Help with feedback on my product concepts (thank you)

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frens

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Hello,

Let me give you a short introduction about who I am and where I am working on. I'm a student Industrial Design Engineering at the Technical University Delft the Netherlands. I'm in my first year of my Master and am following the course Exploring Interaction at the moment with the focus on sport divers. I have been working on this project now for 3.5 months and am now at a stage where I have to choose a concept to work out into detail and improve where is necessary.

Hopefully you can give me some feedback on my three concepts which can be seen on my poster. Please comment on how useful it is, if it gives another (fun way of) interaction under water, if it improves communication with your dive buddy and if it adds more fun to diving.

Thank you for your comments,

Vincent ten Hacken

PS: I'm using my group mates account as we made this one at the beginning of the project when we started our shared part, now we work individually.


Picture It
This concept is based on a simplified photo camera. It has only a few buttons, is robust and has a big screen. The idea is that you and your dive buddy take one camera together with your dive and that you share it. If you see something nice which you like to share with your buddy you can take a photo of it and show it to your buddy. He/she can add comments on the screen. In this way it is also possible to ask the other person what that thing on the screen is if you don't have a clue. Some extra options are a pre installed encyclopaedia with pictures and the name of that species and some emoticons to communicate in a more fun and emotional way.

Expression Ball
This concept is a combined dive torch, pointer (if you want to point at something specific) but above all a communication tool. I made 3 variants on this concept. 2 Of them are used with a writing marker and one is used with Velcro patches and possibly markers too. The idea is again that you share this ball during your dive. If you want to make remarks or communicate with your buddy you can write it down on the ball and give it to your buddy. You can choose a light colour for the thing you want to communicate, so the ball can change in color by light to express your emotions or feelings that suit with what you want to communicate. It has a sort of moodlight/ambilight in it. In this way you can already communicate through the use of a particular colour and give it a more personal and emotional load. The expression ball can also be used a a sort of log book already for during your dive. Above water, after your dive, you can share what you have seen with other divers or have a look at it with your dive buddy only. It can work as a memory for what you have seen and done during your dive.

Sticky Connections
This concept is the most intimate as you communicate by sticking Velcro patches to each others arms. It is mend to stay close to each other and focuses on tactile and visual communication. You and your dive buddy wear an arm sleeve in the colour you want (preferably the same colour as your buddy). This is also a way of making a difference with the other divers on that spot to recognize each other better. Both divers have a ring with pre printed Velcro patches which are colour coded for specific groups, for instance a different colour for fish, coral, emoticons, blank patches and dangerous species. The idea is that the diving company provides you with specific pre printed patches for that dive location so you can look up fast what you are looking at. The blank patches can be used to communicate other things then the pre printed patches. The idea is that you share more experiences, stay closer and more connected with each other, have more fun and communicate on a more emotional and in depth way.

Again, thank you for your comments.


EIposterconcepten1copy.jpg
 
First, reduce the photo size before posting. Photos this large are a PITA.

frens:
Picture It

It's a digital camera. There are lots of digital cameras available. It looks like this one
has two things to set it apart, it has a large screen and it's not very good.
The point and shoot folks might buy it.

frens:
Expression Ball

Basically a combined slate and flashlight in a terribly inconvient format. A
big ball is not easy to carry around and impossible to tuch away in a pocket.
This is a really bad idea.

frens:
Sticky Connections

Limited use for folks just learning to dive. It does not take long to learn to
recognize people underwater.
 
I cannot see myself ever using these particular products. For the camera, I am more inclined to buy a nice one that allows for the adjustment of the picture and background being taken. For the ball, it's already been said that it would be cumbersome to carry around; enough said there. For the sticky patches/arm sleeve, it would be like bringing emoticons underwater with you. After just a few brief dives you and your buddy already learn quick and to the point methods of communication by hand signals. I would quickly grow tired of a dive buddy flipping through their sticky patches for the right icon, and I would eventually ignore them doing it. I want an instant response when I ask something because bottom times are limited as it is at depth. This is why the hand signals have become universal: they are quick, effective, and to the point. Good luck on your endeavors though and congratulations on your master!
 
Practically speaking:

1. If you want to know what a particular fish is, you point at it, the buddy looks at it and you discuss it post dive or write it on a slate. Taking a picture of it with an inexpensive camera is fraught with difficulties in that shutter lag, low light levels, distance underwater, etc can and usually do make it extremely hard to capture the fish on camera without lots of practice.

2. A big ball would have to be neutrally bouyant which means it is either heavy - around 64 lbs per cu ft - or would have to be free flooding. The former would not work and the latter is problematic anytime you enter or leave the water in any kind of surf or current. And I can just imagine such a ball getting dropped on or rolling across fragile reefs. Not real cool.

3. Sticking velcro patches on my arm would annoy me immensely. Plus it is yet another piece of equipment to haul along and provides one more thing for new divers to hang on themselves with lanyards so it can pummel the reef. And I can just imagine the litter that will result as current, errant fin kicks, etc dislodge the patches and send them drifting all over the place. No thanks.

As indicated above, sign language is very effective and has out lasted most of the higher tech fads that tried to replace it.
 
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Ok.. I will start off with the good.. The image size you posted is no problem for me.

Now.. Have you ever heard the term "Back to the drawing board"? This is where that saying comes in.

None of the ideas you have detailed here seem worthwhile.. You are assuming people are "touring" while they are diving. Meaning, like in a museum or other attraction you control your rate of movement, discuss anything you may encounter and move on.. with drift diving, not so easy.. so now imagine you are fighting the current to stay and look at something and now you want to distract more by adding a complex communication to the procedure and that will require you to take time away from looking at the object (which most people do not want to do!)..

In other types of diving, I find we are typically following eachother or somewhat near but not arms reach and certainly not going to get anyones attention with a ball, camera or patches.. Imaging how much energy the patch user is going to waste constantly looking up a patch and then swimming to catch up to their buddy and tag them...


Freebie! Here is an idea... Mini keyboard, LED <-- not LCD! screen, and viola! type what you want to say, hold it up and others can read it! Make it the size of the typical notepad and you are set.
LED would keep it cheap and the circuits should nto cost too much to program. If it were easy to play with, I would probably get it just for my kids to goof off with..

Good luck!
 
He's an (internet) performance artist, kids. Buy a clue.
 
After reading the original post I would have to agree with everyone else that these ideas are just not pratical. DA Aquamaster said, "And I can just imagine such a ball getting dropped on or rolling across fragile reefs. Not real cool." I would have to agree that this could cause major problems and ruin many many years of growth. I will however say that you should never give up on your dream and don't be discouraged by what people say. It is only their opinion and something they may not like can be loved by others. Keep us updated as to what you do.
 

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