NCR

'A New World of Interaction' was the title of the breif, and idea was to design a new self service interaction for our generation (18-25) and with the aim being able to come to market within the next 2 years.

My concept has been designed to make it easier for users to keep track of their electricity usage and bills.
The main problems with existing electricity meters where its location and the units the reading is given in. My research has shown the reading on the meter does not directly give the information that the majority of the 18-25 year old age group is interested in, which is the price of the energy used. To find this value, the user must multiply the energy used by the hourly rates, usually peak and off peak. This is time consuming and fairly complicated. The location of the meter is also a typical problem, with the meters being fitted in awkward and inconvenient places.
A web and app based meter interface would be used, meaning that the user could check their electricity usage more easily.
The meter would display the price of the energy being used and the user’s total bill, as well as the units of power used.
Heat maps would show the user where the energy was being used and in what quantities.
The interface would allow the user to set their own targets for how much they aimed to spend on their electricity over a selected time frame. It would track their spending and help keep them stay within their budget. Text and email alerts would warn the user if they were at risk of overspending, which is a common occurrence with current normal meters.

Here are my final boards which were presented to NCR:

A Mattress of Survival...

This project was run with Glencraft, a local buisness who manufacture mattresses, and Surivival One who design and make survival equipment for many markets including offshore and maritime.

The breif was to design a 'disaster mattress'. The type of disaster was not specifed. I decided to look into the aftermath of natural disaster. I focused on refugee camps, and how they are set-up and supplied.

Research:



I focused on making a 'mattress' which would not take up much space when in storage, but would still be comfertable to use on a daily basis, aswell as being quite durable. I also wanted to design something that Glencraft themselves could produce if possible.

Concept Development:



Final:

10x10 Wood: first prototypes

Here are the first prototypes I have produced for the project:

Wooden coat hooks



Here are a couple of variations of wooden coat hooks that I have been playing around with





Wooden socket cover

Household objects broken down and simplified.

Stapler for the blind.

Stapler for the blind.

Has a built in tray to help align paper correctly and hold it in place properly whilst the stapler is in use. Has 'PUSH' braille on top of the stapler.

Stapler for the deaf.

Stapler for the deaf. Lights up to confirm that the staple has been correctly applied.


There is a light beneath the clear plastic casing.

The Stiletto Stapler.

Foot operated Stiletto Stapler.

Handle bar stapler

The Saddle Stapler Mk1

A rather crude model of the Saddle Stapler. The staple is inserted when the user sits on the saddle.