Semester/year: Spring 2010 Supervisor: Nina Bjørnstad, Martina M. Keitsch
This diploma project focuses on how emergency products affect users in a society where there is a misconception between perceived risk and actual hazard. The goal of the project was to reduce exploitative aspects through ethical considerations and inclusive design.
Through an analytical and research-driven approach different product categories and scenarios were systematically explored and analyzed according to both rational and psychological criteria.
The project ended with a case study on Home Security, where a product concept was developed to test and implement the observations from the research in a design case.
The product concept - Circle of Trust - is a non-intrusive, low trade-off home security system. It aims to provide the target user with a security system that’s affordable and has lower trade-offs than the existing solutions on the market.
Circle of Trust is a closed network of alarms, combining stationary alarm triggers with mobile applications. The users notify their closest friends when an emergency situation occurs. The research showed that the main security issue in the domestic situation was not loss of assets, but personal security, and the concept aims to solve this by sharing responsibility with a small network of people the users trust.
The alarm trigger is embedded in a tablecloth to be placed on the nightstand. When in passive mode the alarm is non-intrusive, but is always available and in close proximity to the bed - the place where the users felt most vulnerable. When activated it distributes a push notification to the Trustees’ phones, alerting several people at once.
The project was awarded the Prize for interaction design, sponsored by Making Waves, at AHO Works Awards 2010. The project was also chosen as AHOs nominated project in the category product design for the B-CITY Glocal Design Award in Bilbao winter 2010/2011.
Images:
Image 1 - Tablecloth – shows two different textiles: The physical alarm is incorporated in a tablecloth, to blend into the situation.
Image 2 - Receive alarm – detailed information: When someone in the Circle of Trust activates their alarm, a distress call is sent to members of the network.
Image 3 - Receive alarm 2 – locating: The phone interface allows communication of detailed information and locates the sender.
Image 4 - Passive vs active mode: When in passive mode, the alarm blends into the situation, but when activated it sounds a high pitch alarm in addition to visual communication through light.
Image 5 - Telephone interface