Name ………..
Context
Do a diagram of some of the possibilities that you came up with in your theme diagrams.
Think about the area, situation, environment that you will be designing for and seeing where all the possibilities are for you to design something.
Some areas are related and can be grouped together, so try and look at the situation in terms of related areas.
Personal
Safety
Personal safety - Attack alarm
Personal Safety - Mask
Wallet / Purse with anti theft / scanning attributes
High Visibility
My context is personal safety as my client is someone who lives by themselves and travels a lot on public transport. As part of getting home, travel in the dark happens regularly.
Client Meeting
The client is the person / people that you are designing the product for.
What do you need to ask them so you have all of the information you need and you understand fully what you are going to design and why?
Questions for Client
Client Meeting
List the answers to all the questions that you asked your client.
Be as full as you can with your answers with as much detail as you can get.
This can be a video too, but make sure you write down everything that was said in the video.
I go to work on public transport. This means I have to start my day early and get back quite late sometimes. It is dark quite often.
I think an item of personal safety might be useful to make me feel safer and less of a target while I am travelling. I have had a personal alarm before, when I was a student at college, and they were quite bulky.
As I already carry a bag full of stuff to work and back every day on the train, I don’t want to add anything to big or heavy to what I already have to carry around,
I have had a few torches that attach to my keys. This was to help quicker access to the car in the dark. They did not last too long as they got bashed around by my keys a lot. It would be nice to have a torch and alarm combined so I am not carry two different items around.
A product has to be able to withstand being bashed around a lot. It needs to be able to be held in my hand comfortably when I want to use it. It needs to be weatherproof as I can get quite wet while travelling. Not too big or heavy is a really important one.
The product must have a light as part of the design. It must be able to make a loud noise to attract attention if needed but not be able to be set off by accident. I don’t want to have to carry it all the time but I want to be able to access it easily when I need it. Maybe clipping it to my bag or coat so that I don’t have to hold it all the time.
I think grip is important as it can get quite wet when it is raining. It must be able to withstand being dropped as I quite often carry a lot of stuff and the likelihood of it being dropped is high.
I don’t like that products are throw away after a short lifespan. I want something that possibly is made from recycled materials to start with and can be recycled again after a decent product lifespan.
Wider Stakeholders
Who / What is the Wider Stakeholder? | What needs to they have that will affect the design? | What can you do with your design to answer this need? |
Anyone who travels about by themselves - either locally or further afield. | Easy to access and easy to use in all sorts of conditions. | Bigger buttons to activate the device in different circumstances. |
People who work in a job that means they are alone for large periods of time. | They won’t want to have to hunt about for it and they may have put it away from where they are working. | Easy to keep on your person at all times without getting in the way of the job that is being done. |
Manufacturers | The production needs to be possible, with materials that will do the job. | |
General public | They need to be alerted but not scared. | Do not make it too loud or it could damage hearing. |
The attacker | You are not allowed to do anything that will permanently damage them. | Keep within legal limits |
Physical
Social
WHERE will the design be used
How does is FEEL. How does it SMELL. How does it LOOK.
WHO will use the design and the ENVIRONMENT that it is used in.
An attribute is a quality or characteristic that you would like your design to have
Functional
HOW does the design work?
Physical Elements
Put your ideas here for what physical elements can be listed about your design situation.
Where the designs will be used | How this affects the design |
Used in the dark mostly | The controls and buttons need to be easy to find and use by touch in case you can’t see them. In case there isn’t enough light. |
It will be carried every day. | Needs to be lightweight so it doesn’t add a huge amount of extra weight. Needs to be quite small to carry and hold in the hand when in use. Not too much extra bulk in your bag or pocket. |
Carried in a bag or pocket | The materials chosen need to protect the design from getting damaged or scratched while being carried. |
Carried and used outside so there is the strong possibility of it being dropped on hard surfaces. | The shape and the materials need to be able to withstand being dropped. |
Carried while on the move | The design needs to include grip elements so it is not easily dropped or it does not slip in the hand. Clips onto clothing or a bag easily and securely. |
Social Elements
Put your ideas here for what social elements can be listed about your design situation.
Social Element | How this affects the design |
The aesthetics of the design will influence the client to use it more. | The client will want the design to match the look of other items they own.It if is carried visibly, then the design will need to be aesthetically pleasing to the client. |
Sustainability | The client is keen for the design to be made from sustainable materials and that it can be recycled after it’s own product life span. The client will be breaking the product into parts to recycle the different materials after is has been used so this needs to be easy to do. |
The design will be used by females MOSTLY. This will affect the size of the design so it is not too heavy or bulky. | The client needs to be able to hold the design while it is in use or have it clipped somewhere. The design will be held in the hand while it is being used and possibly carried in the hand for short periods of time. Size and comfort will be important here. This could apply to lots of different people. Not just females, who want to feel safer when out at night by themselves. |
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Functional Elements
Put your ideas here for what functional elements can be listed about your design situation.
How does the design work? | How this affects the design |
Easy to operate | If the product is needed, the client will be in a tense situation so does not need to have to fiddle about with controls that are difficult to use. |
Makes a noise when operated | The design will need to include speakers of a way of amplifying the sound. |
Makes light - can be used as a torch | The controls for the torch need to be seperate from the controls of the alarm so you don’t set the sound off accidently. |
Clips on firmly so it does not come off when moving | The clip on method needs to be strong and secure. |
Battery powered - rechargeable | The design needs to have a recharge port on the outside. The electronics will need to be inside securely. |
Attributes Priority Order
| Social Element | Reason for Priority |
1 | Sustainability | We need to design everything with the planet in mind so we don’t do any more damage. |
2 | Use by females mostly so - Size and weight | So that it is not a burden to carry around. |
3 | Aesthetics | It will be more likely to be used if it looks good. |
| Physical Element | Reason for Priority |
1 | Carried on the move | People who are feeling unsafe tend to be moving not standing around. |
2 | Used in the dark | This is the time when you feel unsafe the most |
3 | Drop and knock proof | It needs to still work if it has been dropped |
| Functional Element | Reason for Priority |
1 | Easy to operate | The user will be in a stressed state of mind if the device has to be used so it needs to be really simple |
2 | Clips on firmly | Losing it at a critical moment would be really bad. It needs to stay firm when moving around and possibly running. |
3 | Makes noise and light | Having the device be multifunctional is more useful than having to have two different things for alarm and light. |
Product Description and Attributes
Description of the Product | Evidence for Need | Client Opinions | Attributes |
The product will be a personal alarm that can be clipped onto a bag or coat. It will be used by females and people in general who travel alone and need an alarm to feel safe. | The client travels alone a lot and wants to feel safe while they are travelling. An alarm will attract the attention of people nearby who can hear it and scare off anyone who is planning anything nasty. Having this combined with a torch makes it one design for personal safety that does two jobs. | They want an easy to use device that is lightweight and easy to carry around. They want the product to be attractive as it will likely be on show, either on a key ring or clipped onto a bag or coat. |
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Initial Specification
Specification Point | Physical Attribute | Functional Attribute | Social Attribute |
A maximum of 30g | Will stay clipped onto bag strap or heavy coat. | | It will mostly be used by females so needs to be lightweight |
Will be made from materials that can be recycled | | | It needs to be able to be taken apart and each piece be recycled |
Made from waterproof materials and construction method | It will be used outside and be exposed to the weather | | |
Rechargeable power source using a USB C power connection | | It will be battery powered / rechargeable | The power source needs to be sustainable |
List the specifications that need to be included in your design ideas.
A specification needs to be MEASURABLE
State in either the physical or functional attributes or in both, how this specification point is justified and why it is needed.
Add as many rows as you like to this table when you need them.
Initial Specification
Specification Point | Physical Attribute | Functional Attribute | Social Attribute |
Uses LED lights to be used as a torch | | | Lighting the way to feel safe at night |
Easy to carry or be clipped on to a bag or coat | | | |
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List the specifications that need to be included in your design ideas.
A specification needs to be MEASURABLE
State in either the physical or functional attributes or in both, how this specification point is justified and why it is needed.
Add as many rows as you like to this table when you need them.