月度归档： 2021 年 12 月

This semester I mainly focus two project to do some try. One is solve the open method of luggage is so tedious, second is solve sedentary problem.

For me, these two projects have increased my thinking about product design. Of course, I still like the field of product design, and I still enjoy the feeling of finding a problem that no one else has solved. However, I still feel that I’ve only seen part of it. I don’t like the first some product design process, and I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product. I also found that I do not like intelligent and electronic products to solve problems. I think it complicates problem solving to some extent. If a problem is solved entirely by physics, structure and ingenious design, the product will become an excellent product.

At present, the luggage project has been shelved, and the sedentary project has just finished the research, and is in the stage of making the product prototype. Both projects encountered some challenges, but also some gains. I reflected on the following points:

Gain

• I found a problem that a lot of people ignored, but some people felt it was a problem after I raised it. I think we sometimes take things for granted too easily, and should think about better solutions. In addition, I think I should not be afraid of being too simple or being laughed at by others. Instead, I should boldly put forward my own ideas, and think deeply and improve my own ideas.
• I agree that user research is an effective way to create innovative products and solve user problems. I have read a story that A wants to build a bridge for B. If A does not conduct user research, A will most likely directly build a bridge for B. If A conducts a user interview with B and finds that B’s real need is to cross the river, A can totally find A boat for B. Obviously, boats are a more efficient and cheaper way to cross the river.
• Observation is more truly than user research. Take Sensory project example. When we do the user interview, some of person’s answer is they aren’t fell any pain or unsuitable. But when I observe, I find that almost all people will change their sitting pose when they are sedentary.
• There are far more things to consider when designing products than there are problems I want to solve. For luggage, to change its way of opening is actually an easy thing, but the ensuing problems are difficult to solve, such as the center of gravity, the firm in consignment.

Challenge

• I overestimated my ability to solve problems. Take luggage project sample, my idea is to change it opening way to the drawer. That will be more easier to open, and that solve the problem I want to solve. About this opening way, the center of gravity (when all drawer are open, how the luggage stable on the ground) and the firm in consignment (Which structure can make sure the luggage in the consignment won’t open) is more important problems. I can’t find Technical balance idea. So that, this project stopped.
• Inadequate ability to proactively manage projects. I didn’t make a big plan for the whole project, so I didn’t know what the whole process was like and where I was now. I am passive about the teacher’s progress in class.
• My motivation was not enough to do things, that are out of proportion to the time you put in. Sometimes I will blindly look at some websites, at this time my goal is not strong, look for a long time also do not know what to look for. Time is wasted. In addition, I sometimes focus on small things and ignore the more important things, thus delaying the progress of the whole project.

To sum up, product design is my favorite field. I have a strong desire to start, and I can really find many small problems in life. But after the project started, my motivation dropped significantly, which is something I need to overcome later. In product design, I have a lot of respect for Steve Jobs and IDEO. The former has designed a lot of products that are called “magic” and make ideas which are in imagination come true. The latter has designed a lot of things that are used in everyday life and have changed people’s lives to some extent. When I hit a wall, they rekindle my desire for the final product of an idea.

In those days, my project go into the research process. I learned about research method and have some things done. 

Research background 

Because I have engineering class at class, and we focus on the problems of chairs. So that I really often focus on chairs. Then, I find sedentary problem was often mention by people, but no solution. 

Then, I have the idea to solve sedentary problem. First, I open Taobao app to find some product also want solve this problem. The odd thing was, all of products are make you sitting more comfortable, not make sure you won’t sitting in a long time. I told this idea to Miss Ren, she also think this is a great idea, and better than Luggage one, more suitable for me to solve.

I think about a design which I have seen it long ago, it will reduce water resources.  They use a material which meet water then expend on one of a wall in your shower place. Once you shower use long time, this material meet much water, this material will expend the place to you can’t turn your body, so you must stop shower and leave. The logic in this design is let you not comfortable to stop the behavior. 

Including this logic, I have the first idea of product of sedentary. The solution is a cushion that have some thing can rock your bottom, so you cannot continue to sit on the chair. About is this idea can truly solve the problem, I want to make a detail research.

Research users

I choose two kind of people, one is junior high school student to undergraduate students, 12-22 years old, two is young office worker, 23-35years old.

Research methods

I decided use three methods to do the research: User observation, user interviews, media resources.

1、user observation ：

I choose 10 persons of my target user (5students, 5 occupied people), observe time of they sit, and how long did they change their sitting pose.

2、User interviews：

I choose 10 persons of my target user (5students, 5 occupied people), talk to them face to face or online.

Those are questions I prepared. 

How do you think sitting affects your body？

How long do you usually realize you’ve been sitting for a long time from you sitting down？

Does your body have pain caused by sitting for a long time？

How much do you want to change this question？

What have you done to solve this problem？

Interview record:

Those are my persona of my target user.

• 16 years old, student, 8-9hours class per day, 10min between each class, 4hours home work

• 17 years old, student, 8-9hours class per day, 10min between each class, music major, 2h homework, 2h piano.

• 16 years old, student, 7+hours class per day, 5min between each class, always stay late for play game or do homework.

• 19 years old, student, 6+hours class per day, 10min between each class, stay late 4 days average each week to do homework.

• 24 years old, office worker, 8hours work per day, do some sport at home after work.

• 25 years old, office worker, 9hours work per day, During working hours (9:00-12:00, 13:00-19:00), he will not leave his seat and will directly ask for any information on WeChat.

• 20 years old, student, 6+hours class per day, always stay late for play games and do homework, lots of poor posture.

• 22 years old, office worker, 9hours work per day, play basketball after work.

• 30 years old, office worker, 8hours work per day, but always overtime, lay down after back home, because of so tired. 

• 34 years old, office worker, 8hours work per day, but there are 2 days will be in outside. 

This is my interview draft, in really brief expression.

3、 Media resource 

Use Bing Academic and Google to find authoritative health websites and search for “sitting” data, and my goal is no fewer than 10 websites.

resourses:

What’s Wrong With a Sedentary Lifestyle?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2996155/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7700832/

https://blog.vantagefit.io/sedentary-lifestyle/

What is Sedentary Behaviour?

https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/do-you-have-sitting-disease#1

https://medlineplus.gov/healthrisksofaninactivelifestyle.html

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31221536/

https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=2924

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/sitting-disease-how-a-sedentary-lifestyle-affects-heart-health

Results

User obsevation: 10 participants were observed, the average sitting time was 1.75 hours, the maximum sitting time was 3 hours, and 8 participants changed their sitting position after 1 hour of sitting time.

User interview: 10 people were interviewed online and offline. 80% of them knew that sitting was a serious problem and 20% of them took effective preventive measures. 80% of students do not feel sedentary, and 100% of office workers have a more serious problem with sitting; Fifty percent of people experience discomfort from sitting for long periods of time

Analysis of media data: Sitting for long periods of time, with no positive reports, is associated with the following diseases (lumbar disc herniation, obesity, accelerated aging, cardiovascular disease, increased risk of cancer, reduced muscle strength, reduced reaction time, hypertension, etc.)

最开始的时候，我们需要找到一个名画提取颜色。我到网站上，发现可以按照颜色找画的功能。因为我很喜欢紫色，所以我去找了紫色的画，在众多紫色的画里我一眼看到了它。

我真的非常喜欢这张照片里的颜色和一些亮点，比如一个粉色的裙子，绿色的帽子还有什么的。

这是我从中提取出来的色样

在找房间的时候，我非常偏向于一个让我舒服的空间，于是，我找到了一个沙发很软，有地毯的角落，我按照这一个房间角落，用这幅画里的颜色画出来了一个新的房间，成品是这样的：

由Pini Leibovich设计的彩色椅子在任何房间都是极好的亮点。Pini Leibovich是一名来自以色列的工业设计师，毕业于耶路撒冷的Bezalel艺术与设计学院。这把椅子和其他椅子的不同之处在于，它们是用一种非常不寻常的材料制成的，气球。”Happy Material系列:当人们遇到熟悉的材料，比如用不同方式使用的气球，就会产生一种快乐。智力上的障碍消失了，情绪也出现了。”其他艺术家的作品可以在Flickr上找到。

所述Silkchair通过使用拉伸的木制框架上的彩色丝的字符串构成。Alvi Design的设计师将他们的椅子设计基于独特且多功能的材料，并将其与 FSC 认证的橡木相结合以提供支撑。椅子的靠背和座位区轻轻地提供了一种类似于天堂乐器的相似之处：竖琴。Silkchair 环保且美观，实际上非常坚固，可以支撑一个人的重量，并在整个表面均匀分布。

在大致确定下来一个要解决的问题之后，就可以开始完成竞品调研了。这个步骤需要从各个平台找一些不同品牌的箱子的信息。包括但不限于材质、容量、特点等点。

第一次做竞品调研时，我在pinterest上找很多的设计，但我发现这个网站上没有很多细节的东西，我没有办法在上面找到箱子的容量还有一些信息，因此我的第一次竞品调研陷入了僵局。

之后我发现可以通过别的平台，比如知乎，小红书，淘宝啥的找到一些细节的东西。并且会有很多「测评」是完全站在用户的角度的，也因此我的第二次竞品调研才开始走上正轨。