Break__Through
Design Brief:
Create a “High Tech, Heightened Interaction” product that responds to a problem utilizing appropriate and sophisticated technology. (See precursor, “Low Tech, High Interaction” product here)
Course:
Products Studio IV, Spring 2021
Timeline:
7 weeks
“Break__Through” is a speculative system meant to incorporate and embrace more frequent breaks and pauses into the workday.
The system consists of an individual light and a communal light. The individual, desk top device compresses as the user works to indicate when it is time to take a break. It also has a noise cancelling speaker located at the top, which mutes the surrounding environment at the suggested break time. On the other hand, the communal light- meant for a communal workspace- gets brighter every time a paired device has recorded a break.
User Scenario
1) Individual work time
The individual pulls the device upward to their desired work time. The desk top light then compresses over the amount of time they indicated, slowly emitting less light. When the light hits the bottom, the noise cancelling speaker is triggered, indicating to the user that it is time to take a pause or a break.
2) Break time
If the user decides to take their break, they can flip up the magnet on the side to turn off the device and send a signal to the communal light.
3) Shared light
On the other hand, the communal light would be located in a shared workspace. Every time that an individual with a paired light logs that they’re taking a break, the communal light gets brighter, prompting transparent discussion around breaks in the workplace and encouraging other employees to take frequent breaks as well.
Features & Mechanics
Though this project was primarily speculative, it was important to consider how the product system could realistically operate. The materials and features of the two components are shown below. The individual light would be operated through a rotary actuator, triggered by an upwards pulling motion (so that the user can set the amount of time they want to work by simply pulling the light to a specific height). On the other hand, the communal light would be paired to the individual lights by way of Bluetooth so that each time an individual light hits the bottom, one LED bulb is illuminated.
Other contexts
Though designed with the traditional workplace in mind, this product system is adaptable for several home and work environments as shown below.
