Ross Rudolph Portfolio 07-2018
Health Tag 3 Concept 4 Attachment Method 5 Ergonomics 6 Outer Surface 7 Mechanicals 8 Breath Guide 11 Vibration Patterns 18 Student Work Craft Knife 20 Red Rubber Plate 24 Furniture 28 Lighting 30 Internship 32
Spire Health Tags Make Your Clothes Smart Sleep Quality Activity & Workouts Breathing Patterns Stress Levels Heart Rate & Variability
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Improving on the current product
Taking cues from surveys on our current product and other wearables on the market, we set out to create an entirely new category for wearables.
Charging
Charge overnight every week
Daily Application Clip to clothing every morning
No Charging
No Hassle
Battery life > 1 year
One-time application
? Sensing Breath, steps
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Comfort
Slightly noticeable
Add Heart-rate
PPG will need constant skin contact
Not noticeable
Attachment Requirements:
- Easy Installation - Attached to inner band of undergarment - Durable for >1 year of use - Can be removed without damaging clothing
Clip Attachment
- Requires complexity for permanence - Not adaptive to thicknesses - Good removability - Not damaging to clothing
Magnet
- Reliability is diďŹƒcult - Not adaptive to thicknesses
Pins
- Reliability is diďŹƒcult - Not adaptive to thicknesses - Manufacturing complexity
MVP Testing Taking observations of how several users treated devices with clips vs. adhesive, we found a preference toward the simplicity of adhesive and did not find concerns for clothing damage.
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Adhesive showed best potential for removability, manufacturing, comfort, and installation. We worked with an adhesive engineer on developing an adhesive had potential to reach the duration requirement and could provide an ideal experience for users.
Conforming to the body Requirements:
- No complaints of comfort from internal testers - Avoid unsightly bulge in underwear - Find maximum volume that avoids discomfort.
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View from the outside Taking inspiration from artist Norio Imai (1), I made studies to explore how we can use
the indentation our device made in underwear to our advantage (2). By looking into the anatomy near the torso (3), we determined what areas were appropriate for the device and how to message our application instructions to consumers.
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32mm
54mm
A comfortable form Testing the ergonomics of dierent thicknesses and form variations led to a conclusion on
overall dimensional restrictions and corner fillets to put on the internal component decision-making. To achieve the desired exibility (4), we tested several configurations of pins connecting the battery to PCB.
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Flexibility Allowing a bend between the battery and PCB was key in maximizing volume for internal components and conforming to the curvature of the body.
Outer Surface Requirements:
- Comfortable edge curve - Breathable against skin - Durable through 75 wash cycles - Aesthetics on-brand with natural forms 1
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Refining the curve Printing many iterations of the edge-curve (1), we narrowed on a configuration that balanced
comfort with aesthetics. Carefully removing some structural ribs from the TPU cover (2) helped in softening the edge (3) to the touch.
Comfort Beta Testing Testing four configurations on 100 users, we were able to make an informed decision on whether to include silicone padding, perforations, or logo tape for mass production.
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Microfiber Fabric proved an ideal match for our requirements since it is succesfully used for extended skin contact. Microfiber allowed easy die-cutting without concern for fraying on the edge and could withstand our durability requirements.
Mechanical Stack-up
Requirements:
- Washer and Dryer Proof - Maximize force sensor area and sensitivity - Maximize Heart-rate Sensor proximity to skin and sensitivity
Material Choices and Bonding Several testing procedures allowed us to optimize for sensor performance, waterproofing and durability.
Note: cannot disclose much detail here.
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Spire Health Tags Launched July 2018 In Apple Stores globally September 2018
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Breath Guide Reach Calm in Minutes
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Biofeedback Opportunity
Understanding the power in improving breath-awareness and benefits of Biofeedback therapy, I embarked on a project to improve the eectiveness of the thin line on our home screen we called the Breath-wave.
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A New Interaction Experience
I set out to learn how artists created simple, yet entrancing particle physics eects that invoked a state of relaxation and escape.
New Tools I implemented a process to connect a modified Spire Stone to Quartz Composer and Max MSP to prototype simple graphics that responded to the breath in real time and got feedback from our team.
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Animation Inspiration The incorporation of natural physics in simple animation graphics stood as a great representation to our brand and message. I compiled together and studied works of artists who excelled in this skill.
Development and Gamification
We found in our users a desire for a quick path toward achieving calm. Users typically did not have several minutes to listen to an audio meditation during a moment of anxiety. Could we create a fun experience to encourage focus on the breath and aid in slowing it down?
Early Concepts We found from customer feedback a desire for an experience lasting between 30 seconds to 3 minutes. We tuned parameters in the visual state changes to match this desired experience.
MVP Tests We quickly realized simplifying the graphics was key to our intended experience.
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Subtle Reward System Experimenting with several types of reward systems taught us that visual complexity can really distract from our intention of promoting calm.
Refinement
% Green Dots
Distance (d) from origin
The end result consisted of two main elements. The initial goal of helping the user focus on their breath by creating a cloud that grew with inhale and shrank with exhale. Secondary goal of slowing the breath was portrayed by increasing the percentage of green dots as the user slowed their breath.
Input: Exhale > Inhale
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Input: Breath-rate
d
r
Completion An ending animation congratulates the user after they reached the determined breath-rate. It is not meant to be diďŹƒcult to avoid any frustration on top of stress.
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Nature in Tech An organic feel is achieved by strategically applying random multipliers to the
real-time input to determine distance from origin, size, opacity, and rotation speed for each particle.
Breath Guide Gamified Mindfulness Experience
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Amazon Responses
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Vibration Patterns
Looking at your phone is a known trigger for anxiety. Spire has ~4 distinct notifications to convey to the user. Would users prefer to learn vibration patterns to avoid the need to check their phone?
Notification:
Implication:
Calm
“Hey, you were calm, do you want to keep this?” (Notified when leaving streak)
Focus
“You’re doing great work, keep it up !”
Tense
“Warning!” 1. Be aware of your breathing 2. Try and keep a rhythm
Deep Breath
“Take a long one”
Alert Heartbeat Quick Rapid SOS Staccato Symphony
What does Apple use? Just ON/OFF motor ability without fading capability that Pulse Width Modulation gave us. iPhone allows customization + offers pre-set patterns (not on watch).
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Creating Patterns Wiring an Arduino up to our evice, I was able to make several distinctive patterns.
We brought users in to find how many they were able to distinguish and what attributions they would make to them.
Good Vibrations
We ended up with three distinct vibrations and enabled the user to trigger them on or off in the app.
Deep Breath
Tense
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250
250
110
110
110
0
0 0
A new language We came up with three vibrations that could be easily distinguishable by a large majority of our testers and associated them with cetain gestures.
Focused
Calm
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2
0 0
1
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“Fanfare” felt congratulatory, like someone clapping or patting on the back.
“Fade to Blip” had a ‘precise’ feel to it.
fade(110, 1200); wait(50); fade(250, 200); wait(100); ade(110, 800); wait(10); fade(0, 2000);
fade(230, 150); wait(50); fade(0, 1); wait(100);
fade(80, 300); wait(100); fade(230, 150); wait(50); fade(0, 1); wait(100);
fade(180, 50); wait(50); fade(0, 1); wait(100);
fade(80, 300); wait(100); fade(230, 150); wait(50); fade(0, 1); wait(100);
We made sure there was a general consensus on how pleasant each of the patterns before moving forward with implementation.
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“Long Fade” was meant to invoke the sense of taking a deep breath.
fade(180, 50); wait(100); fade(0, 10);
Quantitative Testing
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fade(180, 50); wait(100); fade(0, 10); fade(120, wait(100); fade(180, wait(200); fade(100, wait(10); fade(70, 1000); wait(1); fade(0, 1000); fade(210, 50); wait(100); fade(20, 1);
Student Work University of Houston 2011-2015
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VEER
An efficient, ergonomic craft knife
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Button
Form
Testing various types of grips on potential users helped to refine the form to fit into the palm like a handle, taking advantage of the more comfortable power grip .
Blade Sheath
Lock/ Spring
Injection molded dyed ABS thermoplastic, Pantone Q390
Changing Blades
Taking influence from shaving razors, the Xacto blade is removed by pressing the side button. It stays secure while in use with a spring locking mechanism.
power
precision
Symmetry
A blade holster on each side gives both lefties and righties the same opportunities. opportunities
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VEER
crafting knife
One edge to glide along a ruler, another to keep cuts perpendicular.
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RED RUBBER PLATE Encourage cooking at home.
Why aren’t you cooking?
28% don’t know how
25% too much mess
21% general time constraints
April 2011, random group, age 25+ of 1087 by Impulse Research
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RED RUBBER PLATE Personal Stove
Prepare
Cook
Eat
Clean
Non-stick steel plate A/C power cable Aluminum enclosure dissipates heat 150ËšF (66ËšC) resistance heating coil
Food-grade silicone mold, casted around aluminum structure
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TAKAMI
EffettiEvoluti Furniture Competition
It is not natural for our bodies to sit in one position for very long. My concepts were driven by the desire for more open space and a rise in doing work in more comfortable and informal environments.
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Geometry and sizing factors were refined through quick modelmaking. After settling on a final form, a prototype was constructed for the presentation.
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TAKAMI
One piece of furniture to satisfy all surfaces necessary in a living room.
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Steel frame snaps the three sections into place to fit through doorways.
PERFECT LOVERS
Instead of flipping a switch up and down, what if the interaction with a light reflected its functionality?
When pushed near one another, embedded magnets pull the battery and bulb together, completing the circuit.
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THEATRO INTERNSHIP Improving communication between retail employees.
Introducing the world’s ďŹ rst voice-controlled enterprise wearable.
Undertaking several projects with the tech startup company, I experienced what it was like to implement something into the real world.
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First, we were to win over Bed, Bath, and Beyond as a new client. The process of use was difficult to learn for several employees, so I layed out an easy to follow packet walking through the features the device offered.
Manager Box
I was to design an adaptation to give the device speakerphone capability while in the office to avoid the need for a headset. Each electronic component had to be precisely fitted into the housing. This product is still in testing.
Amp Mic Speaker PCB
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Phone App An accompanying phone app was key to the products usage. But, without a graphic designer, my partner and I wireframed, tested, and saw the app implemented into their system.
CII Solutions Working under an Engineer, my expertise in 3D modeling proved very beneficial in developing solutions to issues current devices faced from wear and tear. I quickly learned the importance of tolerances when injection moulding and discovered why some buttons stopped working over time.
original
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CIII: Conceptualizing Interviewing Stores
Interviewing employees from various popular retail companies showed the most potential in focusing on aiding mid-level clothing stores in raising their service to haute couture levels.
clothing
competitiveness
superstore
grocery
specialty
discrete communication
The worst part of the headsets is the tangle of the wire.
Sometimes I miss using the headset, but it doesn’t match the ‘look’ anymore.
Combining the button and headpiece eliminates cord tangle and allows for a more intuitive form.
+
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CIII: Models
Clipping the mic and battery near the collar allows weight to be taken off the ear. Bendable wire will comfortably hug an ear of any shape or size.
LED indicator command button
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Physical mockups allowed for quick testing of the ergognomics new gestures called for. These models are being considered for the next line of Theatro’s communicator.