Date: January - March 2021
Client: Student project at Chalmers University of technology
Challenge: Creating a tangible artefact that can repeatedly be broken down and repaired by its owner
Project time: 3 months in 2020
My Role: UX designer
What I did: Formative research, ideation, prototyping, testing
Background
The challenge was meant to emphasise the story and sentiment around an artefact. Focus was on having a convincing story about what motivates the owner to keep repairing and using this product.
Research
In order to understand the users, we carried out formative research using the method of photo journaling and following it up with interviews. We wanted to research attitudes regarding sentimental possessions and artefacts being able to be broken down and be rebuilt. After analysing the data, we found that the people we had asked especially valued artefacts that were connected to good memories.
Ideation
After analysing the data from the formative research, we arrived at the problem statement: "design an artefact that is rebuildable and that invokes the feelings of nostalgia and calmness". Through the use of brainstorming, brain-writing and crazy8 sketching, we arrived at the idea of a "digital cassette" that you can wind back and choose if you want music from your childhood/teenage years as a way of invoking the feeling of nostalgia.
Inspiration from the design was the different "throwback" functions that can be found in social media applications and in phone galleries. Another inspiration was the way old cassette tapes used to be rewound with a pencil. The product "breaks down" when the tape runs out (when the song is over). It is then "rebuilt" by the user by rewinding the cassette with the use of a pencil looking tool.
Prototyping
The final prototype was made out of a capa board, a cardboard box, wooden cylinders to hang the cassette on, acrylic paint and double-sided tape. The box consisted of a wifi board, servo motor, photo resistor and a speaker. The wifi board connects to Spotify in order to play songs from the user's "past".
Electronics of the prototype.
Testing
In order to investigate whether the purpose of the design had been met and the intuitiveness of the product, we carried out UX testing with 3 participants. The participants were asked to complete a set of tasks by interacting with the artefact while thinking aloud. They were then asked a few questions after each task and got to contribute with their overall impression at the end of the testing.
Participant's feedback from testing with the final prototype was that the nostalgia factor was clear and was the design's strongest attribute. The cassette itself was found to be intuitive to use, however, the testing revealed that it was that the way the year is set, by using the pen, was difficult to understand. For example, one participant picked up the pen but thought that they were supposed to write a year with it, rather than turning it.
Deliverables
In addition to the physical prototype, a video was created to show a user scenario https://youtu.be/HEloV2jZ68g and a poster showing how the product is used was created.
