Sewing the Strap
We met at the Fab Lab for the last time in order to assemble the motion-detecting watch together. Before the class began, I took some time to go back to the Lab to work on the strap of the watch, which was an interesting experience. Although I have done hand sewing before, I have never used a sewing machine, so I had to begin with the first step, which was threading the machine. After a couple of practice, I was able to begin to use the machine, following a guideline on a piece of cloth to get a feeling of the machine and how to control the pace of it. After some practice and building up confidence, I began to work on the strap.
Although I had to redo a couple of parts because I got too close to the edge of the strap, it was a fun experience overall, moving at a steady pace along the cloth. It was very satisfying to see the result after the string has been cut from the cloth.
Experimenting with Arduino
Back in the class, we began to play around with Arduino, learning about different components and transferring codes over from the computer to it. Since the majority of the class, including myself, did not have any experience with Arduino, we used the example codes that are already on the Arduino program and adjusted them to fit our situation. We first used the code to light up the little bulb by connecting it to Arduino itself. After, we connected the motion-tilt sensor and used a code to show a graph on the computer that represented when the Arduino was tilted.
Different components of Arduino 
This program was to be used for the motion-detecting watch, so after ensuring that the code worked correctly, we started assembling the watch together.
Assembling the Watch
Fully assembled motion-detecting watch 
Arduino in the motion-detecting watch 
Different components of the motion-detecting watch
I was very happy to see all the parts come together into what it is supposed to be. From connecting the wires to putting together the different components of the watch, it was as if I was playing with a Lego. Due to the time constraint, we had to rush through at the end, so I cannot tell whether the watch functions correctly or not, but I am looking forward to finding out in the future.
Storyboarding
After the watches are finished with assembly, we got back into our team to continue working on the project. The main focus of the day was to create storyboards to demonstrate how a user would find out about our product, why they would use our product, and how it would be used by the user.
Storyboards that my team and I came up with
We first began by creating a profile of the user, using Ryan as our base for it (first picture on the top left corner).
Next, we demonstrated a situation where Ryan would be out in the rain using his power wheelchair without any cover for it, leading to a system shutdown. This situation would require him to receive help from a stranger to be pushed to a dry spot where he can wait until the chair dries and the system can be rebooted (the five pictures on the top row next to the profile picture).
We then looked into how a user may find out about our product, one of which was through a Google search. For example, the users may search “wheelchair protection from rain” or “how to protect a wheelchair from the rain” (two pictures on the left bottom row).
Another way that a user may find about our product is by seeing other users using the product (two pictures on the right bottom row). We also showed how the user may use our product, allowing them to travel safely in the rain.
This was an interesting exercise that again, focused on the users of the product. It made us rethink why the users may use our product and what may be a critical part of creating a successful product for them. By also thinking about how they would find out about our product, we were ensuring that our product would reach out to the intended users.
Moving Forward
Moving forward, we will continue to explore different options already available in the market that serves the similar purpose of our product as well as various materials that can be used to develop it. We are also planning on reaching out to Ryan once again to have a conversation with him regarding the potential design of the product and receive his feedbacks. We will make sure to continue focusing on the users and how to make sure that they will have access to our product.
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