Finalizing the Watches
This week in class we went to the Fab Lab and finally finished the watches that we have been working on for the past three weeks. In our first class session, I learned how to build a circuit with an arduino. In my second class session, I designed the top of the watch face with Inkscape and learned how to sew the watch band. This week we put all of these skills together to make a finished product. We started the class by learning how to code on the arduinos. We learned how to flicker an LED light and how to use a tilt sensor to change the computer output depending on the orientation of the tilt sensor. Using the arduino, tilt sensors, zip ties, and 3D etched watch face we were able to assemble the watch with the help of the fab lab staff. One thing I found very interesting was that the creator of the watch in the Fab Lab changed a few components from the original to design for the design we created. This helped reinforce the notion of how important it is to iterate in multiple prototypes to get the best possible design with the easiest possible steps. The final product also showed me how easy it was to build a complex product using simple inputs.
Building the watch 
The finished product
Storyboarding
The next part of the class we spend storyboarding the user experience for our product prototype. This portion of class had to be shortened slightly because we experienced a few difficulties putting together the watch in the time allotted. Our first panel of the user journey focused on the user itself. We spotlighted Jenna and the things about her that made her unique. The next step of our user experience was raising awareness. We thought that our product would primarily be advertised through word of mouth and through online advertisements and social media. The third step was the initial purchase of the product. We hypothesized that our product could be bought at a hospital through a doctor referral, online on our website, or at a specialty sports store such as a Sports Authority. Our next step was the first introduction of the user to how the use the product. This would most likely happen by a doctor at a hospital or a store aide at a sports store. The next step is the user’s first use of the product alone. This experience focused on the user’s first time putting on the product by themselves and any complications they might have. Our 6th panel was the transition to everyday use and it showed how a user would become comfortable with the product and the protection it offered. The final step in our user journey would be referring the product to a friend. We hope that the user would be satisfied with our product and would want to recommend it to others.
I am a Senior majoring in Finance with a minor in the Hoeft Technology & Management Program.
Hi Nathan,
Great synopsis of the week! I totally agree that the fact that the design of our watch changed from when we started working on them to our final assembly this week really showed iteration at its finest. I think it is so cool that the FabLab staff are constantly thinking of new projects they can do to introduce people to a variety of tools! Our group also used peer referrals as a means of product awareness. Because the amputee community is smaller and there are a lot of ties between people, we thought this was a great avenue!
Hi Nathan,
i found it very interesting how we could use such simple inputs to create a product for more complex use as you have mentioned in the post. When I first saw the watch and examined it, I could not imagine how we would be able to construct all that since it appeared to be quite complex. However, I really enjoyed how we were able to construct every part of the watch and see it all come together as one final product in the end. I wish we had more time with it to see whether the motion-detecting sensor works accurately after the final assembly, but I am happy that it at least turned out like how it is supposed to be in the end.
My team ended up creating storyboards with similar contents as yours. However, we also included a story of a user without our product versus a user with the product. This allowed us to rethink the purpose and goal of the product and how we hope it would affect the users. This also demonstrated how we hope the users would use our product, which is an important consideration to take into account when designing a product. Therefore, I recommend you and your team to also create a storyboard with this topic to make sure that your product is reflecting this accurately.