Self Initiated by Josh Benjamin McDonald

SELF-INITIATED

Josh Benjamin McDonald Glasgow School of Art BDes Hons Product Design 2013/14 e. jbmcdesign@gmail.com t. +447894742545

Brief

“”

society is changing in relation to personal data, how we share it and how we use it. taking into consideration What the term ‘Privacy’ has come to mean and how we control it. looking at Why people like to share personal data, What data will we create in the future and how will it be shared? How will we control this data?

DISCOVER. 01 - 10 Finding an area of focus through desk research and primary user interviews. Identification of potential design oppertunites. DEFINE. 11 - 25 Gathering and processing insights, analysing them with potential users in mind, into a clear set of needs and desires in order to highlight a design challenge. DEVELOP. 26 - 38 Concept generation to foam model mockups and testing, amalgamating user insights through a variety of proposals, conveying their emotional needs, desires and key opportunities. DELIVER. 39 - 44 Refinement of proposals using user feedback. Using a digital interaction to encourage couples to share their secrets with each other, encouraging discussion and stimulating personal growth and relationship intimacy.

> JOSH BENJAMIN MCDONALD

This project was individually lead, from the creation of the brief to the final outcome. Mil Stricevic was my tutor for this project and has been for all the projects this year. Scheduled tutorials allowed me to present my direction at each stage of the project and take his feedback into consideration. I also turned to my colleges for constructive feedback with small tutorial sessions organized as a group. Peachy Keachy presentations where also used to update the class on current progress and get constructive feedback from additional tutors Tom Warren, Kirsty Ross and Janet Kelly. The content within this Project Process Journal is my personal design journey of my individual project.

+Participants

verb

DISCOVER

1. to see, get knowledge of, learn of, find, or find out; gain sight or knowledge of (something previously unseen or unknown). 2. to notice or realize. 3. Archaic. to make known; reveal; disclose.

> USING POST-ET NOTES TO VISUALISE THE VASTNESS OF PERSONAL DATA

My chosen project was to examine personal data therefore the first step that I took was to spend time defining what this data consisted of. Using postit notes I wrote down all of the pieces of data that could be considered to be personal data and created a map. In addition to existing forms of data I also examined possible near future examples. These ranged from trivial things such as date of birth date and gender to very personal and sensitive information such as passwords, blood type and DNA. The conclusion that I came to was that a large amount of this information was displayed on and easily accessed through digital devices.

+PERSONAL DATA

“”

I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded. That is not something I am willing to support or live under. > QUOTE FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD BY GLENN GREENWALD, THE GUARDIAN 8. 7. 13

This led me to explore counter surveillance and how people are now trying to hide their personal data. The main issue currently is that a large amount of personal data is being stored digitally and is being accessed by private companies and even the government without our consent or awareness. The two opposing arguments defending this are “it is an invasion of privacy” or that “it is making the world a safer place”. The knowledge that this is happening has resulted in small sections of the population becoming ‘paranoid’ and taking the decision to go to the extreme

+Initial response

of living off grid by removing their digital presence. There was further cause for concern when Edward Snowden leaked information about how the NSA (National Security Agency) was spying on the public and how the world was becoming an Oswald-esc ‘surveillance state’. However for the most part this was due to the development of technology and the fact that we use digital devices, which can be accessed remotely. I decided to research and see what solutions where being designed to protect privacy and personal data.

C.V DAZZLE CAMOFLASH OFF-POCKET BY ADAM HARVEY

My research revealed that there were already a lot of designs, which were developed to address the topic of counter/anti-surveillance. Some of the most interesting ones I found were developed by a Brooklyn, New York based designer called Adam Harvey. He created a range of products that looked at solving different aspects of counter-surveillance. This resulted in an online marketplace being created where you could purchase counter-surveillance art and privacy products. His designs looked at tackling areas such as face recognition to cellular tracking devices. It was clear from this research that anti-surveillance was a design opportunity to be explored.

+ADAM HARVEY

> ADAM HARVEYS “STEALTH WEAR” IS DESIGNED TO HIDE THE WEARER FROM THE THERMAL CAMERAS USED BY DRONES. THE STYLISH GARMENTS BLOCK THE WEARERS BODY HEAT FROM BECOMING DETECTABLE, CREATING THERMAL AN INVISIBLE CLOAK.

“”

honestly? i don’t really care if the government is spying on me, i have nothing to hide. > PAUL DOCKERY ( 21 / STUDENT )

The topic of anti-surveillance and privacy of personal data is clearly a hotly debated topic and one designers are looking to design for and for companies cash in on. However in a society where people are sharing more personal data than ever before and more apps and online platforms are being created to enable people to do so, are people really that concerned about being under surveillance? When I asked a range of people what they thought of Adam Harvey’s designs and the topic of counter surveillance I found that not many were aware or necessarily cared about being under surveillance. For the most part people had nothing to hide and so had no reason to feel paranoid about potential surveillance. It was from this that I decided to turn my attention from counter surveillance and the protection of personal data to the sharing personal data.

+refinement

With a new area of focus I began by considering what the word privacy means in today’s world. The Oxford dictionary definition of privacy is; “a state in which one is not observed or disturbed by other people”. In today’s world however with people sharing the most personal and private moments of their life it would appear that a sense of privacy is no longer achievable or desired. In a recent article written by Nathan Jurgenson for WIRED he described privacy as “operating not like a door that’s kept either open or closed but like a fan dance, a seductive game of reveal and conceal ”. This change in privacy comes with the development mobile technology and creation of

+PRIVACY

social media platforms. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg believes that privacy is no longer a social norm in today’s society. In his words “the rise of social networking online means that people no longer have an expectation of privacy ” and I believe he is right. Facebook offers its user the ability to create profiles disclosing a range of information about themselves and is one of the most popular websites of all time, coming after Google and Youtube. Facebook however is not the only social media platform that is being used to share data.

SNAPCHAT INSTAGRAM iMESSAGE

FACEBOOK VINE TWITTER

As I mentioned before the development of technology (specifically mobile phones) and the creation of social media platforms has affected personal privacy and how we perceive it. There is now a multitude of different apps available that allow you to share personal data in various forms. The most popular are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Vine and iMessage, each of them offering different ways to share personal data. This has lead to people sharing not only personal information publicly but conversations, pictures and videos of personal and private aspects of their life. Debauchery is thriving in the digital realm. Even though they are aware of the potential damage and danger of sharing â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;raunchyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; photos with complete strangers and trust worthy partners, people are still choosing to do so. Exposing these once thought of extremely private and highly sensitive moments to a public audience.

+social media

> IMAGINES WERE TAKEN FROM INSTAGRAM & SNAPCHAT

> RETURNING TO MY INITIAL EXPLORATION OF PERSONAL DATA I HIGHLIGHTED THAT PASSWORDS AND SECRETS ARE KEPT PRIVATE

This led me to ask the question, what do we not share? Is there no longer anything we keep to ourselves, nothing that is truly private? I decided to step back and look at the data map that I had created to see if there was anything that wasn’t shared. With such a willingness and desire to share personal data I felt that there was more scope to look at enabling people to share data, rather than prevent access. To my surprise there were pieces of data that we not shared publicly, however there were only a very few. The two however that stood out to me were passwords and secrets. Both highly sensitive and important. Only being shared on a need to know basis with extreme caution. How could I explore one of these areas and help people share this type of data?

+opportunities

“”

what type of data are people less willing to share?

define noun

1. to state or set forth the meaning of (a word, phrase, etc.) 2. to explain or identify the nature or essential qualities. 3. to determine or fix the boundaries or extent of: to define property with stakes. 4. to make clear the outline or form of.

With the option of exploring secrets or passwords I decided to take the project forward with secrets. Secrets are very private pieces of data that are not necessary intended to be shared but quite often are. I felt that there was more scope in exploring how people could share secrets rather than passwords. Passwords are not data that we usually share therefore I felt there was no potential in this area. I began by researching secrets, the effects they have on people. Existing secret sharing platforms, the types of secrets we keep and the reason we do so.

+Secrets

During my research of the effects of keeping secrets I found that doing so can be hazardous to your health. Not only can it cause negative psychological effects but also physical pain. Most of the effects came from the built up stress caused by keeping secrets and constantly having to battle with yourself not to share them. Knowing how sharing secrets had its medical benefits, I would take this forward as a reason to explore ways to enable people to share secrets.

+effects

POST SECRET WEBSITE FOUND AT HTTP://POSTSECRET.COM EXAMPLES OF SECRETS SENT IN BY POSTCARD ON THE BLOG

I then went on to search for existing services that enable people to share secrets. Doing this would allow me to take these examples into consideration when designing my outcome, ensuring they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cross over and that key aspects where included. The most popular one I found was Post Secret, an online blog that displayed the secrets people sent by postcard anonymously. It all started as a community art project founded by Frank Warren and has become a place

+Post secret

for people to share secrets but also view other and put their own into perspective. The one aspect I liked about this was how each postcard was personal and different for each secret. It made it seem more life like and individual. Anonymity plays a big part in this project, giving people a safe environment to share secrets without fear of exposure. The purpose of Post Secret is to allow people to get secrets off their chests with no feedback or response.

> BREAKDOWN OF THE TOUCHPOINTS OF THE SECRET APP

Another service that I found which was more experiential was an app called Secret. The app allows you to share secrets anonymously but only with people you know. There are no profiles or names therefore users identities are hidden. However only being able to share with friends and friends of friends makes sharing that bit more risky. As well as anonymity Secret also adopts the personalisation of posts in the same way as Post Secret. It allows people to choose different pictures on which to display their message. However, it has an added feature, which is missing from Post Secret, people can comment and like posts. This creates more interaction and offers potential advice and reassurance from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;complete strangersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. I liked certain touch points of this service, especially the ability to comment on secrets. However my feeling was that as Secret was only an app this made the process feel very mechanical and cold.

+Secret app

SOCIAL MEDIA LEAVES VERY LITTLE PRIVACY PORTABLE CONFESSIONAL BY TRONG GIA NGUYEN

CONFESSIONS CHAIR BY ARIK LEVY CONFESSION RANGE BY NICK ROSS

The final service for sharing secrets was one that has been around for centuries, the act of confession. The religious practise offers people a safe environment, free from judgment to confess their sins, seek advice and forgiveness from god. However religion is playing less of a role in peoples life today and the act of confession has almost been forgotten. With religion not being an incentive, I asked myself the question, what the modern day confessional would be? Some of the designs I found incorporated the

+Confessional

theme of anonymity and created a place for conversation but rather than with a ‘man of the cloth’ the discussion was with a peer. Although beneficial, face-to-face discussion with someone about secrets is an aspect I wasn’t very confident about, it was my belief that people would rather communicate through a third party rather than face-to-face. This was evident in the success in the last two examples and the demise of confession.

> REDDIT CONFESSION PAGE FOUND AT HTTP://WWW.REDDIT.COM/R/CONFESSION#ICON-INFORMATION-GREEN

To establish if my theory was right I conducted potential user interviews. I had not yet defined a user or context however by talking to people I could find out where potential design opportunities lay. I first wanted to find out the types of secrets people kept. Whether it be a secret told to them or something they personally did that nobody else knew of. As this was a very sensitive subject and nobody would want to openly share his or her darkest secrets with me I took to the social networking site Reddit. The

+types of secrets

website acts like a forum with users able to post questions and respond to them however it also has a Reddit Confessional platform. This is a place on the site where users can post confessionals and have other users comment on them anonymously. I used this to gather the different kinds of secrets people kept but I also posted on the forum asking people to share their deepest secrets. I received a good response from people through the website, with the secrets varying from considerably small secrets to potentially life changing ones.

fear

“I AM SCARED THEY MIGHT BECOME ANGRY AT ME”

embarrassment

“IF PEOPLE KNEW SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE DONE I DON’T THINK ID BE ABLE TO LOOK THEM IN THE EYE AGAIN”

judgment

“EVEN THOUGH IT WAS SOMETHING I DID IN THE PAST AND HAVE LEARNED FROM IT PEOPLE MIGHT HOLD IT AGAINST ME”

direct confrontation

“I FIND IT HARD TO EVEN TALK TO PEOPLE FACE TO FACE ABOUT TOUCHY SUBJECTS NEVER MIND MY BIGGEST SECRETS”

‘right time’

“WHEN TELLING SOMEONE SOMETHING SENSITIVE OR SECRETIVE YOU WAIT FOR THE APPROPRIATE TIME BUT SOMETIMES IT NEVER COMES”

The majority of the responses were from people giving personal secrets about themselves, ranging from something they had done to something that had happened to them. It was obvious that some of these secrets where potentially damaging to others however I asked the respondents why they felt they couldn’t share the secrets with anyone face to face. The most popular responses were; fear, embarrassment, judgment, direct confrontation and finding the ‘right time’. As sharing secrets is thought to be beneficial to ones health and people find it hard to do this face to face, I began to explore possible contexts where sharing secrets could be beneficial. It was clear from my feedback that these issues had to be addressed in my design proposal.

“”

You want intimacy, romance, and a relationship strong enough to last a lifetime. To find it, you will eventually have to lower your mask and reveal your secrets, things about yourself and your past that you’ve hidden away for many reasons. It is a romantic rite of passage that often marks a deepening of your relationship. > QUOTE FROM BRUCE MUZIK, AN ACCLAIMED WRITER, SEMINAR LEADER AND COACH, KNOWN FOR HELPING COUPLES REPAIR ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS.

+context

After exploring potential contexts where sharing secrets would be beneficial I narrowed down the area that I would concentrate on to relationships. This could include friends, family and partners. However as each of these relationships include different dimensions I decided I had to focus in on one. I decided to use sexual relationships as my context as I believed that it was more fertile. There was more to gain from sharing secrets with a partner and potentially just as much to lose. I took inspiration from relationship coach Bruce Muzik who sees sharing secrets as personal growth and the foundations of a strong and healthy relationship. 20

> DANIEL + MICHAEL

LEWIS + DANIELLE

SCOTT + VIVIENNE

CHARLIE + MARC

JACQUE + MARK

PATRICIA + JAMES

“”

1 out of 6 couples i asked both said they shared everything with thier partner

I began exploring the context of sexual relationships firstly by conducting interviews with couples. I contacted 6 couples whose ages ranged from 19 - 27. I wanted to find out if they did share secrets with their partner and if so if did they feel that this made the relationship stronger. To remove the possibility of the couples being dishonest I interviewed them individually, with their partner absent and asked if they shared secrets with each other. By adopting this approach the couples’ answers were less likely to be influenced by their partner. Of the 6 couples I interviewed only one

+user insights

of them both agreed that they shared everything, including secrets with their partner. Asked why the others didn’t most of the reasons related back to my initial research where fear, embarrassment, judgment, direct confrontation and the ‘right time’ where to blame. Speaking to Scott and Vivienne they believed in hiding nothing from each other and saw sharing perhaps hurtful secrets with each other a process where they could both work together to overcome it.

“”

A network of connected objects brought to life by a clear mission: to actively care for consumers – their physical and mental well-being, homes, loved ones, and more. > DEFINITION OF THE INTERNET OF CARING THINGS FROM TRENDWATCHING.COM

Currently there is a rising trend in digital devices that care for us. The trend has been called the Internet of Caring Things and involves a range of digital devices such as robots that can care for us to apps that track our fitness. This new range of digital devices is said to be responding to a set of unchanging, fundamental needs and wants that we have as human beings: physical health, mental

+internet of caring things

well being, safety and security and connection to loved ones. Sharing secrets within a relationship included 2 of these needs and wants, mental well being and connection to loved ones. Therefore as a recurring trend I decided that my design solution should be digital. This would ensure its value within society in the present and near future.

TINDER SPREADSHEETS APPY COUPLE

INVISIBLE GIRLFRIEND BRO APP COUPLE

Upon discovering the Internet of Caring Things and our need to become more connected with loved ones, I conducted some light research to see what digital devices were currently meeting that demand. In this day and age romance is facilitated by an array of apps, each of them offering different ways to enhance certain aspects of a relationship. From Tinder, which is an app to help with meeting new people to Spreadsheets which are used for documenting and calculating your sexual performance. I found none however that explored sharing secrets, so there was definitely a potential market for my design direction.

I took inspiration from an old Indian folk tale called â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Rajah Has Big Earsâ&#x20AC;?. The tale is about an Indian Prince who has abnormally big ears and is extremely self-conscious about them. So much so that he hides them from everyone under his turban. However one person does see them as before he gets married he gets his haircut and the barber sees his ears.

The prince insists that the barber tells no one and threatens to kill him if he does. The stress of keeping the secret builds up in the barber so much that he has to tell someone or something. He tells the secret to a tree in the middle of a forest to unburden himself of the stress and burden. However a musical instrument for his wedding is fashioned from this tree and when it was played it revealed the secret. The story highlights how even the smallest, insignificant secrets can turn into something worse than what they are and that a third party is sometimes what is needed to get the story out in the open.

+The rajah has big ears

“”

a digital device to enable and encourage couples to share secrets with each other, further enhancing the intimacy and trust in their relationship. From the research and interviews I conducted I was able to highlight a design challenge. My challenge was to design a tool for meaningful communication. With sharing everything with your other half seen as a deepening of intimacy and the difficulty people have doing so; my opportunity was to design an interaction to enable couples to do this. I decided that the interaction should be a digital device acting like a 3rd party communicator. The reasons for this is with more digital devices being developed to help people in relationships we are becoming more dependent and comfortable using digital devices to aid us with various situations in life. I took inspiration from the “Rajah Has Big Ears” story to make a 3rd party object to be used to communicate the secrets. No only would this take the pressure off the person keeping the secret by telling it to something but also allow the secret to be told in a playful manner. Solving the issue of direct confrontation and finding the ‘right time’.

+oppertunity

verb

develop

1. to bring out the capabilities or possibilities of; bring to a more advanced or effective state. 2. to cause to grow or expand. 3. to elaborate or expand in detail. 4. to bring into being or activity.

> I MET WITH NAOMI AND RYAN TO TALK ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND IF THEY SHARED SECRETS

Another couple I was able to talk to was Naomi and Ryan who have been in a relationship for 3 years and recently bought a flat together. Talking to them about their relationship I was able to extract the needs and desires they have as a couple from their relationship. Doing this would enable me to take these into consideration when generating my ideas, ensuring they would be of value to the couple. I chose to use Naomi and Ryan as my user personas for whom I would design for.

+users

RYAN < 24 YEARS OLD STUDIES HISTORY FROM GLASGOW STAR SIGN: CANCER

> NAOMI 22 YEARS OLD NURSERY NURSE FROM DUNDEE STAR SIGN: LEO

+NEEDS & DESIRES

needs

COMMITMENT LOVE FOR EACH OTHER CARE/KINDNESS CHEMISTRY TIME FOR EACH OTHER HAPPINESS

desires

CHILDREN TRANSPARENCY INCREASED COMMUNICATION FINANCIAL SECURITY A PLACE TO CALL HOME GROWTH

With a design challenge set and user needs and desires in mind I began to generate possible concepts. To do this I used concept sheets, which helped me break down each element of the concept. This also allowed me to convey my ideas to potential users for feedback. Ideation started with simple sketches of designs which I then developed into more advanced outcomes. Knowing that I wanted the device to be digital I explored different ways in which the information could be experienced and the circumstances in which the information was revealed.

+initial CONCEPTS

TOTEM - a device that only releases the secrets stored within when both partners have something to share. A problem shared is a problem halved.

PILLOW TALK - the user uploads secrets onto the device via smart phone. The device is able to tell when the couple have had sex using various sensors. Once they have the device displays a range of secrets which each partner can scroll through.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO SIT DOWN FOR THIS - when sharing sensitive and potentially damaging information, people often ask the person to sit down before doing so. The product is a cup with a digital display which can display the information that has to be shared while ensuring the recipient is in the best environment to do so.

MESSAGE IN A BALL - a two part digital device, one for recording the secret and the other for sharing it. Once a secret is recorded it is reassembled and returned to the base. The device then sits static until the intended recipient walks by. The device then loses the magnetic power that holds it together and falls apart, drawing attention to the device and causing interaction.

For feedback on my initial design concepts I turned to Naomi and Ryan as they were keen to see how my project was developing and they were my intended users, so their feedback was invaluable. They were not keen on the idea of secrets being uploaded and then shared after having sex. They felt it could change the meaning of having sex from something passionate to a way of seeking out information on someone. However they showed a lot of interest in the concept of a recording and listening device. They believed that if a secret was to be shared digitally through

a third party they would prefer that it was vocal rather than text. Not only would this prevent the message from being recorded but it added a human element to it. Another insight I gained was the way secrets are shared, with clasped hands to mouth and ear. I decided that it was important that my concept communicate the same visual language and experience as sharing a secret with someone face to face. In response to the feedback I began to make some refinements to the design. To ensure the visual language of sharing secrets was used when interacting with the

+feedback & refinement

device I added touch sensors that would have to be activated in order for it to work. This also involved looking at possible colour ways and materials for the final product. Although not achievable for the prototype I had looked at making it from ceramic, this would give the device a sense of value, quality and preciousness. As for the colour I would like the device to be fully customizable however the colour way I chose for my prototype was black, blue and pink.

To convey the process and value of my design I created a number of user scenarios specific to my intended user. These would allow me to highlight key touch points of the design and also create a narrative for my design to be explained. Inspiration for the stories came from the discussions I had with the couples that I had interviewed. Using the insights I gained from asking when they might share things such as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pillow talkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; allowed me to use real situations within my scenario. Doing this also allowed me to plan a user journey that I could film to show how the design would work in situ.

+NARRITIVE/SENARIO

I spent a week making a scale model of my design. To make it functional would have cost a considerable amount of money and required a skill set that I did not possess therefore I could only produce a sketch model. Making a 3D model of my project would allow me to test it in situ and convey my design visually. I completed many different processes to achieve my desired aesthetic outcome from casting my ear to using the 3D printer. The journey through this process allowed me to highlight potential flaws in my design, rectify them and create a believable product.

+PROTOTYPING

verb

deliver

1. to give into anotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possession or keeping. 2. to bring (votes) to the support of a candidate or a cause. 3. to give forth in words; utter or pronounce: to deliver a verdict. 4. to give forth or emit.

A digital device for sharing and listening to secrets within a relationship. The device acts like a 3rd party communicator enabling people to communicate digitally, a form of communication recent generations have favoured over face-to-face interaction but in a more meaningful way. A secret is audio recorded and stored within the device, only exposing itself when the right person approaches it, playing it only once so that it cannot be duplicated. The purpose of the device is to promote discussion, allowing couples to further enhance their relationship and intimacy.

+outcome

The device consists of 3 parts, recording, listening and the base. The device sits on the base to hold it in position and to charge it wirelessly. There are 6 touch sensors on the device which must be covered for the device to work. The device holds itself together using electro magnets which are powered by small power sources located in both devices.

The main part of the product has two operations, one side for recoding a message and the other side for listening to it. The recording side includes a microphone, a small memory card that can hold up to 3 minutes of audio recording and an infrared transmitter. The listening side has a small speaker and an infrared reviver to obtain the audio recording when they are placed back together. Once a message has been record the device cannot be reopened. The magnets will only deactivate when the intended recipient approaches the device.

The base is plugged into a mains power supply to give the device a constant supply of power. The device also has a light which will turn on when there is a secret stored inside the device. This draws attention to the device and encourages interaction. The base also has a GPS tracking device which picks up the signal transmitted from the users mobile phone to ensure the correct person is given the message.

+how it works

“”

I KNOW ITS DESIGED TO SHARE SECRETS AND STUFF BUT I DONT SEE DANNY ALL THE TIME BECAUSE OF WORK SO I WOULD USE IT TO LEAVE HIM MESSAGES LIKE TELLING HIM I LOVE HIM > RACHEL (22) AND DANNY (24) HAVE BEEN DATING FOR 8 MONTHS

Feedback on my design was mixed, some saw the benefits of the interaction, and others found it mechanical. Both sides agreed that it was difficult to share personal secrets. However some users said they would use it to tell their partner things that they found difficult to speak of face-to-face, although not specifically secrets. Although this was not the original intent for my project I viewed this as another added value the interaction could potentially have. One potential user I spoke to said they would even use it to leave nice messages for their partner perhaps when they were on bad terms. It was clear from feedback that my design was a hit or miss with people. Some of us just prefer face-to-face interaction. However the aim of my project was to look at solving the difficulty some people have of telling secrets.

+FEEDBACK

This was by far the most difficult and frustrating project that I have undertaken during my time at Glasgow School of Art. The topic of sharing secrets within a relationship was a sensitive area to explore. This made it hard for me to test my ideas and designs fully and required that I gain the trust of my users. Although it was the longest project of the year I feel that the time scale was extremely staggered and disrupted my work ethic. It took me a long time to develop the topic of sharing secrets, and left little time for realisation of my designs. Looking back I think that if I had this topic at the beginning of the

+reflection

project I could have made a well-resolved and possible working model. None the less I enjoyed exploring this area. However I am not satisfied with the final outcome. I believe that with more time spent on the design stage I could have created a more playful and rich design solution.

e. joshbenjamin.mcdonald@gmail.com t. +447894742545