connection ports obsolete, also the OLED screen is only 1mm in resulting in a reduce thickness and weight. Why are there large air gaps on either side of the product? The gaps are intended to serve two distinctive functions. Firstly as the product is so thin good ventilation is key. The air gaps offer huge amounts of space for cooling the device. Secondly the gaps act as a recessed speaker, this keeps the design clean and simple with no obtrusive speaker grills on the exterior. Why are we using Cloud computing? Cloud computing is becoming more popular, this is evident through out trends reports stating people find convenience from accessing their data on the go. This became necessary within our device making it even
Product more wireless. This also enable us to use a much smaller solid state hard drive. Why are we using Solid State Hard Drive? Solid state hard drive have been proven to be more reliable that flash base drives. Why is the camera situated on the small screen? The camera is situated on the smaller screen on the front near the pivot point of the device. We wanted the camera there because is was perfect for both orientations of the laptop, E.g. Landscape and Portrait. Even when used like a traditional laptop the camera is in the correct position.
Justification Why did we use glass and polycarbonbate and the choice of colours? We chose to use back painted black glass for the top of the device with a white polycarbonate base. The grills were originally going to be red linking closely to our trends report. However when we came to assemble the model, we quickly realized that the colour does not look right sandwiched between the black black and white body case. We then decided to change the colour to black keeping the grill unobtrusive. Why Multi Gestural Touch? The device is completely touch with no buttons giving a clean surface. Multi gestural devices are becoming highly popular and common in the likes of mobile phones and laptops. The multi gestural touch means that the interface can be constantly changed with multiple interface manipulation. Why wireless charging and data transfer? As the product is completely wireless, this means that even the charging will be made wireless. We created a charging base that reflects our product with colours and materials. The base also acts as a secondary hard drive letting users keep more files on a bigger hard drive.
Product Why does the product come in a carrying case within the box? The product comes inside a carrying case within the box it acts as a secondary protection layer when the device is being transferred. This also means there is more useful packaging that has a secondary function after initial use. Why do we us Hotspots? Hot spots have become extremely useful in making the products interface work more smoothly. Users can increase productivity using hotspots making work flow a lot more easily. This also helps with using a complete touch device and the hot spots can act as a control key on a normal computer.
Justification Why are we using a Accelerometers? The use of an Accelerometers allows the user to use the device in two orientation transforming use of the device. Security From research we gathered from new devices on the market we learnt that there we new ways of creating security. As our device is completely touch sensitive it was prominent that the password should be touch based. A box in the middle of the screen allows user to draw in their password, this can either be word or picture based, allowing a higher password safety and extremely individual. Why does the hinge not lie flat on the surface of the device? The hinge is fixed the way it is because it allows the laptop to sit on a surface the way it does will still giving it the ability to close on a pivot.
Product