For this project we had to come up with three concepts for digital products that would encourage people to spend less time on their phones and more time in nature. The first product I came up with is a pair of glasses with a small camera on the bridge, a microphone attached to the leg at the ear and a gps tracker enabled. This product would be able to hear you ask questions and answer you, much like an Alexa. You could ask the device questions about the plants around you, your location or just talk to it like you would a friend. This device would be good for elderly people who have no family, they may feel afraid or lonely to go on a walk by themselves but the glasses will keep them company and with a safety measure in place to send a message to emergency services if the wearer falls, they will feel more secure leaving the house alone. This device would also be useful to an academic or student trying to learn about different breeds of flora, fauna and the history of their environment. If this product was being sold, different styles of frames and colours should be available to intrigue a wider audience.
The second product I came up with is aimed at people who cannot leave their homes, perhaps someone elderly or with a health condition, the product is designed to bring nature to them. The product is a small projector and two rings that can be worn to direct the device. When placed in a dark room it transforms the space into different nature scenes, there will be different settings, for example a desert, rainforest or even the sea, each one activated by voice control. The scenes will be highly detailed with wind blowing leaves, insects and animals commonly found in the environments and weather. The user can ask the projector to zoom in on specific areas, if they see a bird they point at it using the ring to zoom in on it, the device will answer any question with known answers about the species. This device will allow people to experience scenes that would be otherwise impossible and educate them about nature. As this device is for a wide audience ranging in age and gender, different models with varying colours would be available.
The last project that I came up with and chose to develop further was an app called ‘Greenleaf’ that provides you with planned activities that meet your specific needs. Each user when setting up the app is asked to fill in a survey, this will provide the app with information like your age, health and things you like so that it knows what activities to recommend. There is a wide range of activates that can be searched for, casually browsed and saved for later in the favourites widget or recommended, for example it ranges from sky diving to a forest walk. The app askes you every day to fill in your routine, this lets it know when you have free time, if you seem to have an overwhelming day the app will find time and suggest something simple and quick like walking to work. A rewards system is in place to motivate people to keep up to date with their activities everyday, each day they meet their goal they are rewarded a green leaf that equates to points, once 30 points are collected the user is send an electronic voucher for a free hot drink at a cooperating company. With many settings, such as the weather and gps, the app has you covered, sending you reminders when your activity is coming up or if the weather ruins your plans, giving you a contingency activity. The repetitive colour theme would be sage green and a muted yellow, with photographs to show the location of the activities. This product is aimed at anyone, with the activities being tailored to your needs anyone of any age can partake in getting back in touch with nature.
