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Human-Center Design Methods
Mind mapping
Cultural probes
Prototyping
Interviews
Mood boards
Morphological chart
Storyboards
Tools and Software
Figma
Arduino
Grove Kit
My Role and Responsibilities
As the Interaction Designer for this individual project, my responsibilities included conducting user research, generating ideas, creating prototypes, programming interactions, and assembling the final product using various human-centered design methods.
Duration
10 weeks: August 2022 to December 2022)
Overview
This project, completed as part of Cornell University’s DEA 2730: Human-Centered Design Methods course, was my first interaction design project experience designing and building an interactive device to respond to a challenge prompt, employing various human-centered design methods.
In accordance with research reporting increases in social isolation, in addition to social distancing with COVID, this project attempts to tackle the question of whether or not an interactive device can improve extended periods of isolation -- offering quite a broad range of potential design responses.
One of my favorite projects, flo’s design process utilized a very extensive range of research and design methods that have supported the development of my design thinking, which has really helped me head toward a unique direction with this product.
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Cultural Probes
In what contexts *does* isolation occur?
Cultural probes are a qualitative research method used in design and social research to gather rich, inspirational data about people's lives, values, and thoughts. After considering the broad scope which isolation may include, I conducted user studies to collect deep insights into the daily lives, environments, and routines of the participants when they feel isolated and how they cope with isolation.
Problem Statement
The problem I specifically set out to investigate from user research is that many individuals express feeling stressed during busy and physically isolated hours of the day.
Bringing Out the Whiteboard
Inspiration & possibilities
As part of this process, I used aluminum foil as a rapid prototyping medium to quickly brainstorm a large number of abstract forms. These were later presented to potential users to gauge what forms elicited feelings of alleviated stress or situations of isolation.
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Consulting Others
Building the challenge profile & getting oriented
User interviews are a fundamental method in interaction design, offering valuable insights into users' needs, behaviors, and experiences. The interviews served as an opportunity to delve deeper into individuals’ experiences with isolation pertaining to the specific problem statement identified earlier.
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Mood Boarding
Portraits of isolation & our end goal
Mood boards are a visual tool used to explore, communicate, and establish the visual and emotional direction of a project. Using mood boards, we could represent the envisioned experiences of before and after interacting with our product in the context of the challenge in a more nuanced, complex manner.
Our “after” focused on the aspects of “restarting” and bio-inspired interaction from feedback we received during user interviews.
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Morphological Charting
Getting consensus & advancing forward
Based on the characteristics identified in the previous interview series, I used a morphological chart to systematically ideate & list components across six categories: form, color, texture, effect, mechanism, and emotion.
Conducting user interviews with five individuals allowed me to gather feedback and rank these components based on their preferences. Analyzing the rankings helped me narrow down to three distinct design alternatives, each reflecting user-centered insights and preferences, ensuring the final design choices were well-informed and aligned with user expectations. I proceeded with the red path, the most highly ranked one.
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Findings
1
Participants often mention playing music and/or socialization as ways to cope with isolation.
2
Participants often feel isolated at around midnight, particularly while working/studying.
3
One participant mentioned feeling isolated when attending lecture w/out friends.
4
One participant felt isolated in part because of differences in work habits.
5
One participant mentioned feeling isolated when homesick.
Storyboard
How it works
In the storyboard below, Anon feels lonely working on homework at 2 am. An interaction with the device triggers a pleasant movement of a plant, prompting Anon to take a deep breath and engage. This refreshes Anon, boosts their energy, and motivates them with a renewed focus on homework.
Storyboard
How it works
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Taking Shape
Iterative rapid prototyping and testing
Now that I had come up with a concept on the drawing board, I wanted to bring it to scale and to present a tangible product for people to interact with and share their thoughts on. As this was an early iteration, I quickly crafted the device body using printing paper scraps, containing a small flashlight I'd found in my desk drawer wrapped in different colored sticky notes to simulate the changing color lights shown below. Subsequently, I conducted usability testing and gathered feedback from my user group and peers.
Use timer indicators for exhale duration for light to stay. Light glows from boxes.
Left: prototype in the dark.
Middle/right: light color can change.
What I learned from my peer
Basic mode of interaction (breath) + effect (plant helps refresh) are relatively clear.
Reason for effects are unclear.
Unclear whether grass itself is lightning up, interaction possibilities beyond what storyboard shows.
Further Iterations
Advancing functionality and appeal
A new prototype, pictured below to the left, was created based on the previous findings from the feedback, in addition to adding basic Arduino functionality. Whereas the previous feedback was aimed at the potential users' thoughts on the hypothetical, acted story of the interaction, the UX survey gauged potential users' thoughts after independently interacting with the fully functional prototype.
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Mind Mapping
In what types of contexts might isolation occur?
A mind map is a graphical representation that organizes ideas and aspects around a central theme, illustrating their relationships with each other, especially used for identifying all the issues and sub-issues related to a problem. It visually organizes information in a hierarchical structure, which makes it easier to understand and recall complex information. Below, I create a mind map to scope out the field of isolation, discovering and structuring some of the extents and impacts isolation can have in our lives.
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Refining Product
The (adjusted) plan in action
In this phase, I refined the product with new materials: a wooden box and a green plant. I adjusted the Arduino code to monitor CO2 levels, lighting up LEDs for one second per breath based on intensity and duration. It then activates a motor to sway the plant in sync with the LEDs, creating a waving/dancing effect. Initially, I showcased the prototype with wires outside the actual wooden box. An animated GIF was created to illustrate the interaction experience between users and the device.
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Final Deliverable
Through several iterations, I eventually arrived at the current version of flo, featuring a more elegant outer design and smoother motion of the plant-like appendage, as well as more a discoverable means of interaction with the larger lighting and breathing holes. Altogether, flo is a motion sensor-based device that leverages physical interaction and visual surprise to encourage deep breathing and promote relaxation.
Takeaways
Alongside immersing in new programming languages and fabrication tools, flo taught me to address multifaceted human challenges by leveraging human-centered design and research methods. This not only ensured user engagement at every stage of the process but also enabled iterative refinement to align the product more closely with users' needs, and ensured I approach the challenge from emotional, experiential, and functional dimensions.
The resulting product received positive feedback, particularly for its emotional resonance and sensorially engaging qualities. This experience reinforced the importance of creating designs that not only fulfill functional needs but also connect with users on a deeper level.
One feedback I would explore in future iterations would be the sustainability of using this product. I touched upon this in my later prototypes, programming the lights to change color with each breath. But, ultimately, human experiences change, and flo could better support user needs if it was accordingly responsive. Moving forward, I aim to continue to scale this experience to create impactful experiences that truly resonate with people.
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Finding: Device attractiveness and effectiveness in relieving stress is ambiguous, but people's first impression of the device connects to something calming.
Action: Decreased ration of plant/base (also based on survey responses), light diffusion altered (from slits in box)(based on preferred material and survey suggestion)(more "intentionally" matches current lighting effect.
Finding: People wanted alternative/"custmizable plat options, similar to previous study responses.
Action: Plants can be inserted through top for customizatbility, breath is detected with temperature/humidity now vs roly poly before (more reliable + less real estate on top surface).
Finding: People primarily prefer a wooden base and green plant color.
Action: New prototype is approximately adjusted to meet visual prefereences, limited materials for now.