Minor Project: Final Compilation and Reflection

on

23.09.25 - 30.12.25

Celine Christabelle Patricia / 0374872 

Minor Project / Bachelors of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / The Design School

Minor Project: Final Compilation and Reflection

Table Contents

  1. Instructions
  2. Tasks
    • Empathy
    • Define
    • Ideation
    • Prototype
    • Testing
    • Final Result
  3. Feedback
  4. Reflections

Instructions
Project - Cooling The Heat, Healing the Mind

1. Empathy Stage

Fig 1.0 - Client Meeting, About the project

One of our members attended the meeting, to understand the goal of this project. Dr. Praveena, the Director of Clean Lab Technology, gave a lot of valuable insights during the meeting. 

Fig 1.1 - Client Meeting 2.0

  • ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance and is a framework used to evaluate how a company or investment performs on sustainability and ethical issues.
  • Design starts in the mind, when we start coming up an idea a thought process, it all beings in the mind, what is required from the mind? → Clarity, be clear in thoughts and mind
    • plastic is the biggest blunder in innovation → its non degradable, now we try our best to stop it, why did this fail at the first fail, because you don’t have sustainability in mind
  • Factor is heat, working conditions are “bad”. Heat is an issue
    • Chronic stress, dehydration, heatstroke, mental fatigue
    • There is no proposed solution to addressed this
    • there are a lot of suicide cases in the police community (help this one is confidential)
    • if you don’t work under a favorable situation, this will cause mental distress
  • Clean Technology Impact Lab
    • Clean energy interventions
    • Sustainable design
    • Mental wellness strategies
During this stage we start choosing our targeted users, after reading the proposal and several discussions, we decided to choose kitchen workers, such as street vendors and cafe/restaurant chefs. 
  • Ponder this
    • What matters to you
    • How would you redesign your surroundings if you were working under the scorching sun
    • What does healing the mind mean in the context of climate resilience
    • purpose is not found — it is created through action
    • small acts aligned with empathy and impact can create systemic change
We interviewed 6 kitchen workers in total

Fig 1.2 - Affinity Diagram Summary

After interviewing 6 targeted users, we find the similar keywords and concluded into this findings. 

    Fig 1.3 - Secondary Research Summary


    We also conducted a few secondary research to strengthen our knowledge about the pain points of kitchen workers, working under scorching heat. 

    2. Define Stage

    Fig 2.0 - User Persona


    After we conducted the empathy stage, we are able to define these kitchen workers pain points. By this, we can finally make user persona based on user pain points and goals.

    Fig 2.1 - User Journey Map

    After making user persona, we proceed in making User Journey map, understanding what the journey that these user personas do, from the moment they wake up, going to work, and end their day, understanding their emotions and pain points through out the job

    3. Ideation Stage

    After understanding user personas and user goals, we finally manage to think of several ideas to make a prototype that may be helpful for these workers. During class, Dr. Wong let us to make several to make ideas using the Crazy 8 Ideas Method. 

    Fig 3.0 - Crazy 8 Ideas

    We compiled all of our ideas into the Figjam and voted the ideas that seemed interesting for us to propose to Dr. Praveena, our client. Hence, we end up choosing 3 main ideas to propose which are:
    1. Cap with Solar Panel Fan 
    2. Cooling T-Shirt
    3. Cooling Spray 

    Fig 3.1 - Crazy 8 Ideas Results


    To the presentation day, we presented our progress to our clients. 5 out of 6 members were able to attend the presentation day. Our presentation went well, Dr. Praveena liked our idea and was interested with the first idea, which is the Cap with Solar Panel Fan. 

    Fig 3.2 - Presentation Day

    4. Prototype Stage

    We purchased the materials needed for making the prototype result. Then we conducted several group projects meeting face to face to make the prototype together. Here are some documentations:

    Fig 4.1 - Cap making

    Fig 4.2 - Cap making

    Fig 4.3 - Random User test


    Fig 4.4 - Random User Test (2)

    5. Testing Stage 

    Fig 5.0 - User Testing with Cap

    After finish the prototype, we did user testing towards 4 street vendors around us. These are the task they will do:
    1. Task 1 
      • clip the fan to cap
    2. Task 2 
      • turn on the fan
    3. Task 3
      • wear the cap
    4. Task 4
      • adjust the fan
    5. Task 5 
      • take off the cap
    6. Task 6
      • take off the cooling gel
    Final Presentation

    After finish user testing, we made the user report in an excel sheet and written the feedbacks received, present the final results to the client. Here are some documentations during the final presentation.

    Fig 5.1 - Final Presentation


    Fig 5.2 - Final Presentation, wearing prototype

    Fig 5.3 - Client wearing prototype

    Fig 5.4 - Dr. Wong wearing prototype

    Final Results


    Figjam Design Thinking Journey:



    Final Presentation Slides:


    Feedback

    Week 2

    Correction on the targeted users as well as the interview questions, reminded to do site visits.

    Week 3

    Add Inclusion and Exclusion criteria of the targeted users. 
    For example:
    They have construction worker, police, street vendors, safety guard
    inclusion: only outdoor one
    exclusion: only indoor

    Week 9

    (PRESENTATION) Cap with solar panel is an interesting idea, you can use that for the prototype

    Week 10

    Make sure the fan do not block the users' view. Most people prefer the fan to get to the neck area, not directly into the face. 

    Week 11

    Task 1 should be a questionnaire that focuses on relevant measures (not first impressions), explores features through a clear use-case, and maps a simple step-by-step user journey of a very new street vendor using the Aeroshade (wearing it, turning on the fan, adjusting the brim if needed, continuing work, then turning it off).

    Week 14

    (PRESENTATION) The idea is great, though the fan is a bit too big and the cap is flimsy, it gives extra weight which may make it quite uncomfortable

    Reflections

    This module has enhance my problem solving skills. Together with different people from different specializations, we all have different visions which may not align certain times. However due to having communicative teammates, problems can be solved. Most of the time, every member have different visions on the project, different methods on how to do their projects, which affects in different timeline when working. 
    During team meetings, everyone is always on time, which speeds up the discussion process, especially during presentation practices, everyone is time efficient and every practice is conducted smoothly.

    Aside from teamwork, this module have taught me on how in-depth learning of our users is very essential before jumping right into the product. Moreover, I actually find this process quite enjoyable, understanding users pain points and goals, and help to find the solution from this problem. I have the chance to understand our own product, learn it, match it with users' needs.

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