The Sport-I vest was designed to increase student’s motivation during PE classes. The vest contains several components, the vest’s fabric (base), sensor technology and a corresponding app. This project aimed to improve conventional vests to make PE classes and sports trainings more interactive (and fun)!
Before a class, students chose how they want their PE class to look like: which sports, game or topic? This improves the student’s involvement and prepares them for the next class. Moreover, students actually get to play they prefer for that week, based on their choice in the app.
During a PE class, the sensor technology (time, distance, step-counter and speed) tracks data about a student’s performance. Besides, attached LED’s indicate teams for the next game, based on auto-generated teams. In the app, students and teachers are able see an overview of tracked data, and set personal goals for the next few lessons.
Project 1 took on the challenge of motivating students for PE classes, inlcuding making the classes more fair and interactive. I enjoyed looking into the problem, based on existing papers and recent design for sports (e.g., Smartgoals). Exploring the field of designing for motivation, I discovered triggers for persuasion and action. From perosnal intersts, I fancied designing for competition, facilitating collaboration in a playful environment. After various iteration cycles exploring different sports and facets of PE classes, a vest was designed to be able to facilitate the direct interaction.
The Sport-I vest was designed after feedback from the midterm and further design iterations. The vest tends to improve traditional vests or straps, with the addition of sensor technology, user input and data tracking.
What followed was a user test to trial the placement of the various buttons and LEDs. Using different versions of the vests, users changed vests after each game round. We observed and questioned the experiences of the users. Results outlined user preferences for button placement and further functionality.
In the final stage of the project I learned to prototype and program the sensor technology, which meant coding the step-counter, timer and lights. Moreover, I used the BMC to look into the market potential of Sport-I, which outlined the opportunities for revenue streams and marketing strategies.