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Project Details:
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Project Status: Ongoing M.Eng. project (Sep 2019 - Jan 2020)
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Class: Advanced Topics in Product Design: Human Centered Design Development
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Project Name: Designing Wearable Navigation Device for Visually Impaired
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Project Scope:
- This is a human centered design project in association with Microsoft.
- Project aims at developing a technology that will guide the visually impaired people to navigate with better sense of surrounding.
- Our team is focusing on developing the wearable design that will satisfy the technological constraints as well as enhance the user experience. In the later stage of project, we will also fabricate the device.
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Team Size: 5 students
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Responsibilities:
- Designing and prototyping.
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Skills:
Product Design, Rapid Prototyping, Market Research, Team management, Project Management
Human Centered Design Project
Designing Wearable Navigation Device for Visually Impaired
Status: Completed M.Eng. project (Sep 2019 - Dec 2019)
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Problem Statement:
“The visually impaired community needs a better way to navigate through the built environment as it is difficult to identify certain areas and objects within a building with the aid of current technologies.”
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Project Sponsor: Microsoft
Executive Summary
1.
Our goal was to develop a useful, usable and desirable wearable device to incorporate the navigation assistant technology developed by UC Berkeley students. We followed a human-centered design process implementing different design methods to realize best possible solution.
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Team identified social, economic and technical factors related to problem. The product opportunity gap was creating an audio and/or haptic experience of surrounding visuals that informs the user about the environment and helps to navigate independently. We conducted extensive user research consisting interviews, surveys, empathy mapping and AEIOU. Based on the insights, team generated 75 product concepts and methodically selected one final concept.
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The selected one concept was using a neck brace with two 360 degree cameras on shoulder. The model was designed using CAD software and a 3D scan of one of team members’ body. Model was then 3D printed as single piece and assembled with cameras, mounts and mobile. Prototype was presented to users to receive feedback and define design improvements/iterations.
IDENTIFY
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Identified social, economic and technological factors in order to identify the different product opportunities and to better understand the different implications and impacts of the solution.
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Zoomed out the project objective from designing the wearable device to helping the visual impaired people to navigate. Generated 50 Project Opportunity Gap (POG) to understand the basic problem, opportunity gaps and explore all possible solutions to address it.
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Executed Stakeholder Analysis and evaluated as powers of tens.
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Reduced POGs from 50 to 1 by dot voting, surveying and weighted matrix.
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Final POG : “Creating an audio experience of surrounding visuals that informs user about environment.”
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Product Opportunity Gaps
Clustering & Voting
Stakeholder Analysis
Weighted Matrix
Selecting 1 POG
UNDERSTAND
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Phase 2 of the project was focused on understanding the product opportunity gap that lies in between how visually impaired people currently navigate daily and how a new solution can assist them in the best possible way.
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The team implemented user research methods like experience drawing, 1:1 interviews, empathy map and AEIOU to understand the problems users face, what type of assistance is the most suitable, will they prefer mobile application or wearable device etc.
- Performed Competitive Analysis and mapped in 2x2 positioning of application vs design simplicity.
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Based on these research insights, the highly rated Value Opportunity Attributes were determined to be independence, comfort, safety, ease of use and auditory response.
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While the team came to a conclusion of the need to build a device that will be a combination of object detection and navigation, key product requirements were decided to be its accuracy, range of operation, physical features and abilities to detect specific locations.
Experience Drawing
Empathy Map
Competitor Analysis
Value Opportunity Analysis
CONCEPTUALIZE
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Conceptualized the opportunity gap, using the double diamond design process, with the goal of meeting the key product requirements and identified value proposition.
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Generated 75 concepts and selected the top concept following best suitable design methods. The path of idea generation-reduction-selection was 50-20-45-20-10-4-1 idea(s).
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Used brainstorming, bio-mimicry, design heuristics, Dot Voting, Pugh Chat, Copeland Voting to generate concepts and select the top one design concept.
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Made prototyping canvas and a low-fidelity prototype to explore the concept in detail.
Generation
Initial Reduction
Initial Divergence
Pugh Chart
Final Reduction
Copeland Voting
Final Concept
REALIZE
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To design the neck brace, we created a 3D model of the upper body of one of our team members. The goal was to create the most ergonomically fitting mount system.
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Designed a neck brace of the size as per 3d scan with standard go-pro mounts.
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Device was 3d printed in a single piece with high resolution.
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Assembled with mounts and electronics hardware.
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Performed user testing to receive a feedback and define future improvements in design.
3D Scan and Design
Final Product
USER TESTING & FEEDBACK
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Performed user testing at LightHouse, SF to receive a feedback and define future improvements in design.
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Explained functioning and evaluated response against defined key product requirements.
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Presented product design work at Jacobs Design Showcase at UC Berkeley.
User Testing
Jacobs Design Showcase
KEY LEARNINGS
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Developing only the technology is not enough to make a product success. Product has to be useful, usable and desirable to end user. Hence, it is important to invest time, money and resources to perform user research.
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Users expect that they should be involved throughout the product development process. It is useful to have a focus user group providing guidance and feedback along the process.
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Product concept generation should be based on insights from user research insights. Team brainstorming and selected design methods ensures the betterment of product concept.