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JESS ROLFE DESIGNS


Mobile Device Project

Group Project




We are asked to create a prototype of a mobile, portable or integrated device. It will be the process from an initial concept idea through to designing a visual prototype of the device and an interface design of an application running on the device.





Project Brief

Team Members:

Kemma Collins: Research and development of glasses, also designs of the hiking glasses and mobile app

Jess Rolfe: Overview of product along with research and development, also designs of the skiing goggles and mobile app design, challenges, user interface, competitors and Gantt Chart

Ryan Malzard: Focused on designs of the everyday use glasses along with further developments

Lewis Marriott: Research focused on sports glasses along with designs and further developments.



Below is the full brief from my lecturers.



Initial Ideas


As a group we brainstormed ideas and came up with ‘Nav Glasses’. These glasses allow the user to follow a navigation system but through their glasses. This particularly comes in handy for certain sports such as hiking and skiing, where you wouldn't necessarily be able to suddenly get your phone out for directions. This also allows a ‘hands-free’ idea to come in, especially with bluetooth headphones also guiding you the right way. The user can also benefit from customisation features that they can set up on their mobile app before setting out for the day, which allows them to pick what features they want to see, colours, and what routes they want to take. The user can also add in points of interest so say they want to eat at 12am at a certain cafe, the Nav Glasses will take them there. The glasses also advise certain points of interest based on the users needs and likes, such as if you're in a busy city, a pop-up may come up telling you where the nearest spa destination is.

Nav Glasses are an concept we have designed and developed as a group which incorporates a range of ideas put together in one technology. The different types of glasses we've looked at are: Skiing goggles, Hiking glasses, Sport glasses and Everyday use. Each of the glasses uses the same technology but in a slightly different way, for example, the Skiing goggles show you the route on top of a mountain and advises the user on which routes to take based on their ability, whereas the sporting glasses which can be used specifically for tennis advises the user on where the ball is going to land etc. However, as a group we’ve decided to combine the ideas and from feedback from our presentation, we will now only continue to develop a more confined idea and stick with the navigation glasses idea. When furthering our developments, we came up with the concept of stick on technology, so the ‘Nav Glasses’ are fitted in a sticky plastic that can then be stuck onto the users original glasses frame. However, we saw this as too ahead of its time so instead thought it may be a good idea to just have the technology in different style lenses, which allows the user to keep their original glasses. This may also make it more appealing to a buyer and has a unique selling point as a result.



Gnatt Chart



Research

If as a group we decide to go down the lenses route then many challenges that would of been faced with the glasses style would be prevented. A few challenges we may face with the ‘Nav Glasses’ could be:

Price: Would be expensive to create a range of styles and designs of glasses/frames a user may like. We would also have the cost of creating and making the frame so materials etc will be greater. Could save money by just having the technology in the lens. Our competitor, Google Glass, is said to have only cost $152.47 but is sold for over $1000. If we were to mass produce this product then costs may be brought down, although we would need to make sure a certain amount sells before doing this as there's potential of losing money if ‘Nav Glasses’ decline like with Google Glass. At first Google Glass didn't take off (shown in figure 1).

Ergonomics: Would again have to create a range of glasses/frames to suit different users needs. We will also have to work out how the user will see the navigational features through the glasses as there's a small gap in between the users eye and the glass (figure 2). We’re going to create a projected view when you look into the glasses which is shown in the ‘Designs’ section. If we created just lenses that went into the user's original glasses, this would lessen the problem of the glasses frame and what size that should be etc as the user will already have their original frame.

Materials: The main two materials we would be using is polycarbonate (for the lens) and plastic, Zyl (for the frame). Glasses frames can become quite pricey as zyl isn’t cheap and frames normally use titanium to make stronger glass frames. Therefore, maybe only having the technology in the lens and then putting it into the user's original frame, is the way forward.



Polarised lenses is something we should take into count as they can help the eyes by cutting out the glare. Glare can be dangerous, especially when driving so they should be used for safety.





You can see that the difference helps tremendously helping the users vision by eliminating the glare. As well as it can help drivers, it is useful for people who like fishing or playing around in the snow as there is no reflection or bright light making your eyes uncomfortable.



I then looked at competitors of our Nav Glasses.





Designs

I firstly sketched ideas. When developing I thought it would also be a good idea to think about a ski helmet instead of just the goggles. This enables the bluetooth speaker to be in the ear protectors so the navigation can communicate to the user.

Below shows the idea of stick-on technology. This was a developed idea I thought of which in the future may be something that could work really well. This shows what is seen when you look into the glasses and then how the stick-on technology would simply stick onto any glass surface. The idea of the words and features being projected once you look into the glasses will also be easier onto the users eyes.







I then thought about the mobile app that connects to the nav glasses so customisations can be made.







We also thought about two different glasses: one for skiing and one for hiking.





I started to digitalise the sketched designs. Users can customise their goggles. Also shown below is the buttons that occur on each side of the frame which includes: on/off button, photo button, record button and select button. However, if it's just the lenses we develop, then this would change by having the buttons on a clip on device that clips onto the original users glasses strap.









Feedback

It is good to recieve feedback throughout the project. It enables me to make changes I had not thought of and improve my work.



Our Lecturer advised we thought more about an innovative and slick designs for the glasses.

Developed Designs

My developed ideas are below.









Further Ideas

Unique Selling Points:

Camera

GPS

Buttons

Torch

Bluetooth

Custom build lens



Submitted Work

The final designs are shown below.



Animated GIF

Adds to what the glasses are used for

Shows different areas/locations the glasses can be used in

Allows time for the app to load up-prevents it from crashing/reloading

Makes it more fun, while staying professional





Final mobile app designs.

Simple design

Arrow as a back button makes it clearer and easier to touch on the screen

M- For the menu screen, again makes it a clearer design





The logo features in the background of selection screens- Just adds to the aesthetics

Ellipses keeps a common theme throughout the app- 4 different colour dots (Green, Blue, Pink, and Yellow)





Suttle colour themed throughout:

Skiing- Blue

Hiking- Green

Everyday- Yellow

Tennis- Pink

Kept simple and a clear design

Images where necessary to keep it professional but also visually pleasing





The screens include:

Main Menu

Point of interest

Google's view

Settings

Customisation

Start Game

Saved Routes

Create Route






Nav Glasses Demo



Key Sotware Used




I used various software I knew already and have learned from my last year at University. It is important in third year to build on the skills we already know rather than trying to teach ourselves something new. This makes us more advanced in our specific areas of design.







Target Market




Our target market are people who are very into their hobbie/sport. It will be a luxury item to have as it will enhance the users experience while doing their particular sport. The age range were looking at is adults (18+) purely because it’s not a gimmick and an actual piece of modern technology. The ‘Nav Glasses’ will appeal to sporty adults who want that little extra for example, while skiing they won’t have to worry about carrying around maps and what restaurant to stop off at etc because it'll all be in the glasses. Also, because it’ll be tracking their movements it’ll allow them to know where they've been, at what speed, and their distance travelled. They have the option to record while going along and take photos, so the user won’t be worrying about pretty much anything as it’s all in ‘Nav Glasses’.

For further research I decided to ask a number of people (mainly skiers) their opinions. The majority of people said they would benefit from this product as it is “hassle-free” and “user friendly”. However, one person I asked said the target audience is as expected but unless the product is a reasonable price, people won’t want to spend the money on getting the lens fitted so might be better to sell it as a whole product. Although, when i showed them what technology goes into the lenses, they then changed their minds.













About Nav Glasses



Nav Glasses are an concept we have designed and developed as a group which incorporates a range of ideas put together in one technology. The different types of glasses we've looked at are: Skiing goggles, Hiking glasses, Sport glasses and Everyday use. Each of the glasses uses the same technology but in a slightly different way, for example, the Skiing goggles show you the route on top of a mountain and advises the user on which routes to take based on their ability, whereas the sporting glasses which can be used specifically for tennis advises the user on where the ball is going to land etc.