Goal
Design a wearable device that delivers a sense of augmented capability to users by leveraging multi-modal integration principles and haptic technologyto identify, investigate, and address a tangible real-world challenge.

Process
Conceptualized and presented a haptic-enabled road safety eyewear solution for pedestrians as part of the Multi-modal Design coursework atBentley University.

Role
Sr. UX Designer, accountable for concept generation, product strategy, user research, 3D Modeling/Printing and project documentation.

Problem

Pedestrians face an ongoing risk of vehicle-related collisions due to a range of contributing factors, including poor lighting, adverse weather conditions, absent sidewalks, and dangerous driving behaviors such as recklessness or impaired driving.

Approach: The solution centered on designing a wearable that simultaneously heightens a pedestrian's situational awareness and improves their visibility to others — referred to as 'conspicuity'. The project was anchored around three core user stories:

• As a user, I want to see clearly while walking on a sidewalk in low-light environments.
• As a user, I want to be alerted when a vehicle is approaching so I can move to a safer position on the sidewalk.
• As a user, I want to remain clearly visible to oncoming drivers from the greatest possible distance.

Methods

Storyboarding, Functional Analysis, MorphologicalChart, 3D Prototyping, Arduino Programming, Usability Testing

Link to Research document

My Role

I led the initial phases independently — ideating, storyboarding, performing functional analysis, and completing the morphological chart. Once team members came on board, I transitioned into a coordination role, defining action items, leading usability testing sessions, and managing research paper documentation.

Design Process

After defining the problem, I developed storyboards for a wearable that would heighten user alertness through haptic feedback triggered by detected vehicle movement. The intent was to give pedestrians a sharper awareness of their surroundings while notifying them of potential hazards, ultimately lowering the likelihood of accidents.

Following this, I carried out a functional analysis to map out the variables influencing user behavior and to generate hypotheses around the wearable's intended functionality.

Our team then conducted human factors research with a focus on vibro tactile sensitivity in the head region, peripheral vision, and visual attention paradigms. Based on these findings, the eyewear mechanism was designed around three functional components:

1. Detection of an approaching vehicle (stimulus)
2. Response to the stimulus, with three variations:
    
   • LED alert blinking in the peripheral field only
    
   • Granular vibration alert behind the ear only
    
   • A combination of both LED and vibrational alerts
 
3. LED strips integrated into the eyewear     frame — invisible to the wearer but enhancing their conspicuity to     approaching drivers.

Given that the LED strips were designed to run continuously, a specialized logic was implemented in the Arduino to allow simultaneous execution of the strip illumination alongside the peripheral LED and vibrationmotor triggers. This was achieved using timestamps and global variables tracking the last execution cycle of the main Arduino loop — an approach that also contributed to faster sensor and motor response times.

Early prototyping revealed sizing challenges, as the hardware modulesneeded precise fitting within the eyewear frame. Several dimensional adjustments were made before moving forward.

Usability Testing

The initial prototype was evaluated with participants between the ages of18 and 27. Key findings included:

1. Most participants favored the vibrational feedback over the LED visual input.
2. A portion of participants indicated the vibration intensity could be dialed back slightly.
3. Participants engaged in a concurrent task, such as describing their peripheral field of view, initially missed the LED alert. However, once informed of it, they were able to notice it when the task was repeated.
4. The vibrational alert was reliably detected even when participants were occupied with an unrelated task.

Usability Heuristics

The vibrational alerts were evaluated against heuristics of granularity, frequency, and direction:

• Granularity of vibrational impulse: 50ms on / 50ms off
• Motor frequency range: 10 to 55 Hz
• Vibration direction: All three axes (XYZ)

Key Takeaways & Learnings

Assigning responsibilities aligned with each team member's strengths resulted in a smoother, more efficient workflow.Peer-reviewing every deliverable before submission proved valuable for maintaining quality standards. Submitting early drafts for review significantly elevated the quality of the final output

For future iterations, the following enhancements are planned:

• Incorporate motion and image sensing to trigger more accurate alerts.
• Dynamically adjust alert intensity based on the distance and speed of approaching vehicles.
• Develop a hands-free, wireless form factor with modular components that can be attached to helmets, headgear, hairbands, and similar accessories.

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