Proof of Concept
Prototype Documentation:
User Testing Documentation:
- A lot of people were impressed with the concept of the audio lighter. When they first pressed the lighter and no flame came out; instead, they heard some messages. The feedback on the same was quite positive and surprising for them. Also, it might be of some help.
- The idea of having a constant companion on the journey to quit smoking was also appreciated by some people. The wrist band that could be paired with the mobile phone also received a good response as most people are on their mobile phones frequently.
- It was also said that what if people are not interested or stop using the audio lighter and reach out for a regular one when they have the urge to smoke.
Final Presentation
Reflection
The journey from brainstorming the concept statement to giving the final presentation was full of learning and gratifying. It began with the intention of helping out a friend. The idea evolved with every prototype and forced me to explore and understand the users’ physic. The structure of this thesis was helpful for me as it allowed peer reviews and feedback and one-on-one discussions with the faculty.
Having done user interviews and documenting my research all the more helped me to clear my vision about where my research was heading and what further could be included and explored to help people who smoke. It was an experience for me as I do not relate to the topic directly, but to be able to understand the essence of what goes in the mind of those who do and empathize with them taught me how important a role does stress and work-life balance play.
Semester feedback
I am grateful to my peers for their valuable feedbacks and how that shaped my thesis. The one-on-one discussions with Aya and Louisa gave me great insights and ideas and their references for user interviews and links to different relevant research papers that helped me shape and understand my problem statement better.
Talking about the final presentation feedback, all of my peers liked my presentation and that it was clear and on point. They especially liked the video, and mentioned that the concept was well presented.
While there were a few negative/weakness points on the final presentation for instance that wasn’t clear or needed more refined screens of the mobile application.
That being said, I agree the above mentioned and feel that including user testing and providing the research/precedents in my final presentation was much needed and as was mentioned by the external critics in their feedback.
Next Steps
For the next semester, I plan to focus more on the individual smokers like my friend who want to quit and how I can help him out. To understand what things would work for him and what all technological interventions can help him. As the external crits also mentioned in their feedback, focusing on the lifestyle and behavior of my friend and helping him out would a great success for my project.
Along with that, create the prototype version of the wrist band, lighter and mobile application to test them out with my friend.
Self Assessment
Concept: 6/6
I think my concept was clear. I had the motivation to help my friend out. And the story of his father dying due to lung cancer because of heavy smoking.
Research: 6/6
Because of that motivation, I started doing my research and got to know the seriousness of the situation out there in the world. I also believe that there are so many things that need to be done on a larger scale to help people out.
Prototyping: 10/12
There are so many things that can be done, since there is no single solution around my idea. I think I have done a lot of prototyping that started from running campaigns and finally coming up with the lighter and application. I personally think there is always room for improvement and to do more.
