BFA Senior Capstone - The Process 16'

TAK E A WALK. BR EATHE. R EFLECT. OBSERV E. Write what you feel; write what you know.

Its all in your head, so start talking about it.

Share it. Shout it out, and laugh about it.

JUST SMILE. OBSERV E. BE PR ESENT.

This is my process.

HABITUDE D I SCOV E RY TO D E S I G N

P R OJ E C T S TAT M E N T

PR E FAC E

With the natural human response of consumerism and mass production of products, our everyday objects and items exist as symbols that are stored in our cultural vocabulary.

With each object, provides a physical connection to an idea, a vision, and a thought process deeply embedded in us. With each memory, and experience, we begin to

Focusing on the emerging need for products that provide form

unfold a beautiful story, in which we can tell and visualize within our clothing, our

and function into our everyday apparel, this project questions how

favorite music, to the kind of technology we use. The way we use social media to the

we can integrate into clothing ways of promoting awareness and

type of apps we prefer, our technology and the information we consume becomes

importance of mindful observation into the daily lives and routines

a huge apart of our identity, no matter if you like it or not. When we look at the

of chronically stressed millennials.

mental well-being and the effects it can have on us, it begins to paint a silent picture beneath the body, and conversely affects us more much later on. With that said, a picture begins to unfold of what might our future generation might be like in a a hundred years, or possibly only a decade away. Where might our future lead us to; where might the bridge between interface, the human body, and a physical artifact begin to diverge within its own context. How can we begin to stay present in the moment while being grounded when our environment is constantly notifying us of our network of notifications?

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PROJECT OVERVIE W

“With each object, provides a physical connection to an idea, a vision, and a thought process embedded in our mental well-being.”

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As always in the beginning of my process,

developed my findings mainly on the topic

my first initial step I take towards the

of wearable technology as my fascination

process is to search through countless

grew wider.

books in the library. I was specifically

With wearable technology being around

searching for a topic on social change and

for over twenty years, the first object ever

design, and found many books related to

really considered a wearable object and

the topic covering mainly medical devices

purposeful device was the, chatelaine.

and product design.

Today, the term, “wearable tech” involves any body-borne computers or miniature

The most of the common innovations

electronic devices that are worn under, or

were actual medical devices we took for

on top of clothing (Mann). Most of these

granted in our everday lives. I personally

products on the market are currently being

related to the issue, due to my mother

designed to either use a person’s data for

who’s glucose monitoring device was the

measuring their health, but a less common

way she managed her Diabetes type 1

industry that is being highlighted is using

since she was seven years old, and from

these small scale computers to monitor

their I began exploring the recent trend

cognitive behavior. With this in mind, my

in wearable sensors and smart apparel.

proposal is in creating a sensor based

Not knowing much other than the issue

wearable device that promotes happiness

of devices such as these using our data, I

and better life-making decisions.

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INITIAL GOAL S & OBJECTIVES

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Form a collection of products on the emphasizing aspect of staying mindful and caring for our mental well-being in the digital age.

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Provide an interactive and tactile experience through experimentation in soft circuitry and electronic textiles.

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Form an interactive experience for the wearer to rely on gentle notifications to breathe and become more relaxed while in a panicked state of mind.

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Providing seamless therapy through integrating biofeedback sensors to trigger modification in the user’s lifestyle for better well-being.

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The final end deliverable be a multi-collateral brand identity emphasizing a lifestyle brandthat is natural, relatable, and appealing to target audience.

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The main target demographic will be targeted towards millennials age 24-30 years of age.

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WEARABLE THERAPY

Meditation Pods Headspace & Oyler Wu Collaborative 2015 A visual research source I found myelf referring back to often throughout the project. I also noticed the amount of research in the UK and awareness on finding time to observe and reflect in community spaces.

Hushpod

Industrial wool felt

By Freyja Sewell Manufacturing by Ness Furniture

I tok

No More Noise by Headspace Cooked wool

By Freyja Sewell & Headspace, 2013

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Bioimplantable Device Polyester, 2004 Uses embroidery techniques on dissolvable substrate to embroider surgical devices to suture thread.

WEARABLE THERAPY Tools for Diabetes Photo by Sarah Patrick, 2015 My mother, Gerri Patrick’s daily everyday tools for her lifelong condition with Diabetes type 1. Her and others suffering with this disease must constantly wear and carry these objects each day.

“Wearables should be designed to make us more aware, not to make us wear them. We can use technology to force focus on a particular behavior, help us reflect on patterns or triggers, and develop sensitivity to specific aspects of our lifestyles.”

-Wired.com, Awareables, The Technology f Superhumanism

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I N S P I R AT I O N

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BACK TO NATURE. For my source of visual research, I relied heavily on natural col-

“FINDING INSPIR ATION ISNT W H AT IS DIFFICULT. IT IS ABOUT CULTIVATING W H AT IT ALL

ors and urban city photography. This was because I wanted to portray the humanistic aspect of anxiety. How its always around us, and how just stepping outside can become a huge beneficial approach in forming awareness about our emotional well-being.

ACTUALLY M EANS AT THE END OF THE DAY”

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IDENTIT Y

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DESIGN

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AESTHETICS

TYPOGRAPHY

Proxima Nova

Garamond Premier Pro

Aa Aa

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T H E LO G O I made alot of variations of each product to get the right look and feel. I finally went with a natural zen theme to promote the tranquil experience without making the user feel like a test subject.

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INITIAL LOGO CONCEPTS

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WEARABLE PROTOTYPING

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PROTECTION FROM ANXIET Y

F I R S T I T E R AT I O N

In creating my first iteration, I experimented with many ways of insulating the motors so the user would not be bothered by them while wearing the garment. What I found out though through many trial and errors, was that the conductive thread was not stable enough and I would have to use silicone coated wire instead. I also would need to have a 3D printed holder for the haptic motors while inside the inner layer of the garment.

F E AT U R E S

1.3V mini actuators Insulated fabric covers built into inside layer of scarf Leather straps on edges with metal closures for added body and structure Soft and cozy fabric lines the inside of scarf with natural fabric material on outside that is breathable and lightweight

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I made alot of mistakes in the beginning but i learned alot from them.

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Thank you everyone who supported me in this journey, including everyone in the Patrick family, the Hopt’s, my community, the design community, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle Central College including Don Barrie my first design professor at SCC who made me go to Cornish; my wonderful professors who challenged and motivated me every step of the way.

Thank support,

you

to Michael

love,

and

Hopt,

for

soldering

all your

when

my

soldering projects went haywire; for never just

telling

me

the

answer

to

electricity

but showing how finding the answer to your own question yields greater results.