Black 1950s Electronic Vintage, 5 LED handbag

This new handbag was created to be used in a single-user study that will be taking place over the month. It has been modified based on feedback from previous user testing and focus groups that I have run over the course of the PhD so far. Included in this bag is a 5 LED configuration – which in this case it was decided to keep it all visible.

Some of the previous feedback was to possibly have more of the technology hidden, but after speaking with this particular tester, she too does have an interest in technology and that mix of the old and modern so a decision was made to have it visible. (I will be creating another handbag that will have only LEDs visible sometime soon.)

Initial workings of components being arranged

initialConfigs
Initial configuration thoughts for this bag. There were problems with the battery connecting so I had to swap this out for a switched AA case, as well as the board wasn’t working how I wanted it to so I changed the USB to their larger Main Board, this one has 5V so I had to swap the RFID reader as well! Just to show you that the initial ideas may change along the way with parts.

altSensors
After the initial changes in spec, I decided I wanted to also add a vibe board so there was a slight haptic feedback for the user too. This also needed a 5V input so it was confirmation for the board change. There are also a buzzer and I was thinking of including a light sensor for the inside of the bag. This was later abandoned for time purposes for this bag.

This bag also has a newer feature of a vibe board, so there is some haptic feedback for the user too now. As they scan the item, the bag has a gentle vibrate which notifies them that the bag has registered the item they intended to scan. As per the other bags, the LED then also goes off to notify the user that the bag is packed. This is using the same systems as previously, an RFID reader, the SLO18 board which has become my favourite, connected to a Lilypad. After this testing phase I will be looking into the portable devices as well as creating my own circuit boards for use in these bags.

kellyconfigMar2014
Additional configurations worked through on the bag for sizing / placement.

The bag was eventually fitted with the Main Board, the SLO18 reader, 5 LEDs, a vibe board, buzzer and AA battery case which sits currently on the first inner pocket. This isn’t ideal but it means there is a main on-off switch and the user can replace the batteries as needed.

Again, this is in the hopes of finding out if we can create a device to help with people becoming less likely to forget their essential items, and through this, to relieve the stresses they feel when forgetfulness happens.