Interaction Design Search: The secret life of Phones

This project will search the domain of mobile phones for Product, Interaction and Graphic Design opportunities.

Phase #1: Empathy with users.

The project will rely on a “model” of two users; the student designer self and an invited person (a close friend, brother/sister, parent?). A model of the two users will be built using essays, photo’s, recordings, movies, powerpoint, prezi, keynote, etc. The model will be presented in four “chapters”.

Chapter 1: Character empathy. The user character will be will presented. Age, gender, occupation, home, relationships, hobbies, talents, etc

Chapter 2. Chronology: A 24hr chronological account of the users life (based on one of the Design Search Themes below)

Chapter 3. Activities: What life activities are taking place when the phone is being used for the theme element listed below.

Chapter 4. Places and contexts: What context is occurring when the phone is being used for the theme element listed below. Where is this happening?

These four chapters (multimedia presentations) will combine to form the “model”.

In Phase #2 the model will be tested and searched using methods described in another post (later)

Design Search Themes

  1. Calls: Making a call/taking a call/during the call/missed/conference
  2. Texts: Receiving a txt/sending/reading/deleting/forwarding/multiple texts/managing
  3. Photos: Taking a photo/viewing photos/sharing
  4. Time: Checking the time/alarms/stopwatch/setup/zones/network time
  5. Games: Games that are onboard when you get the phone/new games/network games/leader boards
  6. Twitter: Tweeting contexts, the idea of passive open rhetoric
  7. Facebook: Instead of calls and texts
  8. Contacts: Transferring from last phone/creating a new contact/editing/managing/getting new lists/sharing/extra
  9. Music: Playing music/organising music/buying/sharing/headphones and speaker systems/connectivity
  10. File transfer: Using the phone for file storage/sharing skydrive/icloud etc
  11. Shopping: What happens when you go shopping with a mobile?
  12. Privacy: What aspect of privacy matter on your phone? Do you protect anything?
  13. Home screens: Ringtones, backgrounds, wallpapers, widgets
  14. Movies: Playing feature movies/TV Series. Downloading movies, sharing
  15. Dual Screen: While watching TV/Playing games
  16. Making Movies: Effects, Sharing/Youtube/FB
  17. E Mail: Managing email, reading/responding
  18. Navigation: Using maps, turn by turn, finding your way GPS apps (speed, running apps, etc)
  19. Apps: managing apps, free, purchased
  20. Calendar: Using the calander to plan an event/life
  21. Places that phones are in: Pockets, bags, tents, bedrooms, kitchens, cars, classrooms, etc
  22. Web Browsing: Google
  23. Charging the battery: how is it done, when, where, how often
  24. Reading: Books/newspapers/magazines
  25. Settings: Altering the settings in a phone. How is it done, why, how often. Phone experiences while roaming.
  26. Notes:
  27. Banking:
  28. Passwords: Remembering
  29. Voice note recording:
  30. Voice activated commands/siri:
  31. Timetable: keeping timebales for travel, etc.