Prototyping
These projects were each one week long, completed in the winter quarter of 2016 at the University of Washington. They are meant to show a variety of skills including design thinking, sketching, wire framing, video prototyping and physical prototyping.
Physical prototype.
OPTION 1 - AUGMENTED INTERFACE
The idea is that when the power is on, the laser shows up in the shower (from above). The user then gets in the shower and holds out their hand to turn the shower on and indicate which controls they want. The best part about this design is how much other integration there could be with other technology as well. I have in the screens, a spot for other technology (like email, music) which could be controlled by the same interface.
Besides those small but interesting integration elements, the best part about this design is that it works really well in the shower. It works the same if it’s steamy water, directly in the water, not in the water at all, low light, high light, it really doesn’t matter. This was my out of the box design and overall, this is the one that I’d want in my house if it were built.
OPTION 2 - THE SCREEN
This prototype is a wall mounted digital display. The idea is that the digital display would be preset and the components the user is interacting with are the knobs, buttons and dials. Before starting any of the designs, I did a few trails just to get an understanding about the topic. It turns out, when I try and type a text message after putting a little bit of water on my phone’s display, the touch screen don’t work. Water and screens don't work well together.
OPTION 3 - THE ATTACHMENT
The idea is simple - the buttons follow the rim of the device. The buttons or touch components are closer to the user so that they don’t accidentally hit the wrong button and have an undesirable result. For the volume, I made a simple tab that the user can slide up and down. Up is more volume, down is less, very intuitive and what the user would expect. Similar to the screen idea, there are buttons that can be pressed, but in this case, they don’t turn. Each button is for a specific function (pulsating spray, mist, etc.) Overall, I think this idea would be easy to implement but is the most problematic for the user to enjoy on a day to day bases.
Paper prototype.
The Stock Watcher app is a tool for busy day traders. The stock market is an interesting arena. When business is in session, things are stressful, fast passed and sometimes out of control. In the matter of moments, millions of dollars can be made, or lost. For traders, where every second counts, they may not want to be glued to their computer screens or iPhones. This is a way for traders to set notification limits on their phone, which will notify them via their smart watch. Notification changes and buying options can happen from the smart watch. This is critical because in the time it would take you to log into your account on the iPhone, the deal could be gone.
Video prototype.
The thing I find interesting about Uber is how it’s successful not just at getting people from point A to point B, but how it’s so accessible if you can’t drive - pregnant woman needs a ride to the hospital, person has too much to drink, person breaks their leg and needs to go to the doctor. In the end, a pregnant woman going into labor was the most interesting storyline and has a dramatic and interesting build up. The thing about having a child is you never know when it’s going to come. Luckily, Uber is always only a few minutes away.
