Needs:

Some of the needs we discussed were:

• Power Savings/Efficiency
• Reliable data transfer
• Widespread access in remote locations
• Reliable infrastructure for data in various industries
• Accessibility and Human-Computer Interaction

The team had a dual approach to identifying project needs. First, we pondered actual shortcomings in many prominent industries featuring ECE skills. Some of the needs we identified were specific such as poor battery life in smart devices and some were broad such as identifying the need to collect, manipulate, and share data over the internet. Secondly, we identified specific projects that interested us from a learning perspective. Some examples included a new NFC based, passive smartwatch and a scaled version of a widespread AM outer-net. Once we determined specific products, we worked backwards to identify why those things appealed to us to expand our list of needs/interests.

Based on this approach, we initially wanted to work on an application that would collect and interpret data, yet we were lost as to what specific use we wanted to explore. Yet through further deliberation, we pivoted towards accessibility and Human-Computer Interfaces. The product we decided on would be a device that would provide an alternative method to manipulate the mouse cursor on a computer. Normal mouses have physical constraints that are explained in the Objective and Background section of this exercise. Thus the need of this product is to overcome those constraints.

Objective and Background:

The goal of this team is to create a mouse-like device aimed at replacing a normal mouse. There were two main foreseeable purposes:

1) People with motor control disabilities or hand pain/discomfort that cannot grip and move a normal mouse. By creating something that is more hands-free, they would be alleviated from pain and their productivity with a computer would increase.

2) Some people want a device that is free of a normal mouse's physical bounds. A normal mouse requires a flat surface with compatible material. Many PC users may be on the go, on their couch, at a coarse table, or somewhere else that inhibits a normal mouse from working properly.

The idea for this stemmed somewhat from our original motive: data collection and use. This device would need a smart and reliable way to collect the user's input data. Should we focus on people with arthritis and hand pain, the design has to minimize the discomfort significantly. If we focus on the more mainstream option, it has to work just as well as a normal mouse or people will not see the practicality.

Methodology:

We need to first further analyze what we want to achieve. More specifically, we need to decide which target group to pinpoint. This will significantly affect how we approach the next few exercises and early design specifications. We will continue to map out our direction each week by promptly following the exercises.

Our general approach to the entire design process is as follows:

1. Deciding a target group - Medical, travel, and people that don't have access to a traditional surface.

Our project is versatile in that it could be applied to a wide variety of target groups. We have identified some potential needs and user groups that might benefit from a redesigned mouse: 1) people with medical disabilities, 2) people that travel a lot, and 3) users that don't have access to a traditional surface. One of the painstaking realizations we have noticed so far in our research is that it might be difficult to address all of these target groups with a one-size-fits-all type of solution. By focusing on a specific group, we would be able specify our design constraints and adhere to the end users' needs. If possible, we could design our software interface for the device to be easily extended to add hardware or software solutions that address the needs of additional target groups.

2. Decide how to set up design research for initial target audience.

As part of our early planning stage, we have brainstormed a few functional input device options. Once we have selected a target group, we can work on specifically addressing the users' needs. We will analyze the target group's needs and work on creating a range of ways we could address their requirements. To make sure the product is competitive, the device shall provide an input experience that meets or exceeds the reliability and function of a mouse. The mouse is widely used because of the high accuracy and consistent user experience it provides. Keeping these ideas in mind we will then analyze different design options and ultimately pick one to pursue. Special care shall be taken to consider the performance losses from using a normal mouse and the trade-off we are making between improving these problems and the aforementioned losses.

3. Setting up infrastructure for the target group.

The traditional mouse often utilizes some type of proprietary driver that the computer would typically make use of to communicate with the device. We will likely need to develop a proprietary piece of hardware that will take input from the user and relay it to their computer. At first, our device will likely not be communicating over a proprietary driver that comes prepackaged with the user's computer. The hardware we would need to develop should not hinder the end user. We want to build something that is small, aesthetically pleasing, and as close as possible to the plug and play hardware specification as possible.

4. Planning for the future!

After establishing our the infrastructure of our solution, we will look back and reflect on our product. We want to improve it by analyzing its strengths and weaknesses because maintaining a high standard for our existing products should be our highest priority. Our second priority will be to look at how we can utilize our current solution as a whole or in part to address further use cases. Our original product will be extensible, aiding this push for addressing more user groups.

Expected results:

We expect our product to help people that struggle using a regular computer mouse. The device should reduce or eliminate a lot of the discomfort associated with a physical disability or an ailment. We expect the device to help the user control the mouse pointer on their computer so that there hands do not need to be in an uncomfortable position. This product will differ from its competitors which are generally bulky such as joysticks and ergonomic mice.

We expect to minimize the bulk by eliminating the mouse and using gesture control. The expected results of this would be that the device is lightweight and easy to transport for people on the go.

Costs:

A computer mouse costs a consumer between $10 to $80. At the lower end of the spectrum, the user is usually provided with just the essential functionality and often little to no ergonomic support. At the higher end of the spectrum, a user can expect much higher response rate, better ergonomic support, more functional buttons, and the ability to work on a wider range of surfaces. Our goal for this project is to design a quality product that offers more features to the end user for an affordable price.

Expected costs that will be quantitatively determined during design are the sensors and other hardware we use to track the user inputs.

Etymology:

We decided to name the product after something else that is well-known to be manipulated without direct hand contact - a marionette.