1. Hover finger for 3 seconds to activate spray
2. The Cleand Band will spray the hand sanitiser onto your palm
3. Rub the hand sanitiser on both hands until the LED light becomes blue and the band vibrates
The Cleand Band is a hand sanitiser wearable featuring a “no touch” system developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project required the development of a product as well as a business case focusing on its initial launch as well as its future plans. The Cleand Band answers the need for workplaces to ensure their employees are protected from the deadly virus. This protection includes when travelling to and from work as well as within the workplace.
The product was developed by an interdisciplinary team of University of Sydney Undergraduates. The team consisted of those with a background in design, business and the creative arts. I acted as a research consultant and business strategist, requiring me to gather data and understand the user needs and their frustrations. Additionally I researched possible markets and highlighted the segments the business could enter. I also contributed to the development of the product through brainstorming, sketching and providing feedback to different iterations of the Cleand Band.
Effective infection prevention and control of COVID-19 was the team focus. In particular hand hygiene with emphasis on the public following the World Health Organisations (WHO) recommendation of effective hand washing techniques. The team used Online Ethnography to gather insights from online forums such as Reddit as well as news articles. These insights were then organised into an Affinity Diagram to understand pattern and trends in the qualitative data uncovered.
“Washing hands is better because it washed off the viral particles. Wash for 20 seconds thoroughly with warm water preferably, at least 5 times a day”- Reddit user
“Wash your hands when you can, sanitize when you can’t. It’s simple”- Reddit user
“I think if everybody in the community made an effort to wash their hands more, the community would benefit. But one guy washing his hands frequently likely isn’t helping anybody”- Reddit user
The team created an Affinity Diagram using quotes gathered through the Online Ethnography. Patterns and recurring themes were grouped together and labelled allowing the team to develop a list of 6 user needs. These needs were used to guide the team into the idea generation stage of the design process.
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The research highlighted the user need for a visual and or physical reminder to wash and sanitise their hands. For this reason, the team focused on a type of wearable to remind the user to wash or sanitise their hands. The team created mood boards of inspiration focusing on adjustable straps, the physical wristband and the bracelet as a whole.
The team used the mood boards as a starting point to further develop and ideate the sanitiser bracelet. Sketches were used to explore various iterations further. These sketches focused on how to interact with the wearable, the strap and the sanitiser pod.
These rough sketches were then used to develop 5 distinct concepts, each featuring various ways to interact with the device as well as various aesthetic design decisions. Labels were used to further communicate and explain the concept.
Each member discussed the positive and negative aspects of each of the 5 designs. The positive aspects of these designs were combined with those that feature a “no touch” interaction. The team further developed 3 of these concepts as 2D renders, featuring LED light interfaces to provide feedback to the user based on the amount of hand sanitiser in the sanitiser pod.
Creating a story board of a use case allowed the team to test the product through understanding how and where the Cleand Band would be used. This highlighted the core features of the band as well as the need for the physical design to be thin enough so as not to interfere with the user when completing day to day tasks.
The final prototype of the Cleand Band is made out of vulcanised rubber featuring LED lights, a refillable hand sanitiser pod as well as an infrared sensor, accelerometer and gyroscope to allow for a “no touch” interaction. The physical design of the product ensures a snug fit on the underside of the user’s wrist. This panel is thin but packed with technology in order for the user to be able to easily interact with the product.
The physical design of the product was important to the team. This included measuring all aspects of the design. The team considered the need for various sizes to match the various circumferences of the users wrists. This ensured that the product was able to be used by the masses no matter the size of their wrist.
A 3D model was made of the final iteration of the design in order to bring the prototype to life. This allowed the team to inspect the product from all angles and further understand the physical aspects of the design. This High Fidelity Prototype highlighted the proportions of the various elements of the Cleand Band. The development of this model assisted the team to develop High Fidelity Mock-ups of the Band in the physical world.
The team created a set of mock-ups showing the product in context as well as the Cleand Bands packaging. This was the team’s first wholistic view of the Cleand Band and its associated products. Instructions for the product were also developed in order to better communicate the Cleand Bands use.
A promotional video was developed to encourage “investment” for the product. The video features the teams design process, future plans for the business and highlights why the product is an innovative response to a market need.
This project taught me the importance of considering the business aspect behind a design. Due to COVID-19, my team worked remotely, and I never met my team in person. This meant that I was required to develop trust quickly with my team members without having met them face to face. This project was completed during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Information and advice in relation to the virus was changing daily as more was discovered. This gave me experience in researching and designing in a rapidly evolving and changing situation. The project also showed me the importance of visualising a design at all levels in order to communicate ideas to my team members but also to communicate the developing ideas with key stakeholders in order to gain feedback.
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