I created a promotional video to show the aspects of my product.
I created a promotional page on Adobe Spark as if I was selling the product.
https://spark.adobe.com/page/umFv4mCy13TeB/
Investment
I understand that in order for the product to be successful and for the idea to be put into practice, I would need to consider funding. I believe that crowd funding is one of the best options. I am aware that companies such as Kickstarter are designed specifically for projects like this.
I could also consider contacting organisations such as the British Deaf Association or Action on Hearing Loss to see if they would offer partnership, sponsorship or any form of funding. I could also contact companies such as Mind Rockets Inc. who have existing products that serve similar purposes.
The Product
Branding
I began to think about aspects of branding with regards to my product that I am proposing. The first step I made was choosing a product name, I came up with the name “SYGN” which I created through an combination of the words “eye” and “sign”. I thought that this name was most relevant to the product.
My second stage was to begin thinking about a logo and the style of font that I wanted to use. Here are some examples of typefaces that I particularly like and think will work well in terms of branding. All of these fonts are available online at http://www.dafont.com
I decided that I preferred the Sans Serif style font as opposed the the Serif. So that narrowed my choice down to the top three fonts. I decided to chose the font Rodondo because this typeface was different to the others and I liked the curvaceous edges.
Logo Ideas
For the logo I decided that I wanted to use an ear icon but I also thought about incorporating an eye as the product is eyewear. The image above is one of the final designs that I created on Illustrator.
Colour Schemes
In terms of colour schemes, I thought about using grey because it’s a neutral colour, beige (pink/brown) because it is often associated with skin tones and blue because I wanted a colour that would balance out the pink tones. I experimented with light and dark shades to see which ones I preferred. In the end I chose the darkest shade.
The above image is my final logo design. I decided not to have the dots underneath the brand name because I thought that they were too much. I didn’t want to have the ear by itself because I thought that the product may not be recognised as the branding is all new. So I decided to place the name of the brand next to the ear and together they make up the logo. However, I would consider using the word “SYGN” by itself as the brand name.
Product Design
I decided from the beginning that I wanted the product to look like a normal pair of “stylish” glasses. Upon research I discovered a current pair of smart glasses under the name of Vue that already achieved this stylish but simple look. Below are the two types of glasses that they offer.
According to an article from Livestrong.com by Jean Jenkins, “Many deaf people feel that that one of their biggest difficulties the hearing culture that treats them as though they are handicapped, people to be pitied or changed.” I want to create these smart glasses as a piece of assistive technology that is unrecognisable to those who are of the hearing culture. I have realised that if the glasses are made to look like an ordinary pair of glasses then who is going to know that they are in fact assisting the user by helping them to communicate.
On the other hand, it may be argued that by “disguising” the piece of technology as a pair of standard glasses, it’s creating an act of shamefulness. It may suggest that having a hearing-impairment is something that should be hidden. Some may argue that anyone who is deaf should be proud, and by wearing these glasses that “disguise deafness” they are contradicting that idea.
Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/241936-challenges-that-blind-people-face/
I decided that I wanted a style that was in-between. So I looked further into what kind of styles of glasses are out there. I discovered an article that explains how some glasses are designed according to font faces.
Out of all of the above, I decided that the style I thought would be best was Helvetica. This style incorporates both the round and the square shape into the frame and therefore I believe it is more likely to suit a wide range of people.
See more at: http://creativity-online.com/work/wk-tokyo-type-glasses-times-new-roman-etc/43140
I created the first mockup design on the programme Illustrator but I wasn’t happy with the turn out because the product didn’t look very realistic.
So I decided to try and create a 3D model of the smart glasses. To do this I used a programme called Autodesk Fusion 360. I found this task to be difficult at first because I had never used this programme before and I was pretty much teaching myself, I watched a few youtube tutorial videos on how to use the programme and they helped me to start off but as the product developed it became harder to understand how to use the software. Eventually, (after several hours) I managed to produce this as my finished product…
I am aware that the design is not perfect, but I figured that this is a job that can (or would) be perfected by the Industrial Designer. Having said that, I am happy with how the product has turned out and the next thing that I will work on is explaining the features of the product (and their locations).
After researching previous styles of glasses, I decided that I wanted the two temples to be different colours to the main body of the frame. I experimented with primary colours such as red and blue and then moved onto secondary colours like purple and orange, I decided that these block colours were not giving the effect that I wanted. So I thought about using different materials instead of focusing on colours.
In the end, I decided that the main body of the frame would remain as black plastic and the temples would be different metal materials like copper and nickel.
After researching further into the materials used to make eyewear frames, I discovered that Zylonite is most likely going to be the best type of plastic as a material for the main body of the frame as it is super lightweight and extremely cost-effective.
These are the beginners videos that I watched on YouTube to get an idea of how to use the programme.
Audience
The product that I am proposing will incorporate BSL (British Sign Language) and therefore will only be available to those who communicate through this language.
According to Deafax “approximately 10 million people in the UK have a hearing loss” and “50,000 deaf people in the UK use BSL as their first or preferred language.” This shows that there is a wide audience range for this product.
If the product is successful there will be room for development. The next area to focus on could be America as “there are approximately 28 million hearing-impaired individuals” living in this country and many chose to use ASL as their method of communication.
The main audience will be people with hearing-impairments, the product will be available to those of all ages however, the primary target audience will be children (in particular school children) because this product will beneficial in helping children with their education. The secondary audience will be teenagers and young adults, most likely those who are studying at either college or university. Adults may also find the product useful for work purposes.
Sources: http://www.livestrong.com/article/241936-challenges-that-blind-people-face/
Software and Hardware
I began researching further into specific brands of Smart Glasses, I chose to research ORA and Vue because they are both entirely different models, not only do they look completely different, they also have a lot of different features and specifications.
ORA Smart Glasses
ORA-1 are a new pair of smart glasses that have recently been introduced. They are supposedly more advanced than Google Glass and a fraction of the price.
After reading about the product on the Kickstarter website I discovered that the software that they use for ORA-1 is Android KitKat 4.4. This mobile operating system, developed by Google, is imperative in order for the glasses to work as smart glasses. It enables the glasses to connect to a mobile device and display data from that device. However, ORA-1 does not work with Android software alone, it needs an Augmented Reality component. This is provided by Wikitude.
After researching further into what Wikitude offers, it appears that Wikitude is a company that develops AR programmes for Apps and so it seems that in order for the smart glasses to work in an AR mode, they need to be connected to an application.
Amongst my research on this company, I discovered a price list. These prices are for the cost of the Augmented Reality programming that this company has developed. I think that their prices are realitively expensive and I am pretty certain that the type of programming that I would need for the smart glasses that I am proposing would cost much less as it will not need to incorporate all of the features that this programme does, for example, Wikitude SDK combines 3D tracking technology, image recognition and tracking as well as geo-location AR for apps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh7SDw2fYLk
Below is an image of what is actually inside ORA-1. It is a Patented Retinal Display. This projection technology “allows see-through vision while displaying a super bright virtual image simultaneously. It has a high see-through ratio, wide viewing angle, is light weight, and shatter proof. Furthermore, it is the most cost effective and scalable approach available as all key components are based on molded plastic”. Although this piece of technology appears to be essential in order to create these AR Smart Glasses, it is not something that I would consider for the glasses that I am proposing as I want the glasses to look natural. I would ideally like the lenses to look like normal lenses, so this is something that would have to be taken into consideration when designing the contents of the product. How is the AR lens going to be made? And where will it come from?
https://www.wikitude.com/store/
Vue Smart Glasses
Smart Glasses
Current Models and Features
Snap Spectacles
- Simple and stylish.
- Record 10 seconds of circular video at a time
- Videos can be shared to social media platforms such as SnapChat or Twitter
- Relatively cheap in comparison with other smart glasses, selling at $130
Vuzix Blade 3000
- Arguably the nicest looking and most comfortable
- Offer a display projected onto the right lens to overlay emails and even YouTube videos in the world around you
- Voice assistant
- Touchpad controls
- 8 hours battery life
- Camera to capture stills and 1080p video
- Bluetooth
- Wifi
- Costs less than $1000
ODG R7/R8 and R9
- 720p lens
- 4MP camera
- Voice recognition
- Wifi
- Bluetooth
- R7 costs $2750, R8 costs $1000 and R9 costs $1800
Vue
- Product of a $2 million Kickstarter campaign
- Doesn’t use Augmented Reality
- Uses bone conduction tech so you can use the glasses instead of headphones
- Touch interface to control music and calls
- Enables you to handle notifications and activity tracking
- Priced at $189
Cast AR
- Camera that scans your surroundings
- Projects images through two micro-projectors installed on the top of the frames
- Priced between $290 and $765
Moverio BT-200
- AR headset enables users to watch HD and 3D contents
- Front facing camera
- Motion sensor
- Built-in Dolby Digital Plus for sound
- GPS
- Compass
- Microphone
- Projectors
- Projects images at 960×540 resolution to transparent glasses
- Not wireless – needs to be connected to an Android device at all times – that’s where it’s computing power comes from
- Lasts up to 6 hours
- Specifications such as 1.2GHz dual core processor and 1GB RAM
- Priced at $699
Meta
- Focuses on what google glass does not do
- Overlays AR on top of your reality
- Allows user to manipulate objects
- Motion tracking
- 3D HD display
- 3D surround sound
- Camera and quality lenses
- Costs vary from $667 – $3650
Researching current models and their features was very useful when it came to thinking about and putting together my own product. I had already thought about the basic principles of a pair of smart glasses but there were some aspects that I forgot about, such as the importance of a long battery life, the amount and/or position of the micro projectors. I decided after researching the existing products out there that I would sketch a rough drawing of the glasses and begin to think about the features that I wanted to include.
Also, from my research I learnt about the audiences to which the smart glasses are aimed at, I realised that the majority of smart glasses are designed for cyclists or for gym purposes. Very few are designed for greater needs, such as helping a person who is less-abled. However, I did come across one pair of glasses that could be adapted to suit the needs of someone with a hearing impairment, these were called GlassUP.
Draft Mock Up Drawing of Glasses and Features
Deaf Culture and Sign Language
The Issues
As a person who can hear and has never experienced deafness, it is difficult to understand what it is like living with a hearing-impairment. I decided to do some research to try and uncover what difficulties people with hearing difficulties have to face.
The topics raised in this discussion are topics that would need to be covered through the development of the project. The smart-glasses could potentially solve the issue of having no or unqualified sign language interpreters, because the project will require a highly qualified professional interpreter to work alongside software engineers in order to manufacture the right piece of technology that can equip this proposal. Also, the product could potentially resolve the issues that occur from lip reading as it offers an alternative solution.
Source: https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-problems-that-Deaf-people-face-on-a-daily-basis
Sign Language
I decided to research the different forms of sign language available in order to determine which method of sign language would be appropriate for the project. I found a blog from The Disability Support Services program of Gulf Coast State College which describes that there are many different types of sign language and each one differentiates slightly from the next.
After reading the first paragraph, I already began to understand a little bit more about the complexity of sign language. “Sign language uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning by simultaneously combining shape, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions. This is important as a sign not only conveys a word but also conveys a tone, both contextually and acoustically.” It was then explained that the “emphasis on the word, whether it be delivered by using a higher or lower pitch, the volume, and even tones such as sarcasm are all being conveyed simultaneously by the interpreter with use of the sign, body movement, and facial expression.”
From this reading I understood that sign language was not straight forward. Not only are there different variations, there are also different portrayals. Some variations use hand, face and body movements to make up the language, and others use the hand, face, body and head. I began to realise that sign is a very complex language. I realised as well that the tone of ones voice can be conveyed through sign language as well as the words spoken. Also, I understood that there were different systems of sign language that were often preferred in some schools.
British Sign Language (BSL). Though the United Kingdon and the United States both share English as a spoken and written language, British Sign and American Sign languages are quite different from one another and are not mutually intelligible. British Sign Language (BSL) makes use of space and involves movements of the hands, body, face, and head.
American Sign Language (ASL). ASL is a complete, complex language that employs signs made with the hands and other movements, including facial expressions and postures of the body. It is the first language of many deaf in North America, and is considered the dominant sign language of the Deaf community in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in parts of Mexico. ASL is said to be the fourth most commonly used language in the U.S.
Signed English (SE). This system is preferred among primary and higher education institutions as it has one sign to represent each word in the English language. It is intended to be used to help with reading and writing, and has important signs to teach grammar.
Sign Supported English (SSE). This is the preferred method of hearing people to communicate with the deaf. SSE uses the same sign as British Sign Language (BSL), but unlike Signed English (SE), you do not have to sign every word. SSE also doesn’t have its own grammar system like BSL, enabling hearing people to use the sign system without having to learn a whole new grammatical structure. SSE can be picked up fairly quickly which expedites communication.
International Sign (IS). You may not come in contact with this system much here on our campus — yet, that is; we are growing — but IS is an international auxillary language used at international meetings, such as the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) Congress and events such as the Deaflympics.
Padget Gorman Signed Speech. This signing system is used with speech to help those with langauge difficulties. There are 37 basic signs which when combined can make over 4,000 more complex ones.
Pidgin Signed English (PSE). Another characterstic of language, like vocal language, sign language has a very crude signing system, in which elements of BSL and spoken English are combined to allow communication between hearing people and deaf people who only know the strict confines of sign language. This system is not recommended (the persnickety of proper grammar should cover both ears and eyes for this system).
Finger Spelling. This signing system is generally used alongside sign language. It is used to spell out names, places, and anything else where there is not usually a sign for. Many times, new words take longer to be adapted into a singular sign, therefore they must be spelled out.
After considering the potential sign languages available, I believe that either Signed English (SE) or Sign Supported English (SSE) would be the best option, this is because the aim of the product is to translate spoken language word for word and some sign systems may make it difficult for this to accomplished.
https://dssofgcsc.wordpress.com/for-professors/types-of-sign-language/
Further research confirmed that “Signed English is a sign language dialect which matches each spoken word of English. It is mostly used for language development, allowing a teacher to reinforce the spoken word with its equivalent sign. Children are able to communicate in Signed English at a much earlier age than the spoken language; transition into to spoken English is made easier as they already possess the signed vocabulary.”
The sign.com.au website contains a complete dictionary of almost 3,000 words which means that it can translate words or phrases into Signed English.
