Mementoys - usability in product design
with Walid Hassanein
27thJan '10
About the event
Why is it that people have such a strong emotional bond with their childhood toys, many years after they have ceased to have any utilitarian function?
This talks presents the notion of designing to augment a toy's ability to capture and provide memories with its owner for an entire lifetime, and describes a framework for prototyping, implementing and testing this concept.
Toys capture information while they are being used, and then recount their stories many years later. Each story would give the owner a flashback to a particular period of time in their life; connecting these flashbacks together provides an even greater story of their past. The toys use a wide range of embedded sensors that capture information digitally. Using GPS, a toy could capture geographic position and recount the tale of past journeys. Using tiny, wireless cameras and other sensors, the toy could also record audio and visual information, presenting the owner with context cues that would trigger different memories. We experiment with different materials, especially those with good patina such as leather and textiles, as they provide the best visual indication of age. Elements that have a strong possibility of tearing off after a certain period of time, such as buttons are encouraged. The toys would have a valuation model that would prioritize the importance of its captured memories. A long geographic move, or the moment when a new discovery happens during play, would be placed at the top of the memory hierarchy.
More about the speaker(s)
Walid Hassanein is a Usability Consultant at Usability Lab.
As a usability consultant, Walid thrives on immersing himself into new environments to produce useful and creative design solutions. With a bachelor of industrial design from Carleton University (Canada) and international work experience, Walid applies his rigorous strategy, testing and design skills to achieve concise solutions that are usable and meet stakeholder needs.
Before joining The Usability Lab, Walid was an independent usability consultant, with clients & projects ranging from lead UX consultant for Vodafone Egypt's corporate and mobile sites to a toy and UX design project for the Massachusetts Institute of Technologies' Media Lab. As a new arrival to Scotland, Walid currently spends most of his time away from The Lab exploring the regions, landscapes and special malts.
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