Week 1 SDX placement
26th Jan – I’ve gotten lots of ideas and insight into possible paths to go down with this project after our first meeting. Main things I need to think of within regards to this project are…. COST MATERIAL TEXTURE BRANDING DISPLAY (Below are some photos from in the store)
27th Jan – Thinking about materials I’d like to use, as I’m designing for people on the spectrum this will come with its own things to think of. Doing a survey/talking with people on the spectrum would be more beneficial for getting information on preference. However I have selected three areas to look into as to start my research on materials. We have woven materials as a staring point. Some examples of things I’d consider to come under this category are…
- Recycled fabric
- Natural fibres
- Metal
- Texture
- Paper
- Synthetic fibres
After this we have Metal, this would be a more obvious choice when it comes to a jewellery product. Some thoughts I’ve had on this are….
- Sheet
- Clay
- Tape
- Foil
- Fixings
- Textures
- Finishings
Then the final material I want to explore is Polymer clay. Some things I thought of with this was…
- Colours
- Effects
- Mixed with gold leaf
- Painted on
30th Jan – Further on from thinking about materials I’ve considered what kind of jewellery I should make. The main two I’m considering are necklaces and bracelets. As they are in a good position on the body for fidgeting, looks, and comfort. Each has their own pros and cons, ultimately I could make both and sell them as a set/or separately. This would be more work but might reap better profits. As the project goes on I’ll have to balance and make adjustments to what is possible in the time given.
The most common type of jewellery I can find for people on the spectrum is a chewable necklace. So my main focus will be on a refined version of this, with most likely a different function, the function being the chewability of the necklace. One area I have identified is instead of chewing to focus more in on the tactile nature of the product as to promote fidgeting.
“Fidgeting has been shown to help with cognitive tasks in adults with ADHD.”
Research from 2013 suggests purposeful fidgeting can increase the neurotransmitters that control attention span, helping improve focus. Fidgeting can also make sitting or staying still for long periods more tolerable. This is why I’d like to hone in on this space in the market. There are already fidget rings that have a spinning part for people with ADHD, which does look refined and tactile. So there is a market for it but there is less of a focus for necklaces with a similar purpose.
Another key thing I want to address is how adjustable the necklace would be. This comes down to preference as some people might want it close and tight while others will want it long and loose. So I need to work out which method to use to make it as adjustable as possible, without making more problems.
1st Feb – Exploring more of the function in relation to its fidgeting aspect I found varied ways to fidget such as popping, squeezing, pulling, clicking, spinning, and moving around. I found that there wasn’t a preference on which was the best as each person has their own preferred way to fidget. So for the most successful product it might be a good idea so include subtle ways to fidget in various ways.
Looking into more of what is available in the market I found a few different examples of jewellery similar to how I envision it looking, as well as providing insight to what is already out there. How can I improve on these designs and do something that will do well in the market.
These examples are more subtle on how they fidget but all only have one aspect of fidgeting included. Spinning seems to be something people want from fidgeting as it is what’s most common on the market. I have included a Lego necklace set even though it is not for fidgeting but it does have the nice clicking sound that someone might be looking for from a fidget necklace. Taking this information forward into some initial ideas and thoughts, to be improved upon after further research and development.
To the left are some initial sketches of ideas for the necklace to go down, these ideas will be discussed in my group meeting tomorrow.
Some ideas on how to make the necklace very adjustable to suit the needs of the user.
Starting to think on how to make the fidgeting part look nice while also being functional.