The first design attempt - description - without measurements

The design seen above has been an individual effort by myself so I can visualise what me and my assignment partner Thomas Lett are trying to lead towards. This can be seen as a starting design. This is a very basic design with little detail which will help me and Thomas channel our good, solid ideas towards the "hands on" prototyping phase.

 

The possible name of the device

 

I came up with the name Visifone as it contains what the whole device entails. "Visi" from the word visual connoting the fact the phone is dedicated towards those who need visual aid and "fone" as this is the main function of the device. It is spelled "fone" and not "phone" as this links to text/sms spelling language which people now relate to more than ever it can also be said "fone" is used purely for future marketing reasons.

 

Colours and aesthetics

 

Before all functions are described I opted to choose the aesthetics for the design. As you see from the shape I want the device to have nice curved and rounded contours. This is so the device has no sharp and dangerous edges for any users to injure themselves with.

 

The handle on the device is shaped like a gun grip. This is because when I had a conversation with someone who was blind and someone who was partially sighted they both agreed that the grip on the device was important and that a normal mobile phone shape would be tough to use as it would slip out of their hands too often. The "gun handle" shape is used so it can be gripped comfortably but also reduce the chances the device will slip from a users hand. This handle may be amended or changed in future designs due to the iconography it has with weapons. The handle and design itself I think will be changed considerably as one major flaw in the design is

 

The overall shape is designed to be light, neutral but very practical with huge amounts of usability. The colour itself was inspired by the pure, crisp, neutral, un-tainted, wholesome colour of the original white and grey coloured iPods which are iconic in this era of technology.

 

The Keypad functionality

 

The keypad will contain Braille embossed keys so that the Braille can be felt easily by the user. The keypad also contains numbers. The user will have a choice of interchangeable key cover. One will have the Braille for the fully blind users and another key cover with large numbers and letters for the partially sighted folks.

 

The on and off keys are bigger than the rest this was justified when I spoke to a partially sighted person and a blind person and they both agreed that on conventional mobile phone devices the on and off key was always the smallest keys and it was hidden on the side of the device and hard to find.

 

Not seen in the image - I have thought of the idea of quick function keys such as a button for sms and call lists but this could be used for the stylus / touch screen function which would be hidden in the top right of the device.

 

The Touch Screen pad and Stylus

 

The stylus would be situated inside the device itself (top right) and be seated like the stylus on the Nintendo DS but a smaller version. The stylus would be on a draw string which would click when fully extended out of the device and if dropped this draw string would stop the user from losing the stylus.

 

The touch screen pad is the screen below the main display screen. This would be small but effective. The stylus would be used in conjunction with this pad and the user would be able to signify movements on the pad to make things happen on the device e.g. a number 1 is drawn on the touch pad, the phone would navigate to the number 1 section on the menu list - call and contacts.

 

The Main Screen

 

The main screen is situated above the touch screen pad. This screen would be navigated by a number of ways - 

 

1 - Voice activated

2 - Stylus movements on the touch screen pad

3 - Keypad number shortcuts

 

The colours on the main screen are very bright but can be seen easily so that partially sighted people can signify which colour means which section on the phones interface.

 

Not seen on the image - The phone would also have a zoom function and screen reader which could be used at the users pleasure. The phone would also have slots for inclusion of extra memory on the device and also headphone / hands free earphone sockets.

 

In my next blog post I will discuss the estimated measurements of this device , alongside a new edited image with more functionality.

Handheld Idea for people with visual impairments - Inspired by looking at early handheld devices

In previous blog posts I have looked at the historic lawsuit battle which took place over a number of years about who invented the first handheld personal music playing device.

 

I started to think about the different concepts for handheld devices. I thought about what handheld devices where available on the market. Mp3 players, handheld TVs, handheld media players which play all types of available media - images, music and video, palm sized digital radios, Palm PCs, minidisk players, some cassette players are still available and mobile phones.

 

I focussed on mobile phones and thought about the availability of these devices. These devices seemed to be worldwide and available to most people. Prices ranged from £10 to £300 and above for new models. I thought the spectrum of availability to users of mobile phones was pretty gargantuan but the major brands did not seem to consider those with disabilities too much or even not at all.

 

I then had a 'eureka' moment in a lecture where we did group work. We discussed ideas. We then discussed handheld and mobile devices. Then I quipped what about a mobile phone for blind and visually impaired people.

 

We discussed this issue and how we could tackle it with what senses visually impaired people rely upon and we used this to our strengths when brainstorming a device.

 

We narrowed it down to 3 senses which we could optimise to use in our device idea:-

Touch, hearing and smell. 

 

Touch

 

The use of a Braille keypad. 

The concept of stylus device alongside a touch screen where the user could perform actions which made functions on the phone happen.

The handle on the device fitted for gripping so it would not fall out of the users hand too easily.

Vibrations, a certain pattern of vibrations when different operations have been performed, e.g. an error or an incoming call the vibration patterns would be different.

 

Hearing

 

The use of screen reading software for navigating SMS, phone internet or menu navigation.

Voice recognition e.g. say a persons name and the phone calls that person.

 

Smell

 

This option seemed outlandish at first but when discussed with our lecturer (Diana Xu), she informed that some interactive devices release odours for different operations. I brainstormed this concept and how it could be used in our device, a good example I came up with would be for different smells for different operations on the phone e.g. your mother calls you and you get an odour released which smells like her cooking, or bread baking, you do a wrong operation on the phone and a bad smelling odour is released. These odours could be added by a cartridge of some sort inside the phone.

 

I then went on to try and design how the device would look in Photoshop. This image will be seen in my next blog post.

Sony with the Walkman brand DID NOT invent handheld music / tape devices??? Shocked?? Well Read on.

When looking at designs of anything from architecture, to furniture to everyday utensils they all have something special about them. A lot of them the aesthesis overlooks the actual concept of the design itself. One of the most notorious concepts and brands within a brand as such was the Sony Walkman, it revolutionised the way we listened to music in a more personal way than ever before. The hand held radio was the only other concept and route to listen to music before the walkman came along. Then in 1978 the walkman was designed in Japan. The iPod who is now a leader in portable music devices was a myth back at this time. The Sony Walkman is the grandfather of them all and without the evolutionary steps the Walkman made, the actual concept of the iPod and Mp3 players today might not actual exist or not have the same functions they have now. So lets take a look back at how handheld music devices from the the dawn of Walkman range throughout time changed handheld music history: -

 

This was the stereobelt Invented in 1977 two years before Sony invented the walkman. Andreas Pavel invented and patented this device but it is said Sony copied his original idea but did not pay him the royalties he deserved. Sony took his design and worked upon it. In recent years Pavel finally gained an out of court settlement from Sony said to be in the 8 figure category. You can see the similarities and differences between the Stereobelt 1977 and the Walkman 1978 (below). To read more about the Stereobelts inventor (http://www.bookofjoe.com/2005/12/24/index.html)

 

 

 

The Stereobelt set the scene for what was to come, Sony took the concept polished it up and made it a global phenomenon. On a personal level I conclude that to be a successful designer the patent is more important than the design itself in some cases. If it was not for Pavels patent he would never had been acknowledged for his invention. This proves also that the design world can be just as "Cut-throat" as law firms and solicitors.

 

David Kelley on human-centered design

From http://www.ted.com/: -

IDEO’s David Kelley says that product design has become much less about the hardware and more about the user experience. He shows video of this new, broader approach, including footage from the Prada store in New York.

Please enjoy watching this very insightful video of David Kelleys depiction on human-centred design.

Some great Interaction Design sites

Here are some great sites on interaction design (IxD)

Interaction design - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Interaction Design (IxD) is the discipline of defining the behavior of products and systems that a user can interact with. The practice typically centers ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interaction_design


Interaction-Design.org
Interaction-Design.org is all about making research accessible. We deal with human-centered aspects of technology: Interaction Design, User Experience (UX), ...www.interaction-design.org/


Design Interactions, RCA
DESIGN INTERACTIONS AT THE RCA, . , . , . SUMMER SHOW 2009 - WWW.DI09.RCA.AC.UK, . , . Continue to the department website >>www.interaction.rca.ac.uk/


Interaction Design - Second Edition
The companion website for the book Interaction Design: beyond human-computer interaction, by Preece, Rogers and Sharp. On this site, you'll find a variety ...www.id-book.com/


Interaction Design Association
IxDA intends to improve the human condition by advancing the discipline of Interaction Design. To do this, we foster a community of people that choose to ...www.ixda.org/


Interaction Design Association
The Interaction Design Association (IxDA) is a non-profit professional organization whose focus is promoting both the field of interaction design and the ...www.ixda.org/en/


Interaction Design
Good UI design improves the user experience, helping you meet business goals. We offer user interface (UI) design and usability testing for Web and desktop ...www.user.com/


AskTog: First Principles of Interaction Design
Basic principle of human-computer interaction, from AskTog, the Webzine for Computer Professionals, their Family, and Friends.www.asktog.com/basics/firstPrinciples.html


Interaction Design 101: Usability Week 2009 Conference
Upon completion, participants will understand the basic principles of effective interaction design and be prepared to apply them in real-world design work. ...www.nngroup.com/events/tutorials/interaction.html


Interaction Design Usability
Blog about interaction design and usability of products we use on a day to day basis.www.interactiondesignblog.com/