Overview
Background
1.6 million crashes happen every year because of someone using a phone while driving. Most people know it's bad but don't have the self-control to stop.
Target market
People who acknowledge they have bad habits of using their phone while driving, and parents who want to give their teens safer alternatives.
Brainstorming
In my research I found the majority of people actually WANT to stop using their phone while driving, but phone use has become so habitual that they do it out of instinct without thinking.
People like having a choice, so I focused on a product that would remind people about their responsibility to drive safely and make wise decisions and provide rewards and possible negative consequences.
Problem - It's difficult to put your phone down when driving and sometimes we need help.
How might we...
Enable those who want to stop to have a tool supporting their desire
Help new drivers start with healthier habits with their phones while driving
Incentivize people to not use their phone while driving
Give a different tactile sensation when handling the phone to break people out of their habits
Solution - An app and sleeve to help people create better habits to prevent texting and driving.
Implementation
Prevent physical contact - I designed the Sikura Phone Sleeve, an inexpensive enclosure constructed from durable, soft-touch paper and a clear plexiglass panel which prevents a person from using touch interaction on their phone.
Make it fulfilling - We want people to see the benefits of safe driving.
Gamify - Through the use of competition and streaks, we want people to see their habits change and be able to show it off to others.
Motivation - work with insurance companies to save users money when using Sikura.
The customer purchases a phone sleeve and installs the app, NFC communicates with the app.
NFC or Near-Field Communication is a technology used to transmit data between two electronic devices over a distance of 4 cm or less.
Impact
I want to reduce the amount of distracted driving on the roads caused by cellphone usage. This is proven to reduce car crashes and will, as a result, save lives.
Reflections
I was really curious to understand why people still text while driving despite efforts by the country to stop it. So, I created a project out of it. I liked designing a tangible phone sleeve, and an app to go with it. If I’d designed it for myself, I would have avoided the color yellow, but it gives a good vibe of reminding people to be cautious and emphasizes the gravity of the issue I was solving. The sleeve itself feels bulker than I would like. The thought was to use recycled paper to keep it inexpensive, but assumed that would add constraints to possible shapes. My plan is to make some prototypes out of paper pulp and learn more about the material to see if I can create a slimmer vibe.
I would also like to make the functionality of the app more clear. When you look at the details it takes a moment to figure out where each button will take you or what each part of the data is trying to communicate. Overall I really enjoyed trying to solve this problem of texting while driving though.