Heads Up
User-centred Design
Nudging - Interaction Design
My bachelor thesis was about cellphone use at middle and high school. Heads Up is a concept where each student receives a module where they place their phone during lesson.
The work I made consisted largely of product development, focusing on the design theories Nudging, Interaction Design and Positive Design. These theories was used primarily to reduce the cellphone usage of the students without banning the phone altogether.
The product uses a timer to clock how long it takes from that the module is closed until it's open again. The time that the module is closed is displayed by means of lamps on the inside of the cover, with varying light. Each lamp indicates five minutes and the color of the lamps shows within which time span the module has been closed. When all twelve lights are lit, all the lights turn green until the module is opened. This is a reminder to the student to reflect about their mobile usage.
A nudge in the right direction.
Nudging is about showing the user the effect of a choice and then getting the user to choose the one that is considered the best. The theory should lead to the user choosing the best option without affecting the free will. The theory leads to an increased understanding of how extensive mobile usage is, which hopefully leads to an understanding of the distractions that the mobile phone can give. If it is perceived as a problem by the user, nudging can lead to a reduced mobile usage in the classroom during lesson.
When people interact with a product, their previous experience is crucial for how they experience it. The interaction can be positive or frustrating and confusing. When people interact with a product for the first time, they need to discover how it works and what features it has. If it is difficult to understand the product, frustration is created, but if the user quickly creates an understanding, positive emotions, such as pride, can be raised.
