Background

For this brief, my team of three was tasked with using our design to manage or limit an undersirable behaviour, by creating an emotional connection via a physical or digital artefact in response to the growing ubiquity of smart devices. Among the required deliverables was a blog documenting our process.

Research

We began to collate a list of possible bad behaviours, based off our own experiences, and also by probing other students in the college with a suggestions box. We also explored how people behaved in social settings such as coffee shops or on the street (anticipating smartphone induced bad behaviours).

Some of the behaviours we considered included:

• Shouting at people in nightclubs.
• Picking your nose.
• Slouching when seated.
• Leaving the lights on.
• Leaving the fridge open.
• Ignoring people while conversing.
• Leaving the kitcken stove on.
• Repeatedly boiling the kettle.
• Forgetting food while cooking so it burns.
• Nail biting.
• Procrastination.
• Making noise late at night.
• Staying up late using devices (laptop, smartphone, etc.).
• Forgetting things.

A common theme among the suggested behaviours to target was wasteful use of household appliances. We decided to pursue this area with the ultimate goal of saving energy.

We established some design principles to help guide out design via contraint. We agreed the artefact should be obtrusive when necessary, without being obnoxious, and its most pleasant when the desired behaviours are being exhibited (or the undesirables avoided).

We individually sketched some ideas, and then made some rudimentary prototypes. Based on peer feedback, we chose a plant shape as a model to imitate.

We continued to iterate through prototypes, trying out different stems and heads, taking our design principles into account, as well as the fact that a microcontroller and LED's would need to fit inside. For our later iterations we persisted with the low-poly plant look.

Final Prototype & Video

We completed the build by installing the electronics for light and movement.