BACHELOR OF DESIGN COMPUTING

Interactive Product Design Studio

Coordinator Callum Parker

Tutors Emily Hatton Waldemar Jenek Matt Leete Jonathan McEwan Wendy Qi Zhang

With thanks to guest lecturers: Emily Hatton, USYD Jonathan McEwan, USYD Erez Nusem, USYD Benjamin Lindsay, INCUBATE, USYD

Advanced Project Design Studio

Coordinator Phillip Gough

With thanks to Craig Campbell, School of Medical Science, USYD Judy Kay, School of Computer Science, USYD and Bob Kimmerfeld, School of Computer Science, USYD

Another year of hybrid learning has taught us all even more about how design education works when we’re all separated from each other. It’s been a complicated time for all of us, staff and students. But one thing remains consistent, students in Design at The University of Sydney have shown dedication to their education. They remain as curious and engaged as ever, and it has been immensely encouraging to see young designers producing amazing work from their homes all over the world.

This year marks my last year as the program director of the Bachelor of Design Computing. There are many people who make up this degree, and I have had the privilege of leading them through the ups and downs of the past four years. The degree today is more extensive and more diverse than it ever has been in its twenty years. Our graduates are both socially conscious and technologically capable designers who excel in finding the right solutions to hard problems. Thank you to both the students and the staff who make up this degree. I have learned a lot in this role. It is a time I will look back on fondly.

To our graduating cohort, this is an amazing moment to be a designer. Your careers are starting as the world comes out of a deeply disruptive time. It’s now that designers must work to ensure that as the dust settles, people and their experiences remain at the centre of the new technologies and services that stay with us. I hope that wherever your career takes you, each of you will be an advocate for designs with an intentional and empathic approach to understanding people. Congratulations and good luck.

Designing smarter and more accessible engagement

Callum Parker

Interactive Product Design Studio

Recent technological advances bring new opportunities for engaging citizens with issues that affect them, with the potential to augment or replace traditional engagement techniques. However, careful attention needs to be paid toward the design of digital technologies to ensure they are connected to the local communities in which they are used or situated. It is necessary to consider bespoke solutions that do not take a ‘one size fits all’ approach, rather are tailored for the specific needs and issues facing a demographic or community. In response, student teams iteratively design and develop functional interactive concepts, which engaged a specific community around an issue that affects them while also considering the accessibility and empowerment of individual users. Students also consider the social and technical dimensions of their concepts, adopting a provocative, creative, or utilitarian design stance.

Teams took the brief and conducted their projects within the following areas: • Contributing to the design space of Gratitude. Could technology play any role in reminding us to be grateful, or help us communicate, express, or share our gratitude in any way? • Enabling discourse for a particular community around a relevant topic for instilling positive change • Empowering individuals from marginalised communities (such as LGBTQIA+, people living with disabilities, CALD, Indigenous peoples) • More than human (Clarke et al., 2019) (e.g. focusing on a human problem but also considering non-human actors in our solution, such as plants and animals)

Domestic and family violence is one of the most under-reported crimes around the world for reasons such as fear of leaving and psychological abuse. The issue has become even more complex and severe as the impact of COVID and social isolation exacerbates acts of violence when victims are restricted to their homes. To help victims of domestic violence who have left an abusive relationship, we have created a digital platform designed to support their recovery journey in regaining their independence emotionally, socially and financially.

Confidante is a one-stop-shop that provides victim survivors with a safe online community as well as resources for professional services, job opportunities and accommodation. Our current prototype is the result of constant iteration and refinement. We have tested our concept, security measures and usability with victim survivors and experts in the DV sector who have praised Confidante for its viability time and time again.

Most older adults are experiencing a digital divide and social isolation. There is a clear need to empower the ageing population in this digital world. ‘News Talk’ is an online news reading platform that allows users to communicate and exchange knowledge, helping them to engage in the local community. It includes an audio and preview reading mode. ‘News Talk’ also contains online discussion groups of nearby physical communities to let the elderly enjoy connecting with society. The Parrot assistant provides explanations with the audio guide to help seniors when they face difficulties, allowing them to use the digital technology independently. The vision is to expand the influence of the elderly on the internet, creating a network environment to allow the elderly to embrace, learn, and connect with others.

‘MusicLab’ is a safe space for young people experiencing social anxiety. Rather than being a source of professional therapy, ‘MusicLab’ uses music therapy and user interaction to ease users into socialisation. ‘MusicLab’ has been refined and iterated rigorously to ensure that the product meets its target user needs.

‘MusicLab’ has gone through several rounds of updates transitioning from Figma based prototyping towards a functioning web-based prototype. This transition and numerous refinements have been made based on user research, data synthesis and analysis. We hope ‘MusicLab’ can invoke empathy, a sense of presence, music therapy and community outreach to people who suffer from social anxiety.

A large issue for people in wheelchairs is that their daily tasks are dependent on someone else helping them or doing tasks for them. In addition to this, society is heavily tailored for able-bodied people and thus makes it more difficult for wheelchair users to get around. People in wheelchairs are humans as well and they deserve to feel confident when they go out into the world. Our solution to this is ‘ReRoute’, an app that allows wheelchair users to be independent in finding their own way through train stations, while feeling confident that they can get proper assistance when needed.

‘My Plant Diary’ is a mobile phone application where users will be able to search for plant information, receive specific care instructions, and record their growth journey in the form of a digital diary. The Diary function holds the memories of each houseplant and gives the user a sense of achievement when they look back to their previous entries.

The idea for this project comes from the increase of houseplant deaths due to insufficient care and lack of knowledge, despite houseplants and gardening trends being on the rise. The aim is to empower users by building up their confidence, encouraging positive gardening experiences, and developing proper plant care habits.

‘TECHISM’ is a website that explores the root of sexism in the technology industry and how to prevent and avoid it. It includes a pledge at the end, which produces a digital certificate demonstrating their education and commitment to creating an equal and inclusive workplace. The website is coupled with a physical projector which features a live count of the number of women who have faced discrimination in the technology industry.

‘TECHISM’ will only be available for a short period of time each year, coinciding with International Women’s Day. This scarcity will engineer popularity and engagement, and also lend itself to the ability to trend on social media. Overall, ‘TECHISM’ is a platform to increase awareness and knowledge about sexism in the technology industry, and will hopefully encourage cultural change to occur.

‘Onboard AU’ is an app that provides recently settled newcomers with information about resettlement in Australia, directory of government and important services, as well as community events.

‘Onboard AU’ provides users with information to assist the resettlement process of living in Australia, as well as incentivise them to meet people of the same communities and build social relationships. The aim of ‘Onboard AU’ is to become the first information touch-point for newcomers, helping them to overcome early difficulties and settle better in Australian communities.

For people with food intolerances or allergies, the process of decision-making when food ordering can often be difficult and time-consuming. As a significant mental burden, it also poses a significant health risk for those who are anaphylactic or have other severe health problems. As more people are becoming conscious about the food they are consuming, a user-centred approach that reimagines the food experience for these people with specific preferences is significant for improving food safety as well as social inclusion more broadly.

Our solution, ‘Foodbest’ is a food ordering app that allows users to search for restaurants and view menus that are automatically filtered and labelled to fit their specific food needs with easy to recognise food badges. To normalise specific food needs and connect people with similar needs, users can also follow each other within the app for tips and allergy-friendly restaurant recommendations.

‘eli’ is a physical device interface that promotes interactions within the online classroom by gamifying the experience. In combination with its onboarding activity and online teacher portal with engagement metrics, ‘eli’ aims to facilitate suitable support for students suffering from feelings of isolation and disconnectedness in remote learning environments.

‘Amble’ is a shopping solution that would allow anyone affected by vision impairment or low vision the ability to independently and successfully engage with the shopping experience. Using physical, haptic and digital features, ‘Amble’ is an interactive experience product that aims to facilitate users to shop independently by increasing their ability to make decisions, confidently navigate, access information and develop a sense of purchasing orientation.

Designed for all age groups, this concept aims to (1) Allow users to navigate stores safely and confidently (2) Effectively communicate information about products such as packaging descriptions (3) Utilise tactile, haptic, digital, and voice assistive features such as text readers (4) Allow users to exercise independent mobility and decision making (5) Empower individuals to shop independently.

The nature of the Australian Defence Force personnel’s duties can often lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder due to the single or repeated exposure to traumatic events. Having an impact on their day to day lives long after they have left their role, having an effect on both their relationships and actions.

Until relatively recently, this wasn’t fully recognised and the extent of mental illnesses such as PTSD and depression were not revealed. This has resulted in an alarming rate of suicide and other equally serious consequences for the people who swore to protect Australia. It is now time for us to return the favour. ‘Honour Wall’ is a solution dedicated to encouraging veterans to embrace their creativity and create a piece of art to be displayed in public forums. Through this they can receive positive feedback and encourage a conversation on a topic that is often stigmatised.

‘Angel Chatbot’ is an independent software that runs as an individual is playing an online game. The chatbot is specially designed for female players, to help them block toxic players and provide support and encouragement to female players to improve their mental and emotional health.

Keep in Touch

Phillip Gough

Advanced Project Design Studio

There are many smartphone apps and web-based tools for maintaining contact with family and networks of support for people who are isolated or distant, FaceTime, Skype or Google Hangouts to name a few. Smartphones facilitate this connection and have been essential for the broader community to maintain social connection during COVID-19. However, communication software is often designed and tested for use with younger populationswho use smartphones for almost any daily task. Seniors may not be as technologically literate but can still be supported by appropriately designed technology that supports their specific needs. Novel digital concepts were created, in partnership with Medical Science students to help seniors maintain contact with loved ones through technology specially designed to support their unique needs, as well as the needs of their families, friends, and carers. The services they designed can support the older population to have more socially fulfilling lives.

While younger generations may find it easy to adapt to the world of social isolation, some older people may find online socialisation more difficult. Due to the pandemic, many social and community groups that are important to their wellbeing have been interrupted. How can we move these activities online in a non-intimidating way for people who aren’t as accustomed to interacting online?

‘Social Bunch’ alleviates the complexity of traditional social media, by creating a space for groups to interact on their own terms, by combining tricky apps and sites like group message boards, video calling and group scheduling, into one easy-to-access iPad platform. We have considered the needs and wants of older adults, building an accessible and approachable app that provides a space for group activities. This is all without bombarding the user with options and fancy features, drawing inspiration from familiar technologies to ease the learning curve.

This project serves as a research probe for my Honours thesis, investigating the space of supporting reflective processes in virtual reality (VR). The main idea behind this is to find ways to ‘disturb’ the absolute and unwavering immersion of VR, which tends to result in users passively engaging with the experience without a critical lens.

This project is informed by a proposed conceptual model and a series of co-design workshops which are inspired by avant-garde theatre. Simulated on a desktop computer, this project experiments with design strategies that can elicit opportunities for self-awareness in VR, inviting users to reflect on their everyday lives through day-to-day narratives.

Our team was tasked with designing a solution to assist the elderly with keeping in touch in the absence of physical interaction. When thinking about problems an elderly person faces when keeping in touch, people often assume technology troubles as the root of the problem, however, as we discovered, another crucial element is that for younger family members barriers such as limited time or judgement from family members, often limits their ability or willingness to keep in touch.

Our team developed ‘The FamilySim Magic Mirror’ which is a connected smart mirror device that is unobtrusive and simple to use. The device provides subtle reminders for a younger user to keep in touch and, being a smart mirror, offers natural integration into daily life and activity. As a result we have created a product that is inclusive, engaging and provides a natural gateway to improved family communication.

Interactive Product Design Studio Coordinator Callum Parker

Celeste Alzate Roland Beatty Charlotte Beatty Lili Beavis Smyth Jake Blundell Maya Brandel Jacky Chan Philip Chang Daylily Chen Gilbert Cheng Yat Fung Cheung Ellyn Cho Jackie Chung Alexandra Churchin Ramona Codd-Miller Valerie Comino Yiwen Ding Giulia Ding Aaron Dole Sophia Fan Lurui Gao Shreya Garg Linxuan Gu Joel Gunawan Luisa Hadinata Shantanu Halder Nabil Hasan Christina Hatgis Kristina Hedberg Ashley Hu Anran Huang Raveen Jayawardene Yunipaula Jeong Zoey Jiang Xiaowen Kang Erin Kearney Luke Kelly Daniel Kim Rachel Kim George Kingston Sakuraka Kozuki Annie Lacoba Wenfei Lan Tony Le Jing Yuan Lee Arnold Lee Alisa Leng Susanna Li Oscar Lim-Strachan Bing Liu Liangfan Liu Cyrilla Lowas Natalie Lui Xinyu Ma Marissa Maglis Hannah McCormack Kaela Mcguire Mustafa Aqil Muhammad Azrif Thomas Murray-Smith Nicholas Neilson James Newton Gabriel Ng Hon Ng Veronica Nguyen Chau Nguyen Wiryawan Onggo Keiji Orime Se Yun Park Lachlan Paull Allison Peng Noah Pham Van Elleni Poullos Alex Pribula Howie Qiu Kimberly Rawsthorne Gabriel Rodriguez Russell Pisithpong Saeung Maria Salman Claire Say Alice Southeron Amy Su Grace Suprapto Praveen Suriyaarachchi Stark Tan Dilli Tan Annabelle Tay Andreas Thoma Tom Tran Helen Trang Monica Tsui Viswajith Unnikrishnan Aidan Walbran Natsumi Wang Yuefeng Wang Frank Wang Simon Wang Nina Warita Warita Brooke Welsh Thomas White Wilfred Wong Jiaqi Yang Yang Alan Ye Ye Raquel Yesner Alex Youngman Nathan Yu Valencia Yun Jingyu Zeng Yizun Zhang Yuxi Zhang Kol Zhao Ning Zhong Owen Zhong Eric Zhou Hongyu Zhu Advanced Project Design Studio Coordinator Phillip Gough

Caitlyn Burton Alicia Chhay Peter Chin Macy Chong Dhanita Dewi Nadya Felissa Gabrielle Hong Jade Jiang Michelle Jong Harrison Khannah Bianca Laycock Eva Liu Jenny Min Katia Moors Aaron Ngo Vicky Nguyen Amasha Panagoda Tara Song Ruofeng Sun Miguel Tamondong Simran Tandon Margaux Thwaites Lilian Trieu Kim Truong Ryan Van Dyk Jaya Virk Victor Xi Annika Young Adam Zhao