- Smart Product Design -
MindYourArrow
-CONCEPT-
Mind Your Arrow is a simple game which challenges your reflexes. It includes a basic understanding of the three spatial planes x, y and z and based on which the user has to rotate the hand held cube. To challenge the users reflexes we have made sure that in the game the user has to rotate the cube in the direction opposite to the arrow displayed on the screen. By doing so the hand and eye coordination improves, motor skills of kids is improved and all their sensory stimuli towards vision increases.
Initially we began ideating with simple ideas of playing with sound and light with a grid of 9 cubes of 8x8 cm. The arrangement increased the surface area. It also included an activity of painting the pixels using joystick. Association of sound and color for easy identification by a kid. Using simple hand gestures to activate and control lights and sound effects. Playing with beats (can be scaled up as a wall). The convex curved wall installation would result into widespread of the output.
-BRAINSTORMING-
-COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY-
While selecting the arrow type that is a solid headed arrow or a 3-lined arrow we analyzed that human brain has a tendency of chunking a whole into different elements. Lesser the chunks one can easily combine it to form the whole. So, in case of the arrows people chunked the solid headed arrow into two chunks whereas the 3- lined arrow was chunked into three chunks. Hence, it was noticed that users preferred a solid headed arrow over lined arrow. As per the principle of visual attention there are two types of visuals, symbolic and non-symbolic. Symbolic is more endogenous and controlled; whereas non-symbolic is more exogenous and controls attention automatically hence a flashing arrow in a particular direction would guide the user. While we thought about whether we should design the game in which the human has to rotate the arrow in direction of the arrow or direction opposite to the arrow displayed. We considered that users sensitivity increased when they had to turn it in the opposite direction to that of an arrow displayed. As the sensitivity increases when something unusual or un-expected happens. That is how to get an accurate measure of sensitivity something unusual or unexpected needs to happen.
-ERGONOMICS-
Application of ergonomics to the product and the system enhances the quality of the product and helps in the smooth functioning of a system. In our project we have taken care of ergonomics in display, manual controls, grips, color and environment. In our game our major visual element is an arrow and hence we taken measures of an arrow close to the ratio of standard symbol of arrow; so one can recognize it easily. We had a constrain, as we have used RGB matrix which can only display red light, but the good part is color red is easiest to recognize and creates a good visual contrast against black background which is the color of the base of RGB matrix and our product. Our product is derived from cube which helps a kid to understand the spatial difference between the planes X,Y and Z easily compared to any other 3D form. We have further added filets and rounded surfaces to the edges and the corners of the cube so it is easier to grip eliminating the sharp surfaces which might hurt the hands of the user.
-USER STUDY-
User Study is an important factor of a design process and hence we conducted a user review at ‘Learner’s Den’ phonic classes. The idea of the test was to check whether the concept of the game is understood by the kid and are the dynamics of the product are in favour of the user. Some kids depicted a faster learning capacity and were highly sensitive with the rotation of the form. The 3 dimensionality of the product turned out to be an absolute hit as it brought a new perspective entirely.
