Week 4 - Hearing aids and blue-tooth headphones

In order to gain a deeper understanding into the technological side of headphones, I researched into hearing aids and blue-tooth headphone to find out how they work and what they are made up of. 

Hearing aids consist of five parts which are the microphone, the microchip, the amplifier, the battery and the receiver. The hearing aid receives sound through a microphone which converts the sound waves to electrical signals and sends them to an amplifier. The amplifier increases the power of the signals and then sends them to the ear through a speaker. 

Bluetooth headphones work by connecting or pairing with the device you want to use, through a radio or infrared signal. many devices use bluetooth technology to make connecting easier for the user. Devices with bluetooth technology can connect and exchange data over very shorty distances using radio transmissions.

I also looked at what regular headphones consist of because in my final design I would have to show how all these elements will be part of my overall design. 

Week 4 - Experimentation with shapes

To explore an alternative to the regular circular shape of headphones and speakers, I began to play around with shapes and materials physically. I crafted random forms, photographed them and then traced over these images to pick out interesting shapes and lines.
 Some of these objects were rather peculiar and some were just simple forms. By tearing the cardboard in rough strips and then forming them into shapes, I was able to pick out some intriguing lines, many of these lines curved around in loops and overlapped each other. I began to think about creating a structure that moulds around the body and almost becomes part of your body rather than just a bracelet or ring that just sits on your hand.

Week 3 - Playing around with shapes and colors

Once I had decided that I was focusing on headphones, I began to think about colour and more about shapes. At this point I wasn’t sure about what my final outcome would be but I knew I wanted to create a product that in some sort of way played music. Currently people listen to music through headphones or portable speakers. Apple recently released their bluetooth headphones however its nothing too exciting, just the apple ear piece without the wire. I wanted to discover an alternative of listening to music that would also look stylish at the same time.

I looked at the basic shapes that regular headphones are which are circular and then this led me to the design of boomboxes which were used in the 1970's to play music. The way boomboxes work are that sound is delivered through an amplifier and two or more integrated loudspeakers. A boombox is a device typically capable of receiving radio stations and playing recorded music. Although the initial use was for playing music, boomboxes soon became a fashionable item, the boombox became a part of their outfit and users would decorate their boomboxes to express themselves.

The design of the boombox has inspired current designers such as Axel Pfaender who brought together the classic boombox style with today’s audio technology who created a DIY boombox kit that connects to your phone and plays music. I was rather intrigued by the design of this and felt inspired and I expressed this by playing around with random shapes and colours. I then started to think about how I could create a product that takes on a different form from the usual circular form of headphones.

Week 2 - Playing around with shapes and structures

To begin my Idea development I started off by drawing some basic body parts that could potentially be the area of the body that my product would be used. I took some string and placed it in different directions on and around the body parts. This was to help me to start thinking of possible shapes that my product could be. 

This process assisted in my exploration into the different areas of the body that I could work with. I was able to work freely and twist and sculpt the string in the different bends and dips in the body parts. I begin to envision how I could form and mould a product in those areas. Its important for me to create a product that is comfortable and not irritable and so through this task was able to identify the areas where my product could sit adequately.

  

Week 1 - Questionairre

Continuing on with my research I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of what people generally wear on a daily basis and what technological items they always carry around with them. With this knowledge it would make it easier for me to decide what wearable and technological items I should focus more on. In order to gain this information I conducted a survey asking a range of people of all ages and both genders a variety of questions. There were three questions that were the most important and would be the most helpful for my project.  

The first question was: What items of jewelry and accessories do you wear on a daily basis? The answers I received consisted of headphones, glasses, hats, bag, rings, earrings, piercings, watches and necklaces. The most common out of these list were headphones, earrings and piercings. 

The second question was: What items do you always carry with you? The answers I received consisted of: mobile phone, wallet, mirror, stationary, makeup and headphones. The most common out of these were mobile phone and headphones.

The third question was: What technology do you use on a daily basis? The answers I received consisted of: Mobile phone, Internet, Email, Text messages, Apps and Music. The most common out of these were Mobile phone and music. 

The response I received was very interesting. Looking at the most common answers, there were a lot of answers that were associated with the face and head. Current existing technological products are mainly placed on the mid section of the body such as neck, hands and wrists but there arnt many that are placed on the face and head. Its quite easy to design a product that just sits on your finger or your wrists but creating a product that is situated on the face can be quite complex. This has led me to think to take on the challenge of creating a product that will be used on the face/head. 

I want to create a product that won't compromise with what users already generally wear on a daily basis and if the majority of people wear headphone daily then creating a product that plays music/ sits on the head or ears would be ideal.  

There is already a very popular product on the market that links with your phone which is known as the Apple Watch and for my product I want to create something that doesn't exist. There are not many wearable products that involve music and so I have decided to create a wearable product that plays music. 

Week 1 - Research.

To begin my project I began by researching existing wearable technology products that are popular on the market. The various products range from clothing to help people who suffer from certain health problems to function easier in the day to day lives to products that make accessing your messages and calls easier. The most popular and well known wearable technology products are devices such as the apples watch and google glass. 

The apple watch is a sleek, light and extremely durable, ceramic design which a finish that won’t scratch or tarnish. It is beautifully constructed and a high quality design. It handles messages well and is also a solid fitness tracker. Its full of hundreds of apps and you can send and receive voice calls via an iPhone. There are lots of design choices and the watch stores music for local playback over Bluetooth. You can make easy wrist payments which makes life a lot easier.  

I visited the apple store to play around with this product. I think the concept behind this design is great and versatile especially for people who are constantly busy and use their phone a lot. I like the way this product looks like an ordinary accessory but does a whole lot more – this is something I want to incorporate into my design. There are some downsides however such as the apps being slow to load and the interface can be rather confusing.  

Another product that I researched into was Ringly. Ringly is a smart ring that uses Bluetooth to connect to your phone and will both light up and vibrate when you receive a notification. What I think is great about this product is that you can customize what colors and vibrations you want to alert you for different apps and even specific people. This design is a wearable that appeals more towards woman. Woman like to have a clean and simplistic look and this ring is perfect for this as they can look classy and receive notifications at the same time. The ring is battery powered and can be charged by being placed in a box that comes with the product.

I tried out this ring out myself as it is owned by Tine who works at Ravensbourne. Something that really appeals to me about the design of this product is that it looks like an ordinary stone ring and I could not tell it had technology built inside of it until it started flashing. The fact that it is discrete is something I want to incorporate into my final design.

My thorough research into existing products has exposed me to various different types of wearables on the market. 

Final major project proposal.

Wearable Technology  

Section 1: A review of progress and achievement through parts 1 & 2 of the course.

The Foundation Course has been extremely valuable in enhancing my knowledge and understanding of various new techniques and processes. I have worked on many different projects that have allowed me to generate and evaluate new ideas and turn them into tangible 3D inventions. The Exploratory Stage of the course opened up new pathways to me and broadened my methodologies. I gained confidence of working in different ways. Practicing the use of software such as Photoshop and Google Sketchup have hugely aided me in my versatility. Alongside my technical skills I have also acquired prototyping skills such as using the laser cutter and 3D printing. Constant reflection of my work has been presented in weekly blog which has helped to evaluate my work and embrace any changes or mistakes.

Section 2: Project Concept.

Wearable technology has become a recent interest of mine; I am greatly fascinated by the way it enables interactivity around the body. In today’s world everybody is looking for ways to maximise their productivity. Wearables make technology persistent by interweaving it into daily life, making regular tasks easier and giving us the ability to do many things at once, it can also encourage users to stay fit and healthy by monitoring their activity.

Wearable devices are progressively becoming more and more advanced in the world around us. The Apple Watch is a sophisticated and contemporary piece of interactive technology with an enormous market and leads towards a whole new unexplored category of wearables to come.

For my project I want to explore how technology and fashion products are becoming intertwined. I propose to research, understand and develop my knowledge of the evolution of wearables towards smart textiles. I will record and analyze existing products, concepts and philosophies of the way the two elements of technology and fashion can be brought together into one product. I will produce various prototypes through 3D printing alongside building 3 dimensional platforms from 2 dimensional sketches. 

This project will aim to incorporate the various different techniques and process I have used throughout the year.

Section 3: Evaluation.

Throughout this project I will conduct a lot of primary and secondary research and reflect upon these so that I can create the best product meeting all the needs for the user. Evidence of my research and ideas will be recorded in my sketchbook acting as the primary source of information. My sketchbook will demonstrate the different ideas I came up with and it will show all the mistakes and obstacles I encountered. I will reflect and evaluate upon my work through peer feedback and through my blog which will showcase my development. My timetable will ensure that I am progressing and meeting my goals accordingly. A final review will allow me to highlight and justify any changes and significant developments to my initial proposal.

Beyond the fundamental - Final outcome.

For my final outcome I designed a bird table that was made up of four triangular prisms. Each prisms has a hole on the side where the bird feed can be entered. The birds can fly into the prism where they eat their food and there us also an elongated platform where the birds can sit and rest.

Beyond the fundamental - Development

Continuing on with my project, I decided to play around with the arrangement of some shapes. I wanted my bird table to be of a somewhat peculiar shape.

 I developed some drawings from the various arrangements of these shapes. I presented my drawings to my peers in order to receive some feedback. Some critical feedback that I received was that the cone shape didn’t link in with the idea of a bird table and that I should use a structure that is more familiar. I took on this feedback and played around with some triangular shapes. The roof of most bird houses are made from triangles prisms, mimicking the rooftop of a house. I wanted to play around with this shape and develop upon in.

  

Beyond the fundamental - Research.

For this project I was told to design a bird table. I looked at various designers and one designer who stood out the most to me was Chad Wright. He stretched the archetypal birdhouse shape to create penthouse nest boxes with varying heights.His bird house is called ‘attic’ it consists of a concrete base with a screw-in stake stabilises these slender wooden pillars on grass or hard-standing. Attic provides homes of varying levels of status to a variety of birds.

In my opinion most birdhouses are either woodsy, crafty or artsy but these are architectural. I think they would be interesting even indoors. For outdoors use I would be interested in the functionality. Looking at this design made me question as to if there was a platform inside or even a drainage system. These are all aspects of functionality that I would like to include in my final outcome.

Individualisation - development process and final outcome.

Continuing on with my project, I began to sketch out some design ideas that I felt could work well as flat pack furniture. I showed my client my ideas and asked for feedback. She said that the designs looked more like an office or garden chair and she wanted something a bit more homely and suggested I could create a stool.

I began playing around with different shapes and designs and finding the most convenient way to fold them away. This was a rather difficult process as once I created a design; it was hard to find a way for it to be folded away. I began playing with symmetrical shapes as these can easily be folded in half. I came up with a design that would easily fold into a cube that my client would be able to sit on. The cuts on the edges ensured that when made into a cube, it was secure and everything locked in together. I was pleased with this idea, however the design for me was too simple and I wanted to challenge myself even further.

I decided to develop upon the cube idea and create something that was more modern and aesthetically pleasing. I came up with the idea of creating a stool where the leg can be folded together and the seat folds on top. The stool can then be easily stored away for transported from place to place. I created a Sketchup design of my model and finalised my idea. My last step was to present my idea to my client. This time she was pleased with the final outcome.

Individualisation - Research into artists and materials.

In this project we were given a client and had to design a product for them of their choice. This project was given to grasp the idea of what it’s like working for a client in the real world. My client was given a questionnaire and from that questionnaire I had to pick out 5 answers and conduct research in these areas. My client was a relaxed person who liked reading and drawing. They asked me to design a chair that could be folded and put away easily. I started off my research by looking as existing flat pack furniture.

My research led me to discover designer Nifemi Marcus-Bello who created a table that can store its own legs for easy transport. Named after the Hausa word for table, the Tebur has legs that screw into the desk for ease of disassembly, and fabric loops to hold the legs flat against the surface during transport. A handle carved into the tabletop allows it to be easily carried to different places. The furniture is aimed at offices, particularly workers who spend extended amounts of time in small spaces. The handle doubles as space for cable storage. The designer created the Tebur table to be lightweight so it can be lifted with one hand. The legs, which are made from reclaimed wood, screw into the tabletop, allowing for quick and intuitive disassembly. I was really intrigued by this design and concept. The table can be carried like a brief/suit case and the use of a lightweight material really makes it appropriate for a flat pack furniture. This made me think more about what materials I could use for my chair.

I went on to research into materials that would be fitting for my chair. I looked at the common materials used for chairs. Contemporary kitchen chairs range from faux leather to ABS Plastic and even metallic mesh. Meanwhile, more traditional items are available in a number of woods, cane and a host of other natural materials. There are also retro style chairs, and these tend to be made with faux leather, nylon and various other fabrics. I decided I wanted to use a wooden material for my chair as I wanted it to have a homely feeling. Wood plays a large role in the more traditional designs, giving that rustic feel. Wood gives a certain depth and richness to any environment, with the grain giving added little details that catch your eye and draw you in. Soft woods came across to be the most suitable material to use, they include pine, fir, redwood and cedar. Pine is resistant to shrinkage and has a degree of flexibility, making it appropriate for lightweight furniture.