Ways of seeing
Product design / designing for interaction
Master's course: Dare to Design Studio (1st sem)
My design goal is “to make people on their working desk take a pause and reflect on their daily artefact for a moment”
Context of interaction: User on the working desk
An invite at every 45 mins to engage
Aim: To make the user pause for a second
An object that speaks:
The glow of the light is at the most starting to dim
An initiated reflection
(through prompts and reflective questions
Our daily objects embedded into our lives
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What is the first thing that we notice and do when we come home?
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Does it often happen that we take our immediate awareness for granted?
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Does familiarity often fade into mundane lives?
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How often are we aware of what we possess? How often are we aware of why do we have certain things?
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Do we ever speak to our surroundings? Or do they ever speak to us, and we don’t listen?
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Do our surroundings hold emotions and memories?
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Are our surroundings always meant to be a part of our background? Aren’t they what we make? Or are they what shapes us?
“I think for me it was really nice to be aware of why you actually appreciate things so much. And that opened up a lot of thoughts which I really wanted to write down but they don't really need to be there. I mostly like this question about the navigation through your .
That makes you just very aware of what do I do, what do I feel when I get home. There are four steps. So what am I doing when I get home? It makes you really conscious about yourself.”
- participant A
“.... so I think it's a good way to think about what you have and it also gives a little feedback of myself, how I use things. Maybe I have to be more mindful using my precious products in life. ....Like, for example, this cup, cup.
It's like I carry it everywhere because not just like I want to drink something, but also I appreciate the moment like drinking because it's like the moment of peace, the of pause from the heavy work....”
- participant C
“ .... I struggled with the emotion first but then I came up with proud. I'm proud that I bought this for myself I guess. So I think the emotion, I like that part of why the object is important to you.”
- participant B
Objects as anchors of reflection and identity!
These objects offer micro-moments of pause and grounding within daily life.
Awareness of emotional meaning
Participants became conscious of why certain objects matter to them. Emotions such as nostalgia, pride, or calm were tied to seemingly ordinary items, revealing a deeper personal connection.
Mindfulness towards personal belongings
The exercise prompted participants to reconsider how they use their possessions
Voice becomes a part of study table
Participant’s reflection: They liked the idea of having something interesting on their tables; they got used to it after some time.
Insights:
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It blended with the environment
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It didn't create a distraction as such
Participant’s reflection: They liked the idea of having something interesting on their tables; they got used to it after some time.
Insights:
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It blended with the environment
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It didn't create a distraction as such
Voice takes the form of a typewriter...
Participant’s reflection: They liked the idea of having something interesting on their tables; they got used to it after some time.
Insights:
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It blended with the environment
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It didn't create a distraction as such
What if it's a lamp-like....?
User evaluation
Documentation
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Videographs & photographs: Evidences were taken through a camera (using a tripod or phone kept stable at some place)
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On-site observations: Facial cues, behaviour, layout of the room (with subject to study table), aesthetics.
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Interview recordings: The process was later followed up by an interview to evaluate design affordances.
Setting up
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Study/working desks of users
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Spent around 45-50 mins each with observing every user in their context.
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A speaker was kept hidden behind and the sound of bell rung at intervals synced with the light.
Synthesis
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All the important collected information through transcripts, feedback, challenges, and observations (in notes) were out altogether in one A1 sheet.
Methods
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Supported by Wizard of Oz: Lights were controlled using a remote from a little far away from the user.
Data analysis
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User patterns, behavior, and inferences were later deduces from the synthesis.
When you’re sitting at your desk, how often do you find yourself reaching for your phone, experiencing the world through a screen? Probably more often than you realise. But how often do you pause to really look around? To notice the objects you live with every day, and what they quietly say about you?
ANCHOR is designed to create that pause.
It invites you to look around and reflect on what you keep, why you keep it, and how these belongings come together to make a space feel personal. Subtle yet intentional, Anchor helps you rethink the world you’ve built, turning everyday belongings into quiet reflections of self.