Unis is designed to prioritize the safety and well-being of families, especially those with children. By alerting users to potential passive hazards within the home, it provides parents with peace of mind, enabling them to leave home confidently, knowing their loved ones and environment are protected. Unis offers reassurance and support, helping families navigate the challenges of daily life with greater confidence and ease.
Introduction
The project aims to turn home security into a proactive measure. Unlike traditional alarms, Unis doesn't react to ongoing incidents but instead prevents potential dangers. In doing so, it also assists parents in teaching their children about responsibility when they are at home alone.
Concept
Tracking Passive Objects
Unis is different from conventional smart home monitoring by tracking non-connected devices. It sensors passive objects, such as candles and taps that are not connected to the network. Unis categorizes alerts into three areas: water-related issues, heat-related issues, and open entrances.
Home
Unis
Project Information
Sound Design Project
Collaboration
Advanced Product Design, Umeå Institute of Design
Role
Ideation, Sound Design, Visual Design
Team
Siri Müller, Johannes Rothkegel, Xingyu Liu
Water
taps / showers
Heat
candles, stoves, toaster,
fireplaces, hairdryer
Open Entrances
doors, windows
How does it work?
Unis uses infrared sensors, precision microphones and advanced computer vision technology to detect potential hazards effectively. Users are gently reminded as they leave the house to attend to any items they may have overlooked.
Key Aspects of the concept
Preventative Measure
Having the possibility to prevent dangerous situations before it occurs.
Teaching Responsibility
Giving a possibility to the parents to teach the children about security and responsibility within the home.
Reducing Anxiety
Reducing possible anxiety regarding forgetting to turn something off when leaving the home.
The product focuses on visual and audio feedback.
Visual feedback
Sound feedback
Interaction
To encourage users to engage with the objects identified by Unis rather than the Unis device itself, a LED matrix screen was selected. This choice ensures there is no ambiguity about it being a touchscreen, directing attention solely to the potential hazards. A single button fulfills two key functions: toggling between multiple issues, should they arise, and, with a long press, dismissing an issue when appropriate.
Visual Design
A dot-based text and icon system was designed specifically for the LED matrix display. The animations deliver cheerful, intuitive feedback, enhancing the learning experience and making it both engaging and enjoyable for children.
Auditory Feedback
We recognized the need for a diverse range of sounds to enhance the functionality of Unis. These sounds include attention-grabbing alerts, auditory cues for interactions with the device and nearby passive objects, and feedback for physical actions, such as docking and undocking the device.
Physical Form
The Unis device is thoughtfully designed to harmonize its sound output with a home environment, ensuring it remains unobtrusive. Its compact size facilitates effortless interaction for both adults and children, while the soft backing adds a comfortable, tactile experience when held.
The Process
Sound positioning
Listened to and decided what kind of sound we liked and would like to achieve ourselves
Vocal sketching
Initial vocal sketching for the different features of the concept
Creating a preset
Created a preset that could be used as a base when creating the sound family
Wizard of Oz
Tried the sound out together with the visuals with users
Reflection
Developing this intricate project within just two and a half weeks was undoubtedly challenging. However, the collaboration between the Interaction Design and Advanced Product Design courses yielded remarkable results. Ultimately, we recognized that this product could do more than assist families—it could also alleviate anxiety by addressing potential oversights before stepping out.