Week 1

Task 1

To design a way for people to communicate certain information, without the reliance of text or voice. 

Experimenting with inputs and outputs



INPUTS

squeeze, tilt, shake rattle, push, pull, tickle, press, throw, hit, rub, stroke, lick, bounce, lift, drop, rotate, stomp, step, rest, slide, touch, swipe, wipe, open, close, blow
OUTPUTS
listen, see, smell, taste, touch, heat, vibrate, flash, blink, noise, buzz, ding, expand, shrivel, move



Mechanisms that express ideas or information or accomplish a certain task. Explorations based on model making equipment available;

cardboard, Lego, play-dough, balloons, sticks, cellophane



Concept 1.

A device in which is used to assist people when doing work at a desk.
A cover over the nose attached by a band
The cover has sensors which determine which nostril air is being exhaled from.
(Based on the theory that exhaling from the left nostril indicates visual creative thinking at that moment in time, and the right meaning a more mathematical, mindset at present)
The covering has tubes which attach down onto an artistic ornament on the desk.
A simple sphere in a dish of water, spins according to the part if the brain activated at that moment.


What this achieves: 

Allows people to know which part of their brain is working, enabling them to use time effectively and prioritize and organize their work in a way which is suitable to their thinking. 









Concept 2.

A device used in the office workplace setting.
A layering against the back of the chair which monitors posture.
If slumping or lazing around occurs, a candle on the desk, attached to the layering is ignited
The hot air from the flame inflates a balloon.
The balloon rises as it inflates.
If posture is not corrected quickly the balloon will get too big and burst.


What this achieves:

Alerts people in an office if someone is slacking off and being lazy. It embarrasses the person and motivates them to keep good posture and continue working.   

Concept 3.

A device used beside a bed in place of an alarm clock.

Positioned beside a window.

A magnifying glass is set upright in-front of a candle.

When the sun rises and enough light is shone through the glass the candles becomes alight.

The heat from the fire rises and inflates a balloon attached to the candle.

The ballon gets bigger and bigger until it finally pops. 

What this achieves:

Works as an alarm clock in the morning. Alerts the user when the sun has risen. 

At first it was difficult to come up with ideas of communicating without speaking or text. 

It was soon realised that the best place to start was with weird and wacky scenarios. 

This gave a lot of space for imagination and allows more of a thinking to go into the process.

It then became easier to conjure crazy forms of communication.

The different pieces that each group member brought along for model making provided effective starting points and inspiration for concepts. 

It was interesting to hear and see other group's ideas. 

There were some similarities between some groups, but mostly there was a great diversity of ideas and directions. 

This activity taught me that, even though communication today is heavily reliant on text and voice, in many many different forms, these are not the only ways that communication can be successfully achieved. Thinking outside the box, outside was is normal and accepted in real life, can open up a whole world of possibilities and opportunities to design something quirky and clever.