Ruth Guerra - Speculative Design

Conducted under the MA Future Design program at Prague City University.

View the full research process on Miro: https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_lsWL1tI=/?share_link_id=606017636316.

Mockups of speculative "third eye" product conceptualized after the research phase.

Problem:

Nearly all people in the Czech Republic between the ages of 16-24 years use a smartphone. Many students within this age group use mobile apps to help them navigate on foot but rarely do they consider their safety. Studies show that distracted pedestrians, particularly those using their smartphones, are more likely to get into dangerous situations than those who do not use their phones while walking.

Process:

Conducted user research on pedestrian navigation safety of students. Used semi-structured interviews with eight university students in Prague (international and Czech students between ages 19-28). Collected data was analyzed first using the Thematic Analysis approach to find common themes and then further organized through an Affinity Diagram. Designed a speculative prototype for a solution that could exist 20+ years from now.

1. Define

Map of stakeholders. Red color indicates target user.

2. Research

Section from the Thematic Analysis: almost all students who were interviewed have either experienced or almost experienced accidents while using their phone when walking. All of them use their phones to navigate while walking to varying extents.

Section from the Affinity Diagram: even though all the students interviewed acknowledged that walking with their phone might cause them an accident, none of them have changed their phone usage behavior. This presented a design opportunity for pedestrian navigation safety.

3. Ideate

Rapid group brainstorming session with my class on possible solutions. The purple color indicates ideas that were developed into conceptual prototypes intended for 20+ years from now.

Spider Diagram: at the center is the "how might we" design question and branched out from it are ideas for design solutions.

4. Speculative Prototype

Building a conceptual prototype of a digital "third eye," a wearable and companion accessory to smart personal devices. It combines camera technology and sensors to provide a safer and more comfortable navigation experience for pedestrians of the future.

Mockups of marketing materials.

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