Project Bugged 2.0 | Interactive Umbrella
Competencies: UFP, FS, IT, T, C, IC, SCA, SDCL, DMM, DRP
What would you do when your umbrella tries to get your attention? How would you react when it comes alive? Would you continue using it?
This are three questions asked by us according to the main focus of our B1.1 project, Bugged 2.0 at Playful Interactions at the Department of Industrial Design of the TU/e. The objective of Bugged 2.0 was to take an ordinary product and ‘bug’ it. Bugging was explained as giving a product a character which would cause an unexpected interaction.
Our final concept is an umbrella that behaves like a puppy. It will try to get your attention in order to be taken outside and will shake itself dry when wet.
All together I think this was a good first project. I developed multiple competencies, made working prototypes, learned how to think outside the box and figured out the study’s system of ID. All the first-year's projects motivated each other and gave an insight if you were on track.
During the process, the project also had its downsides: it was undefined in the beginning and design were supposed to have no function. Our group learned to work with these problems by defining Bugged and setting a goal. After a while we also we missed functionality and created this by making a positive bug that makes life easier. I now know that I seek functionality in design.
 Final Demo Day |
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 poster |
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 components: sensors, motors, arduinos and powersupplies |
 our working place |
 soldering, one of may things I learned during protoype phase |
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Feedback by coach S.I. Lucas
on report:
"Report is very clear, good overview what you've done in every phase of the design process."
on group process:
"you worked very professionally as a team and you took the project very seriously and you did everything to succeed this project."
on individual process:
"Pleun is a really honest student, wants to work hard and is very ambitious in the project, always took the lead in coach meetings to summarize the progression of the week. [...] tried to get everything out of him self and knows his weak points. [...]Really enthusiastic students who wants to learn as much as possible, but also is aware of his weak points, but is always motivated to work on that. [...]Try to find the right dividing in work(time) between project, bachelor college and assignments."
I am very pleased with this feedback and can take a few lessons from it:
The report was very clear and well written. The only remarks were the lack of user focus, more detail on different prototypes that were made and references have to be improved. This is something to take in account for the next project.
As personal advice I got the feedback that I have to try to find a balance between project, bachelor college and assignments. I take this serious and will try to manage this more.