Design Thinking Project
Vision Statement: Empathize and Define
For the design thinking project, our group decided to address the problem many of us face with our window blinds, shutters, and curtains. Too many, this is a daily task that seems tedious. The operation of blinds has always made people feel a sense of embarrassment. We all witnessed it in class when Jose attempted to operate the blinds and helplessly struggled to figure out the correct mechanism. But he is not alone many of us have struggled through that and our observations showed that to be true. People of different genders, ages, and races all have many struggles they share. Younger adults (18-30) expressed issues of understanding wether the blinds should be facing up or down, they didn’t like having to use curtains to keep the brightness out and the physical aspect of actually having to get up to adjust the blinds. While older adults (30+) did agree with the amount of brightness being let in and the physicality of adjusting your blinds, they also brought to our attention the privacy issues blinds may cause.
While initially observing how people interact with blinds through visual observation and answers from a survey we conducted this allowed us to determine that the solution to improving the design of blinds is much more complicated than a simple answer. The solution to improving blinds based on survey results showed that the preference and opinion of a variety of people must be taken into account while moving forward with the design process.
For many people opening blinds is second nature and they don’t mind but for some, this is a common task for them that could be much simpler. When observing participants while they attempted to open blinds we found that this is a troubling task more often than not for most people. Other troubling features of blinds were their confusion between do we pull the string right or left to get them to stay, and what about bringing them down? As well as a few were confused about the purpose of the pin with the stick.
Throughout our observation and empathizing stages of design, we have found several common denominators. Ease of access is a very big desire for most all of the people we have interviewed which helped us identify the problem more directly. Although, there were many commonalities in the data collected, we found that most of the time, people have different preferences in the amount of natural light they want in their room at specific times. To conclude, there are many components to take into account before taking the next step in the design process in order to compensate for all parties.
Design Proposal: Ideate, Prototype, and Test
Ideate
In our proposal, we talked about making a system that will control curtains, blinds, and/or shutters more easily and efficiently. After several hours of brainstorming our group decided on making a remote and/or app that will help consumers easily control their blinds. We decided to make both an app and a remote to make it easier for people to be able to control their settings from anywhere. Apps would allow people to control their settings from anywhere, while a remote would require a certain distance from the blinds. We decided to make it very simple and easy for anyone to use.
1st attempt design
During the process of ideating first design we knew we wanted to eliminate the string factor on blinds as well as make it easier for people to know and comprehend how to use the blinds. When collecting data from people we found most people wanted an electronic way to open their blinds so we decided to take the approach of having a remote as well as an app you can download on your phone. The remote has features that allow you to adjust the amount of light that comes through the window with the turn of a knob as well as set a timer that allows light to come in at that set time. The app allows for the same features but gives users an additional schedule feature that allows you to plan ahead and set timers for each day.
With the app, a feature that we would add would be the choice of which language the user would like to use. We are aware that people speak and read different languages and we want to make sure that our app is inclusive to all. We would let the user choose the language when they first install the app with the choice of changing the language at a later time if they wish to do so.
Prototype
While perfecting our prototype, our main focus was simplicity. In order to make the design most effective in universal acceptance, our new window blinds need to be easy to use. The two different designs we developed included a tangible remote that breaks accessibility barriers using universal design, and one that incorporates language on an app. The battery powered remote control prototype is connected to the window by sensors like a T.V. remote is connected, with options to change the opacity. The opacity mechanism is achieved through technology that allows an electrical charge to pass through the inside of the glass which controls the transparency of the glass. This technology already exists in the windows of several luxury cars also controlled by a remote. The knob has a vibrating mechanism that gets stronger when adjusting the natural light (vibrates more when getting brighter and less when shutting off more light). The app we developed has more opportunity for control over how and when you can control the amount of light in addition to the remote being accessible digitally. This is achieved by incorporating a schedule that acts as an alarm clock or timer, giving you the ability to control when you want certain amounts of light.
Test
When it came to redesigning our first prototype we found that it was hard for users to understand the timer feature on the remote. As a group we liked the timer feature so we made the adjustment of keeping the timer feature only on the app. We also added a vibrating feature to the knob that sends a vibration as you let more or less light in. When it came to further designing our prototype we listened to the wants of the consumers and added features that now include connecting with Alexa and Google Home in our app. As well as adding a sensor to the remote that made it possible to use the same remote to control multiple windows depending on the distance you have from the window you want to control.
Reflection on the Design Thinking Process
While reflecting on the design process and talking to a few people, it came to light that our design would be helpful too many. Many people found the design to be friendly and easy to utilize. Some of the feedback we got:
“Oh my god! This would make my life so easy!”
“I think the app and schedule would be very helpful. Dealing with window blinds was always a struggle.”
We made sure to include people’s desire to manipulate things with their hands. According to the reading A Brief Rant On The Future Of Interaction Design, people like to manipulate things with their hands, this prompted us to include a vibrating mechanism to both the remote and the app. The remote allows people to manipulate things physically with their hands, but the app will be a smooth surface that some people may find uncomfortable. To assist the needs of everyone we decided to create the vibrating feature on the app to give consumers the hands-on manipulation that is embedded in our day-to-day culture.
In the reading An Introduction to Design Thinking Process Guide, one of the main steps is to empathize by observing. Before we began creating our new design we observed those around us and how they interacted with curtains, blinds, and shutters. Taking the time to understand and assist the needs of all people of different gender, age and race. We also took the time to not only ask questions in person but also having some people do a survey online and tell us their thoughts regarding their personal experience with blinds. From the feedback we received participants suggested the following: “touch sensors,” “black out option,” “knobs or dials,”and a “remote control”. We received a lot of feedback and were able to implement people’s thoughts and feelings towards our design.
Our design will impact our culture in a positive way. It will help many people of different gender, age, race live their lives in an efficient way. We believe that people will find our design to be friendly and effective in their daily lives.
Design
For this project I kept the design images the same. I made changes to the writing portion by adding specific data of the different struggles participants found with their blinds. Furthermore I added the different struggles younger and older adults face, as well as the challenges they had in common.
Sources:
http://worrydream.com/ABriefRantOnTheFutureOfInteractionDesign/
Amani Edmondson 
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