1. Out of the following 3 audiences: Healthcare, Productivity, and Smart Home, conduct research and answer the following questions
Students
What are some key features of the audience (age range, profession, economic class, marital status, etc.)?
ages: 5-22, upper, middle, and lower economic classes, living at home/dorm/apartment, mostly financially dependent
What are some challenges members of the audience face?
communicating effectively with teachers/professors remotely, not getting supervision from busy parents during remote learning (for younger children), managing time wisely between subjects and taking breaks, finding resources to supplement learning when in-class instruction fails
What are some potential solutions in the form of a consumer device that can solve one of the challenges?
smart cushion that takes input as to after how many hours the student wants to receive a vibration signaling they should get up to take a break; if one hour is selected, after every one hour that the cushion detects pressure on it from a seated person, it will buzz
device that can sit on a desk that gives 'nudges' every hour or so to take timed breaks, asks for input about how productive the last hour has been, can take input about stressors to share with teachers
Gardeners
What are some key features of the audience (age range, profession, economic class, marital status, etc.)?
age: mostly middle- and older-aged, working and retired, married and unmarried, those who take up gardening as a hobby or only have a few succulents they take care of
What are some challenges members of the audience face?
knowing whether soil is conducive to planting certain plants, getting ideas for what to plant, not knowing what to do to fix wilting or yellowing leaves, having physical constraints that don't allow one to sit outside for long or hunch over plants, protecting small plants from sun/rain
What are some potential solutions in the form of a consumer device that can solve one of the challenges?
sensors that can be inserted into soil to test aridity and acidity and possibly scan the plant for signs of wellness, synced up to an app that allows input of location and types of plants planted for a comprehensive plant-wellness tracker and inspiration for what to feasibly grow in an area
umbrella that senses water falling on it (or strong sunlight) and consequently opens over small plants
an extendable trellis that senses height of vines growing on it and adjusts its height accordingly
Elderly
What are some key features of the audience (age range, profession, economic class, marital status, etc.)?
age: 60+, mostly retired, married and unmarried, all economic classes, take more medications than middle-aged
What are some challenges members of the audience face?
dexterity and memory issues, monitoring illnesses and taking medications, loneliness and purposelessness, setting long-term goals to feel fulfilled
What are some potential solutions in the form of a consumer device that can solve one of the challenges?
box containing adjustable dividers that can be configured according to amount of medications taken; one can set alarms on each divided section for what time to take that medicine and toggle a switch as they take the medication for that day; when it comes time to take a certain medication, that section will light up and and a spoken notification will be given as to what to take and dosage
sensors that allow output of a red light when inhaler medications fall below 10 puffs left, weight-based output for when pills run low