Navigation experience

During this two week project we worked in pairs to design a new experience for users to playfully navigate an area.

Design Brief

Thinking about your first experience in Dundee and finding things for the first time. think about how by changing our routs we can find and discover new things in the city. Also, think about how different data can influence how we see the city and the experience of visiting the place.

We should consider what our user would enjoy in a navigation experience, and design and model a new concept that allows the user to navigate playfully.

The ring– This idea has three variations in the initial stage of the design. The ring consists of three lights, one red in the middle and two blue on each side. This allows the indication of left, right, stop and go. The ring will vibrate when the user need-to change a direction and that alert the user to look at the ring.

2. Shoelaces– This idea incorporates optical fibre so that light can be transferred through the lace and display a different colour. This way the user can tell which direction they need to take by colour coding the colour they wanted to a certain direction.

3. Bag strap– This idea was inspired by the secondary command system that the tankers have in place which the Commander kicks the drivers left and right shoulder to tell them where to go. This idea is a case like an object that can be put on the shoulder strap of the bad and by applying pressure on each shoulder the user can navigate hand free.

4. Sound– The sound idea is to use the users surround sound headphones to guild them to their destination. By orientering to the direction with the loudest music the user can find their way through the city. This can be fun as the user is constantly exploring with the sourse of the sound.

The ring was an easy build as it was just a roll of card paper, but you can see the point. It’s simple but elegant. The shoelace model was made, so the colour on the string simulates the different colour indication. Followed by the model of the bag strap clip that can be open and closed so the product can just be clipped on to the bag shoulder straps.

After some discussion, we came to realise that there is a new kind of shoelace on the market called the “Hickies“. It’s a clip on shoelace that can be stretched so it allows the user to slip on and off their shoes. By incorporating both ideas, the product can be customised to each “Hickies” shoelace to represent a different function. for example, one can be an indication of a left or right turn and another could be a step count.

I did some development on my sound idea. First I thought about the logo of the app I would use, so I drafted some logo design. I felt that as the point of the App is to allow the sound to get louder and louder as the user gets closer to their destination, so I thought that with the crescendo symbol in music I could design a logo based on it. However, in the end, both my partner and I decided that the music note with an arrow on it is the best. As for the name of the App, we went for CrescenGo. This is because it was inspired by the catchiness and the success of Pokemon Go. I have also designed a page for the App after the user has made their decision of where they want to go. The page tells the user when they get lost and indicate where the sound is coming from.

After that, I developed my commands for the bag strap. To decide that my partner and I did some experimentation by blindfolding each other; We have one person blindfolded, and the other person will put their hands on each side of person whos blindfolded. We tried to guide each other around a room with obstacles and tested the viability of the concept. The results of the testing were that to turn left is press and left and to turn right press on the right, both hands pressing down is stop and then let go of the shoulder was go.

The idea of a third person view camera suddenly popped into our mind as we were going through with our development. It is a third person VR navigation device. It’s a VR display of the user themself in third person as if they are playing a game.

I did some modeling of the mounting mechnism and had a play around with the extention arm designas well. I found that none of the mounting system and extension arm would work well as with all the weight of the package it will be heavy and hard to balance.

Another spontaneous idea we had is to develop a hand held guilding system that dosen’t tell you what the destination is. You repesent one of the light on the panal and you can chose one of the three diffrent color button that surrond “you”, then the user can pick which direction they would like to go by pressing one of the button. then the device will turn into a compuse that will guide the user to thier unknow destination

Further to the development of my bag strap idea, I thought that with the initial design being very rigid and the design does not allow the device to be put on any other bags. I can up with six different design ideas that would allow more compatibility across a range of bags.

First is one which has a curved surface for better ergonomics, the second idea was to have the device mounted on via hooks and loops, this way the device can wrap around any size of bag strap. another idea is to have a whole bag strap cover, will you will have to detach the bag strap and put the strap through the cover. As the cover is a stretchy material the device should fit around bag strap perfectly. Then I thought that a buckle clip would be easy to use as you would just clip the device on to the strap and just fasten the clip. Next idea I had was that the mounting system would be a zip but there are elastic bands on each side so the device can accommodate different size strap. Lastly, the device is mounted on by two elastic bands that are held in by two plastic tab, so the tension of the elastic would hold the device in place.

PressNav

The Final design idea is a combination of the hooks and loops idea and the zip idea. The final design has the elastic material on the side as well as gooks and loop to secure the device on the bag itself. There is two inflatable capsule under the device.

The device can be mounted to any double strap bag pack for travelling. the device has a built-in GPS that allows your smart device to track your location more accurately. The PressNav links to any smart device via blue tooth and uses google maps to direct and indicate. The user can use the PressNav in both urban areas or they can used when hicking. The PressNav will give the user an accurate bearing on which direction they will need to take to reach their destination. On the top of the PressNav there is also molle attachment system so that the user can attach any accessory they would like, for examples such as light, compass or a pocket knife.