What is Suzanne?

A guide for your journey which indicates your direction of travel through vibrations on either side of the sphere and arrows which light up as you progress on your journey. It has a Bluetooth method of connecting with your smartphone and syncing with an app dedicated to the product for planning out a map.

Idea Brainstorming

Sphere =/= Globe Compass =/= Navigation

Vibrations to help guide youMap displays on screen / Street view

Compass points you in the direction

Turn dial left / right for volume

Customisable cases

“You Touch It, You Feel It, You Do It”

Case opened by finger prints Can also be opened by phone

Logo Concepts

Research

Wearable navigation bracelet GPS and voice commandsAudio and haptic feedback

Primary market blind people Independence

Similar to Suzanne But, no screen Extension of the user

Suzanne is intended to beheld and interacted with throughout the journey.

Research (cont)

Navigation cane Help elderly people

Heart rate monitor Temperature sensor

Email alerts if the user has fallenGPS tracker

Helpful additional featuresCould be biennial

Hard to implement due to the nature of Suzanne

Research (cont)

Alarm clock

Structure of a grenade.

Throwing alarms at wall

Quirky and fun twist.

Instead of throwing the alarm in the morning

Set alarmPull pinThrow across room

In the morningAlarm goes off

User has to get out of bedTo turn off

We have chosen this tangible user interface as an example based not on its function, but on its form. It has a spherical shape, much like Suzanne, and is split into two halves with a small display screen. We feel a shape along these lines, with obvious changes for the nature of our own tangible user interface, would be appropriate for Suzanne.

Who is Suzanne?

Suzanne is your own personal, technological guide to help you get around and prevent you from getting lost. Making use of a range of our natural human senses Suzanne will ensure that you get to your location on time.

You can take Suzanne with you anywhere, at any time in your own customisable cases to make Suzanne your own.

Suzanne links up to your phones native map application through Bluetooth and instantly loads up your directions from your phone onto the Sphere.

User Profile - Lucy

Name: LucySex: FemaleAge: 18Location: NewcastleOccupation: Photographer

Lucy is a young aspiring photographer who has dealt with technology most of her life from computers, mobiles, games consoles and cameras. However, despite her knowledge she still likes things to be simple and easy to use. She especially likes a clean, simple user interface.

Lucy has a large number of clients and sends a lot of time traveling from one location to the next, carrying a lot of large, heavy equipment in her backpack and in some cases over large distances. She likes to plan ahead her route journey but often forgets her way. She uses her phones GPS navigation to get to her location. Since Lucy deals with a large amount of clients through her phone she prefers not to use the GPS navigation on her phone as it drains battery and as a result she could miss out of a client’s call or be left without battery at the end of the day, when it could be dark and she could need a lift home.

User Profile - Jim

Name: Jim Sex: MaleAge: 37Location: LondonOccupation: International Businessman

Jim spends a large amount of his time travelling around the world dealing with clients from his self-owned business. Jim likes to deal with his clients personally to keep up a good business client relationship. Since Jim travels all around the world he bought himself a smartphone with Maps capabilities to help him get around cities he is not familiar with.

Jim does not have experience with modern technology and often struggles to use the Maps app on his new smartphone and as a result he can be late for meetings with his clients. This is beginning to cause problems with his client relations. As a result of this Jim is on the lookout for a new device to help him quickly and easily navigate around new cities.

Materials

Shell of the productThermoplasticHigh density polyethylene

Rotational moulding to create the spherical shapeHollow inside for the electronics. The display could be made from acrylicSturdy and more durable glass alternative.

Additives such as stabilisers and antioxidants To preserve quality Prevent the plastic being broken down by lightReacting with oxygen in the airBoth important as the product will be used outside

Add colour pigments to the plasticProduce Suzanne in a number of different colour options.

Pro’s

Connects to maps on the users phone so the user can use the phone whilst navigating.

Simple and clear written instructions and directions accompanied with physical elements of vibration as an indication.

Doesn’t show street views to keep the device simple.

Chargeable using the same charger as the phone that it was brought to connect to, so that you only have to carry one charge for two devices.

Has a headphone input port and speakers so the user can hear the directions.

To turn the volume up the index finger and thumb stretch further apart and bring them closer together to turn the volume down. This keeps the tangible user interface simple in ascetics.

Pro’s (cont)

Connected by Bluetooth and therefore no risk of loosing wifi or internet connection.

Open by shaking the TUI and hand temperature recognition so that it doesn’t turn on if rolling about in a bag.

The hand temperature recognition allows the device to work in the dark.

The shape is representational of a globe, which is it’s affordance.

To turn off the device, cover the top of the device with the other hand to cause darkness but also the hand temperature causing this not to turn off just because it is dark.

Vibrations and arrows indicted when the user must turn and in what direction.

Con’s

Doesn’t show street views which can be confusing to the user as they might not be able to place where they are.

Instructions may be too simple that they would actually not be able to follow them clearly.

Loss of Bluetooth from the device to the phone.

The sphere shape means that it might not be easy to hold and that if it were to be dropped it would roll away.