We began by researching the term "symbiosis" and learned that it is a "close and often long-term interaction between two or more different biological species." Further reading revealed that there are in fact three main types common in nature; Parasitism, Commensalism and Mutualism.
A parasitic relationship is where one organism benefits to the detriment of the other. Commensalism is where only one benefits but the other remains unharmed. Finally, Mutualism is where both organisms benefit from the situation. From a designers perspective, a mutual relationship would be ideal for two products that are to work together and so later on during the design process, we focused on how this could be implemented.
We then each created a mindmap in order to help generate the possible directions we could take the project in. As the theme decided by our lecturer was to be Health and Fitness, some of the ideas we explored were a blood sugar monitor for sufferers of diabetes, a pregnancy/ fertility checker and a UV exposure monitor. After looking into existing products, it became apparent that there were not many aimed at helping people keep their skin safe from harmful UV rays, especially in an interactive and electronic form. Because of this, this was the direction we chose for development.
I then created a brief to help focus our thoughts which was to design and create a prototype mobile phone add-on that will help the user to stay safe whilst being exposed to the hot summer sun. The physical product should work in conjunction with a downloadable application in order to provide a useful and easy to use service.
Following the guidelines of the brief, I began to generate some concepts. As shown in the following sketches, I originally intended for the UV monitor to be attached to a phone case by a extendable wire. During use, the monitor would then be placed out in the sun, whilst the phone could remain in the users pocket. This would help prevent the device from being stolen or lost and would allow the user to use the phone as normal during use. A conversation with my lecturer then gave me the idea of adding a secondary mode where the monitor was not required to be removed and could remain mounted on the phone case for a "quick check" of the UV index. I then named the two modes "Active Mode" and "Quick-check Mode".
After developing the concept, I created some sketches of what the final product would look like. I used Adobe Photoshop to colour and shade them in order to give them a more professional appearance. These images were then used in a poster I created in order to advertise the product.
After developing the concept, I created some sketches of what the final product would look like. I used Adobe Photoshop to colour and shade them in order to give them a more professional appearance. These images were then used in a poster I created in order to advertise the product.
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