2023 Award Winner!
Charlotte Watkins
Hi, I'm Charlotte Watkins. My passion for industrial design has grown immensely over these past four years. I've learned to step out of my comfort zone by letting go of this idea of "perfection" in order for me to let my creativity soar. I've grown to appreciate the process of design, the value of research, and how they influence my design decisions. I am looking forward to further developing my skills as a designer and aim to create products that provide joy to others.
The Four Essential Pillars for Design Excellence
The four essential pillars encompass human-centric design approach and the understanding of full-bodied, three dimensional physical interaction of user, product and environment. The projects generate innovative solutions using research-driven, evidence-based designs which focus on the user experience.
Enhancement of Human Lifestyle
AVI encourages both visually impaired and sighted children to play a variety of inclusive active games that can be set up in many environments.
This allows children with impaired vision to develop more self-confidence and hit their developmental milestones to better their quality of life.
Human-Interaction & User-Centric Design
AVI encourages children to use other senses such as auditory by listening to cues from their smart blindfolds, AVI, and player vests.
The sense of touch is also used by feeling the floor tiles for additional navigation.
Ergonomics & Human Factors Design
AVI is designed to provide children with fun, safe, and active play with sighted and non-sighted peers through its smart blindfolds.
The smart blindfolds use bone conduction technology which allows players to feel/hear auditory cues as well as their surroundings. Game equipment also ensures that children ages 8-12 can use the gear comfortably with adjustable straps and soft materials.
Sustainability & Social Responsibility
AVI aims to provide more inclusive active play that can be adopted into "mainstream" school curriculums and in homes to allow visually impaired children to feel more confident and independent.
Physical Activity for Visually Impaired Children
Project Summary
Physical activity in an average child’s development and daily routine is important for their physical and mental growth. It is no less so for children with impaired vision. This demographic isn’t getting enough active play due to a lack of resources and tools to encourage them to stay active. Often sitting these activities out, visually impaired children eventually lose their confidence and develop anxiety participating in active games. With new emerging technologies, how could current concepts be improved and catered towards physical activity and education to encourage these children to be more active with their sighted and non-sighted peers? AVI allows for more inclusive active play to be adopted into “mainstream” school curriculums and at home to encourage visually impaired children to feel more confident in participating with their peers.
Thesis Summary Motion Presentation
This video briefly explains the importance of physical activity for children with impaired vision and how to play with AVI.
Thesis Visual Presentation
Click the image to enlarge.
Thesis Development Process
Click the image to enlarge.
3D Design Development & Modeling
Physical Model Video
This video demonstrates the model-making process of this 1:4 scaled model of AVI and game equipment.
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