SCOTSMAN Post 2 - 07/02/2014

Time is running out for me to decide upon which brief to tackle, so I've decided upon tackling the brief concerning alcohol consumption. I already have a few ideas of potential concepts and feel that I can conduct research easily amongst my peers. I'm interested in exploring the various avenues that I could go down with this brief and feel I could generate a satisfying outcome.

I'm in the studio today and will press on with this brief by first generating a schedule for the project which I plan to stick too. After that I will write a questionnaire and distribute that via social media. I need to consider which question's will help me most with my project, and consider who best to ask to answer the questionnaire.

Anyway, best crack on with my work.

R.

SCOTSMAN Post 1 - 05/02/2014

This will be the first in a series of posts concerning my progress with my current University project - SCOTSMAN. Phase 1 of the project required that in groups we outline an engineering opportunity and produce a brief for a solution. Each group presented their opportunities in the studio on 31/01/14 and I now have 8 possible briefs to answer. Before deciding which to take forward, I want to consider which brief interests me most and which I feel I can provide the best answer for.

So, first off lets review each brief:

1 - Flood Defenses

This brief was my groups chosen opportunity, so it is a topic I already know a lot about. I know what the need is, which businesses and consumers would be involved and know what competition there is. However, I would probably prefer to explore someone else's opportunity rather than one I found myself.

2 - Dakar Rally

Whilst I found this prospect interesting, I found it hard to see the design opportunity. Surely archaeological sites etc. could be protected from fences, markers or tarpaulins.

3 - Rough Sea Fisherman

This was one of the stand out brief as it was a bit different in comparison to the other areas of research. I feel that getting direct research would be quite difficult as I don't know of anyone in this industry. However I have a few ideas of possible avenues I could go down with this brief so it remains one of the ones that I may choose to answer.

4 - Diabetic Care

Another brief that interested me was this brief that outlined a need to improve blood sugar monitoring and insulin administration in teenagers. I had heard before that there can be trouble convincing teenagers to keep track of their care due to social strains etc. and coming up with a product to tackle this would interest me.

5 - Sustainable Foods

Whilst I agreed with the motive behind this brief and feel that it raises an important issue, I am not interested in tackling it. It is not one that interests me greatly.

6 - Food Storage/Transportation in Africa

Everyone knows that there is a food shortage in Africa, though few know that a lot of food goes to waste. Having lived in Africa for 2 months and visited markets etc. I seen that food is improperly stored in dirty homes, and many perishable goods are damaged in transit i.e. tomatoes, onions etc.
I feel that this brief outlines a good cause and it is another I may be interested working on.

7 - Alcohol Consumption

As a student (I'm not alone here...), alcohol consumption is something I know about all to well. I for one would like to keep track of my alcohol consumption on a night out to avoid repercussions of drinking to much. I also feel that it would be easy to conduct market research to aid in reaching the best design as I can easily get the information I need by asking friends and colleagues. For these reasons this is the brief I am weighing towards most at the moment. 

8 - Smoking Sensor

I for one hate the smell of cigarette smoke and don't like being in a room that has been smoked in. If it began to bother me I would just leave. However, the product in question would be used by someone who cared about those that would be sharing the room but wouldn't want to be in a smoked-in atmosphere. If they felt badly enough about it to buy such a product, surely they would just smoke outside?

Anyway, these are my feeling on each individual brief. I will perhaps sketch up some ideas concerning the briefs that interest me before my next addition to the blog, but I hope to have chosen which brief I will answer by that time. Ciao 4 now!
R.