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Brief Introduction
Brief Introduction
Our project for the Physical Computing course focuses on designing a small, assistive device for a campus worker, using a microcontroller. The goal is to understand our client’s daily routines, needs, and habits, and then design something that enhances their work life without adding unnecessary complexity.
My client is a mason at Carnegie Mellon University, around 50–60 years old, who has worked in masonry for nearly four decades. He takes pride in his craft and performs his tasks with remarkable efficiency and experience. He often works outdoors and drives a small utility cart to carry his tools and materials around campus.
During my initial observations, I noticed that his tool bucket in the car is disorganized, sometimes causing him to reach into it and risk minor injuries while looking for tools. He also mentioned that he enjoys listening to music while working and often talks proudly about his children, who live and work in different cities.
The purpose of this interview was to better understand his daily workflow, challenges, and personal values so that I can design a device that meaningfully fits into his life, something practical, safe, and maybe even emotionally comforting.
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Agenda
Our meeting actually was quite free-style, because we didn’t want to make it feel like a formal interview, but just a casual conversation.
Questions about his daily routine and most-used tools.
Conversation about what he enjoys during work
Discussion about moments of difficulty or inefficiency at work.
We come up with some ideas and ask his opinion
Get his contact information
Summary & Takeaways
Summary & Takeaways
Brick walls that Rick worked on while he discussed his job, life, and kids
The interview went very smoothly. The mason was friendly but humble. He didn’t complain about his work or any difficulties, emphasizing that after so many years, “everything just works.” However, some small moments gave us insights.
He showed me his work car, where his tools are stored in a bucket. He laughed as he reached in, admitting it can be “a bit messy” and once accidentally scraped his hand while grabbing something sharp. He didn’t want to make a big deal of it, but it highlighted a potential safety and issue.
He also talked about his family with great pride. Three of his children now live in different cities and have jobs that take them around the world. He said he listens to music while working and that it “keeps him company”, which suggests that sound plays a meaningful emotional role in his day.
Thoughts
Thoughts
The results of the meeting are quite unexpected, but still very inspiring for the team to move on. We realize that for the most part of the interview, we did learn well about his work, but the other aspect is we didn’t find anything that he urgently needs during work. This confused us a little when the interview was still going on, but soon we found out that the man needed something else.
Because of the nature of the client’s work, it’s hard to improve the process with electronic physical assistance devices. Some of his work requires physical operation, such as pouring mold material into a bucket, which can be achieved easily by human effort. Also, due to the fact that he is a very experienced mason, he is very skilled at every aspect of his job.
However, because he is family-oriented and warm-hearted, we realize that to improve his working experience, emotional support is an important aspect we can work on. We are surprised that we are directed to this position but we are satisfied with it.
If we can run the interview a second time, we would dive into the emotional aspect earlier. We are eager to learn about his potential entertainment and enjoyable habits. This may provide us with more aspects of what he enjoys and loves besides his family and music.
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