Spindle Ball Alarms
Spindle Ball Alarms!
Designed by Pedro Gomes
this is slightly interesting to me as it is very new on the market, but
thoughts
- a little pointless? if you can adjust the time that easily people would be late everytime by just flicking the thing over and over again so that they can drag their waking up time to a later time – making them late
- buttons to change several features of the clock to close to one another. i can easily mistake ‘changing the time back and forth’ with ‘editing the clock’s timing’.
- also, i find that when most people wake up to a very blur stage of themselves which they cannot easily process anything given to them immediately (i am a good example). this alarm clock may be confusing to them when they want to just turn off the irritating alarm clock and just stone on their beds in peace before washing up.
suggestions
-keep the on/off alarm switch on the blue body of the clock. for easier referencing
- have a stand for the clock to rest on, people may just drop the clock when attempting to off the alarm in the dark when they just wake up.
but in all i find this clock quite interesting and quirky!
http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/07/08/spindle-ball-alarms/
Fire Line
Fire Line
Designed by Thomas Buisson
this fireline basically act as a source of light to firemen when they are in dark places while rescuing, and has a small communication system to communicate with the outside world.
what i find it odd is that won’t the fireman find it annoying to travel with a long tube with him while saving someone? sure, it may be handy, but having to drag that thing along until that deep end of a dark room with heavy smoke while trying to save someone is sure going to piss anybody off, let alone them firefighters.
the exact weight of the item is unknown, but i think their current torchlights on their hats is sufficient enough. oh, and the small communication system, they can always carry a long distance walkie talkie.
in all, i find this design not really suitable and needed for today’s society.
http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/07/14/firefighters-bread-crumbs/
P.S: after looking at the above link, i suddenly thought of incoporating/suggesting to this designer to leave obvious trails of any fireman who have to go to save someone. this can indicate and lead the other firemen to check and see the ‘footprints’ or ‘breadcrumbs’ to show where the previous firemen have gone to if anything happened to them.
http://thomasbuisson.com/
Timed Morning Bowel Movements
Timed Morning Bowel Movements
designed by Kai-ning Huang & Yu-Yang Chen
this is also another kill 2-birds-with-1-stone product i came across today. what does it do? you basically put water into the cup of water. underneath that cup of water there will be a clock which you can set it to your preferred timing to wake up to. beneath that clock lies a thermal heater which heats up your glass of water 20 mins before your alarm rings. it will continue heating until you pick up the glass of water and drink it.
my concerns:
1) what if the user does not wake up/ or is not at home, and the water will continue to boil until the water is dried up? wouldn’t that be a hazardous item already? the entire product might just explode?
2) water too hot, makes the glass cup hot enough to scald the user? (change material of cup?)
3) can ANY material of cup be placed on it? OR ANY ITEM? (maybe a product identification kinda thing to ‘verify’ that the cup is the correct one to be used for the device?)
4) the button to turn off alarm is quite troublesome as we have to take away the cup and turn the device upside down to off it. would it be better if it was located at the sides?
however, the thing i like about this that you get to enjoy warm water right after you wake up, even better on a cold rainy morning, which can warm you up and get ready for the day ahead. and also helping your bowel movements ain’t a bad thing as well! 
(miracle to constant constipaters)
http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/07/15/timed-morning-bowel-movements/
apple remote but not by Apple
apple remote but not by Apple
Designed by Jason Roebuck
the color of this product attracted me at first. remote runs on battery and to charge, simply just connect it to the box as shown above.
my thoughts
firstly, it is a interesting and interactive way to control the tv with this new remote.
1) it is stylish
2) looks good anywhere in your home
3) simplistic
however i find some flaws:
1)what if product loses a bit of its sensitivity, will it still work as well? user will be frustrated using it?
2) what if charging box spoil entirely? remote will be rendered useless?
3) charging box spoil, need to send for service (because not sure of what the exact problem is), and as compared to normal remote controls, we can first try to DIY to find out the problem ourselves (like changing the battery)
4) should be expensive
5) indications for changing the volume or brightness of the tv may not be clear enough
6) what if user sprain his hand?
suggestions
1) indications on tv to see if remote working
2) add power button to remote to allow user to save charged electricity (use only when needed)
3) button to switch volume mode and brightness mode (clearer indication to user as compared to current design)
http://www.yankodesign.com/2007/12/05/apple-remote-but-not-by-apple/
toast messenger
Toast Messenger
Designed by Sasha Tseng
i find this interesting and suitable for the current busy lifestyle of singaporeans especially, me included, as they can be quite rushed and pressed for time in the morning. with this device, i think they can never miss the post-it note on the fridge or something if they have toast bread every morning, as once they have toasted the bread, the message would be apparent and right in front of them.
also, i’m not sure how the message is going to be ‘burnt’ onto the bread, its sad that this is still a concept and not actually made out, but if it is available in the market i would press my parents to buy one to try it out.
(but the words are BURNT ON? not so good for health in a sense…… i would suggest having the words written in chocolate? HAHA. embed a chocolate compartment in the machine and voila when the ‘pen’ touches the surface (when writing), opening for the chocolate compartment will open. better than burnt bread ya?)
the good thing about this is also you can get to read while you eat. mmhmm.
http://fotologue.jp/Sashapure
interesting product designs
1. Coiled Up In The Dryer
Designed by Industrial Facility For Wallpaper
I personally find this design very simple yet practical in a sense, which i think is fairly useful for everyday users of the product. The small compartment at the back acts as a sort of space/cupboard to store the wire and enables us to keep the wires in without much fuss, and most importantly it helps users to save space. Also I think it is really simple to use and I think it will garner quite an interest in the market if they were to be sold internationally.
http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/07/26/coiled-up-in-the-dryer/
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2. Umbrella Dryer
Designed by Noh Seon Mi
Video demo on how to use it
This may seem like a normal, unclever device at first glance, but what I find really interesting about this invention is that the water collected from the wet umbrella will be gathered to water plants and flowers, which I think is very thoughtful and environmental friendly while using the device. It seems like a kill-2-birds-with-1-stone product design as other than being environmentally friendly, it can also help us humans save time and energy by squeezing or flickering the rainwater off our umbrellas.
I think major malls or shopping centres can input this device at their doorsteps, it can garner interest and help their consumers on a rainy day, and at the end of the day = clean, non wet floors in malls which will result in LESSER NEED FOR CLEANERS = SAVE MONEY $$$ + HAPPY + MORE CUSTOMERS = MORE SALES = MORE REVENUE = MORE $$$ IN
pretty beneficiary eh? 
http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/07/22/umbrella-dryer/
3. Power Line-up
Designed by Chen Yinfeng
To be honest this was the first product I thought which never and will exist, so this finding sort of ‘wowed’ me. However, as much as it surprised me, I have some question because I don’t quite trust the reliability and the withstand of this product overtime.
-what if too much plugs were loaded in?
-will the product overheat and explode?
-does the product have a cooler inside?
i doubt it will pass the psb (i forgot what company)’s standards of using the plugs as too much will cause a power overflow which in turn may be dangerous to use.
despite the many complains, i think it is still quite innovative to design the product in such a way to save space and look unusual.
http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/07/20/power-line-up/
new set of online survey questions
after the consultation we had with mr andrew on last tuesday, we listened to his advice to nail down just on one problem. we felt that our previous online survey questions were too broad and were unable to help us in actually deciding what problem to tackle on, and hence we came up with a new set of online survey questions to better tackle on a particular problem – mainly the map.
these are the new questions we have came up with:
1. When was the last time you visited the Zoo?
a) 3 or more years ago
b) 1 to 2 years ago
c) Within this year.
2.What are your views on the new map as compared to the old one?
comparison of old and new zoo map
a) More detailed and informative
b) Too much information
c) Lacking in some area
d) Old map is better
3.Are you aware that there are shelters (resting area) around the zo
a) Yes
b) No
3.5. Are there enough signs to indicate where the shelters (resting area) are?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Never take any notice
4. Do you think there are enough signs and map boards to guide visitors to their desired place?
a) Yes
b) No
5. How do you feel about the placements of the map boards around the zoo?
a) Too far apart
b) Just nice
c) Difficult to find
–
we will compile the above online survey’s results by sunday right after we visit the zoo itself, because we will also be conducting and surveying the visitors different questions at the place for a better understanding of their experience of the zoo, and hopefully we can nail down any problems they have encountered.
first round of online survey questions + results
Questions asked: (1st round)
1. On a scale of 1-5 state your understanding of different animal shows going on at diff locations.
2. On a scale of 1 – 5 state your level of difficulty traveling around zoo.
3. Based on the number of maps around the zoo, on scale 1 – 5 how easy it is for you to find the maps? And why?
4. On a scale of 1-5, state how easy is it for you to locate yourself on the map given?
5. On a scale of 1-5, rate the efficiency of the tram rides?
6. What do you feel about the waiting time/ intervals of tram rides?
7. On the scale of 1 to 5, how do you feel about having a food rating system in the zoo so as to show you what are best recommended by the public?
8. On a scale of 1-5,what is your overall rating for the architecture of the zoo and the services they have?
9. On a scale of 1-5, rate how much you like the zoo.
Results for over 35 people
objectives and reasons for choosing online survey
Objective: to provide real time updates on different parts of the zoo so that the user can have and easier time to choose and decide on the spot what to do and go to after using our device, and also to allow detailed information about the directions to different animals.
So we choose to hold a online survey to ask the public about the problems they are encountering. Why did we choose to use a online survey?
Reasons for using online survey
-can get replies based on surveyee’s free time
- personal opinions can be gathered very quickly
- saves money and time on printing actual surveys and sending out to people for them to do
- online = easier access for people all around the world, easier to spread out to people
-most of the time, we can get the results in a short amount of time, as most people will do it immediately.
using the previous post, we concluded that Information architecture = the act of informing on environments
Possible places to work on:
Malls
-313
-Vivo
-Universal Studios
Outdoor Parks:
-Singapore Zoological Gardens
-Jurong Birdpark
-Jurong Reptile Park
and hence we chose zoo as our environment.
Research about Zoo
Today, the zoo is a model of the ‘open zoo’ concept. The animals are kept in spacious, landscaped enclosures, separated from the visitors by either dry or wet moats. The moats are concealed with vegetation or dropped below the line of vision. In the case of dangerous animals which can climb very well, moat barriers are not used. Instead, these animals are housed in landscaped glass-fronted enclosures.
comparison of old map and new map
http://i30.tinypic.com/vo3ifr.jpg
Problems we personally encounter or find that it should be improvised at the zoo:
- map hard to digests immediately after getting it, too much information – overload (would be better if info was presented one by one)
- sometimes animal shows are not updated, animal show time very complicated.
- hard to locate places unless if we take the trams – places too covered
- distance to attraction hard to gauge, often leading to tiredness and sometimes killing off adventurous mood
- maps around zoo too hard/far to locate
initial stage questions being thought of:
- do you often get lost in the zoo?
- tram ride timings?
-how to get there
-is it easy to get there?
-how do you feel about the navigation of the zoo, is it very complex
Suggestions on what to add :
- food rating system for restaurants around in the zoo
- user can tap on the, to find out whether is it nice
