Guardian
Individual
3 months
Plush toy
2019
Guardian
This project took place during my Master's degree course, prompted by an open brief to design a lamp that was sustainable, innovative and operated without an on/off switch.
I decided to design a product for children so that I could explore Design for Play theory whilst brining value to the lives of kids worldwide. After some initial research, my main aim became:
To design a luminescent soft toy to comfort and empower children who are scared of the dark.
1.
Defining
the issue
Fear of darkness & its treatment
Fear of darkness is the third most common fear amongst children of ages 3-12. It normally first appears when children are old enough to have developed a strong sense of imagination, at around 3 years of age, and can sometimes extend until they are 10 - 12.
If children are not encouraged to overcome their fear, it may follow them into adulthood. Fear of the dark has been related to insomnia, anxiety and poor quality sleep in adults of all ages. For occasional mild fears, however, no psychological treatment as such is required. Instead, one may help the kid overcome it at home over time, by:
Listening
Soothing
Empowering
Praising
Comforting
2.
Market research
Identifying the market gap
After analysing customer reviews of several competitor products, the main attributes my lamp would need in order to fill the market gap were identified:
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Cuddly and soft
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Good quality finish
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Affordable (£10-20)
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Gender Neutral
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Long battery life
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No music/sound
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Easy to turn on
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Washable
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Gentle glow
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Timed light
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Durable (5+ yrs)
3.
Further academic research
Delving deeper
Inspired by the initial findings reached so far, I explored a few areas of note in more detail:
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Colour and light for sleep
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Gender neutral toys
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Emotional attachment in children
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Interest retention in children
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Psychological empowerment for children
With my findings here, I was able to began mood boarding.
4.
Mood boards
5.
User interaction
Step by step use
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Bed time: the kid is put to bed calmly, the parents say goodnight and leave them alone.
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Scared? As the light comes off, the fears start. The kid seeks courage from the product.
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You can do it! As the kid squeezes the product, it lights up just enough to make them feel safe.
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Sleep tight: the kid battles their fears and fall asleep peacefully. The product's lights turn off after 30min.
6.
Tech & materials
Pressure-sensitive textiles
Having defined a rough user interaction plan, tech research began to assess the feasibility of the idea.
Research showed that pressure sensors can be made compatible with a soft toy through the use of inexpensive pressure-sensitive textiles. These could then be connected to an LED through an Arduino Nano board, whose circuit was prototyped. The amount of force required to activate the pressure sensors could then be controlled by code, as well as the amount and duration of light being emitted.
7.
Idea generation
8.
Concept shortlist
9.
Idea evaluation
Interim critic and Pugh matrix
In an attempt to remain impartial and systematic, the three shortlisted concepts were rendered and evaluated with the Master's class. They provided feedback on each, choosing their favourite and raising questions, comments and suggestions.
The opinions of the class were then factored into a Pugh Decision Matrix based on the most relevant and form-dependent aspects of the product specification, such as the product psychology or its marketing characteristics.
The concept with the highest score was the themed pillow/toy, given its potential for gender neutrality, its alignment with the product specification and its unique yet simple look.
10. Prototyping
11. Branding
Creating a product family
The branding for the product was designed and expanded to create a whole family of Guardians.
For the logo, a night-blue, and pale pink combination was chosen in order to match the look of the toys and create an eye-catching contrast. It is simple and bold, portraying an idea without saturating the consumer with too much information. Such a simple logo will also be easy to modify, in order to fit new Guardian models and secondary brand development.
A business model was also created alongside a full costing breakdown and an FMEA.
Final product
A series of luminiscent, gender-neutral, soft toys designed to calm and empower kids who are scared of the dark.
