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Evaluation

In terms of evaluating ourselves and our peers for our final presentations, our cohort decided to begin from a similar starting point in order to create a fair process. The starting point was 25% each across the following categories: creative problem solving, problem definition, solution and product, and presentation. My team decided to collapse creative problem solving and problem definition into one, then add several additional categories, which can be seen below. 

The grid on a scale of 1-4 for each category helps to easily assess each team’s performance. In our team’s opinion, the best final deck would have a very clear and researched problem, a clear solution and product, and a smooth and intelligent presentation. Additionally, we will be grading team dynamics, originality, and social impact. A perfect score is 24 points.

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Implementation, Continued

What were some of the success, and failure points? 

Our team struggled between choosing a camera device or a fully-designed vanity mirror. Ultimately, if our goal is to transform the bathroom into a smart wellness space, the backlit mirror display is crucial. 

Did you have to pivot your idea? 

Although pivoting many times during the earlier phases, we decided to stick with the mirror concept at this point in time. There is nothing available on the market of this sort and we think there is a huge opportunity with the product. The only similar product is Lululemon’s Fitness Mirror, which is a huge inspiration for this project.

How did you generate visual assets for your solution? 

Our team looked for stock imagery that might help to illustrate the product while we also generated a wireframe prototype indicating where cameras, sensors, and speakers would be located.

How can you put these to use in your final presentation materials?

We are already beginning to assemble the story of our product and to design a beautiful presentation. We will utilize 3D renderings, wireframes, and stock imagery to display the product in its best light.

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Implementation

How will you build your solution? What does it look like?

Initial product is a medium-sized mirror (30x30”) and as slim as possible. Clean straight lines for a modularity and timeless look. 

The unit has a universal mounting template that allows it to be mounted straight to a wall or hung on a stand/ bracket. 

Multiple units can also be combined to configure a larger scale product. The mirror acts as a screen to display data and has built in sensors, cameras, and audio devices. 

The unit includes wifi and USB to allow for updates

Sensors can read temperature, hydration, and hormone levels to identify nutritional deficiencies.

How does it serve the audience you have selected?

The mirror serves as a daily opportunity to check in for the day, receive simple guidance, and maintain wellness.

Sensors can detect unusual facial patterns and dramatic changes in physical appearance to determine mental wellness and suggest stress management remedies.

The unit is connected to a mobile device through an app that tracks sleep, exercise, calorie intake, and wellness goals. With trained AI and data input inside the app, it provides tailored analyses and suggestions for wellness management.

The AI mirror will satisfy health enthusiasts' curiosity about their health and assist with recommendations for improved lifestyles.

Information measured from a baseline scan will customize health suggestions to scale.

How can you begin to iterate on your earlier ideas?

The product can be configured in different sizes.

Custom versions can be introduced to provide versatility in varying design applications.

The mirror has an UI that enables users to schedule doctor’s visits and coaching sessions.

The mirror can function as a digital gym / exercise assistant (similar to the Lululemon mirror & Peloton)

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Selection

Q: Using the ideas generated during the ideation phase, work with your team and use one or more of the decision-making methods and techniques to select an appropriate solution to your problem. What criteria did you use to select the solution?

A: After brainstorming additional solution concepts, including a wristwatch that detects mood imbalances and suggests foods and supplements that could alleviate distress, we decided to pivot to a device that uses facial recognition technology. There is substantial evidence that cameras can be used to predict mental health issues as well as cortisol levels. We used the potpourri method to combine several ideas together, resulting in a final statement of “We're creating a smart mirror that looks for visible signs of potential sickness ranging from nutritional imbalances to mental health disorders. The mirror will incorporate scanning technologies and a smart assistant to provide general health suggestions including nutrition intake.” The criteria that landed us on this concept included practicality, the existing capabilities of facial scanning cameras, and the possibility of a platform ecosystem.

Q: How do the pragmatic and logistical concerns around implementation affect the selection of your solution?

A: We earmarked some of our ideas for future iterations, such as coaching features, supplement dispensing, and telemedicine appointments in order to stay focused on the initial product design and purpose. The pivot away from a wearable was largely due to the fact that sensor data is not strong enough to predict mood or health imbalances (besides Apple Watch’s ability to monitor oxygen levels and arrythmias). Facial detection powered by crowdsourced machine learning continued to present as a clear frontrunner among the team as well as during class discussions.

Q: How do you deal with compromises and coming to a consensus regarding the solution decision?

A: It is important that everyone feels heard and that everyone’s ideas are tracked and recorded. When each step of the process is documented, it’s easier to make sure that no ideas have been missed. When someone on the team feels stuck or disagrees, we make sure to slow down and understand what the doubts are. In a high-functioning team full of intelligent people, it would be a mistake to ignore someone’s concerns. Regarding coming to a consensus, we did often vote on certain ideas to help steer the project in a specific direction.

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Ideation

The fourth stage of the design process is ideation, a divergent phase where new ideas are generated based on the previous definition stage. This allows an opportunity to brainstorm and discover new obstacles and possible solutions. 

My team project, investigating healthcare devices, began to explore how our previous definitions could build upon each other. For example, there was a strong interest in both nutritional interventions as well as wearables sensors. We began pouring out more ideas such as food scanners, mood detectors, and facial recognition. One of the favorite resulting concepts was a wearable that detects shifts in mood and suggests foods to restore equilibrium. 

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Conjunction Junction

Describe objects using “and”...

My MacBook Air is a metallic silver color and has black keys and a black bezel around the screen and a large touchpad in front of the keyboard and is soft to the touch and has two small USB-C ports on the left side and when it’s closed the shape tapers down at the bottom and sits nicely on your lap.

The painting in my living room looks like the ocean and has an oily texture and has grey, blue, green, navy, white, and tan colors and has a cloud shape on the top and feels like waves and is painted on a wood board and is mounted to a white backing board and is floating in a deep frame that is black and is hanging below a brass picture light and the light bounces off of the surface in a pleasant way and some of the paint has a texture that makes you want to touch it.

The purple shamrock plant in my living room is in a small concrete-colored pot and is sitting on top of a white saucer and is on top of photography books and the shamrocks are a beautiful shade of deep electric maroon and they shoot up from the pot about 6-8 inches and look almost like butterflies.

The green velvet accent chair has two narrow and deep legs in the front and one wide shallow leg in the back middle and is a beautiful forrest green color and is shaped like a ‘U’ and the arms come around from the back all in one piece and it is very inviting and it sits in the corner of the room and it has a seat cushion that fits very nicely and it has an accent pillow at the back of the seat that is textured and cream with gold and black line designs and a pothos plant dangles right behind it.

The vase is made from a golden brown clay and is painted black and has vertical lines going down the sides of it and it is shaped like a ball and tapered at the bottom and has a zig zag line around the top and a zig zag line around the bottom and has a small opening that’s about the size of a half-dollar coin and it has about ten leafy branches in it and it is about the size of a cantaloupe. 

Describe the same objects using “but”...

My MacBook Air is powerful but small in size but comfortable to use but the screen is not always big enough for design projects. It’s all silver but it also has black elements like the screen bezel and keys. The screen background is blue but it also changes colors based on the time of day. The trackpad looks like it’s made of aluminum but it’s made of glass.

The painting in my living room is about 5’ x 5’ but it has a smaller wooden board floating inside. The painting is made with oil paints but there is no glass is front of it. It’s mostly made of blue and grey colors, but there is also some brown and green. The edges of the floating wooden panel are natural wood but the outer frame itself is black.

The purple shamrock looks like a shamrock, but actually belongs to a genus called oxalis. It’s leaves open during the day but the close at night. It looks a lot like an edible flower, but it’s toxic to animals and humans. The stems grow from a bulb planted about 1.5” under the soil, but can grow new leaves very quickly when picked.

The green velvet accent chair looks like it has four legs, but it actually has only three. The fabric looks delicate, but it’s very easy to clean. It has an unusual shape, but it’s very comfortable. It has an accent pillow at the back of the seat, but it’s a cream color instead of green.

The vase is painted black, but it has golden brown natural clay color showing through its vertical lines and zig-zag decorations. It’s a round shape, but has a flat bottom and tapered top with a hole the size of a half dollar coin. It has green leafy stems coming out of the top, but they do not have flowers on them.

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Definition

After researching wearables, personalized therapies, and food as medicine, our team honed in on two critical problems in the health space: untreated imbalances leading to more serious disease and the lack of shared health data between patients and healthcare providers as well as family. 

I initially jumped to thinking of different solutions, which prompted research into injectable treatments, biomedical sensors, and secure medical record sharing. After research, analysis, and team debriefing, we agreed on a focus that was very similar to our initial discoveries: individuals are often unaware of immune system deficiencies and are vulnerable due to health imbalances and insufficient shared health data. 

Moving forward we will begin asking more “how might we” questions resulting in concepts such as, “create a medical device using sensors, machine learning, and anonymous crowdsourced data to detect patterns in facial expression and body language and predict disease.”

Please find several references below. 

AI Immune System Translation

Smart Mirror Detects Illness

iMotions Facial Expression Detection API

Noldus Facial Expression Detection 

Passive Alcohol Detection Device

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Analysis

There are many techniques for organizing and analyzing thoughts when approaching design challenges. Beyond researching articles and competitors, one tool is a morphological analysis. This technique is based upon two design strategy concepts: decomposition and forced association. By creating a table where each axis in an important variable, many creative solutions can come to mind. See the table below for an example of how sensors gather data from different parts of the body.

Some interesting findings from this technique included the fact that, as of today, most tests require blood or urine samples. Also, the “electrical” column was of the most interest to me since that is where there was the most innovation. For example, laser thermometers have become standard during the pandemic and Apple Watches can perform simple EKG tests. The most exciting discovery was a company that is designing an AI-powered immune system snapshot that could detect all previous and active infections, viruses, and cancers. 

As always, further research and analysis is warranted. 

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Acceptance

Accepting design challenges should initiate from a joyous place. Imagining how a project could come to fruition to delight and surprise users is an exciting and important vision in the creative process. 

For me, acceptance also has a lot to do with the team agreements. It’s one thing to build something on your own, but quite another to partner with others on a meaningful endeavor. 

A team manifesto is a great place to start. I was introduced to this Collaborator Toolkit during my program’s 5-day intensive in Los Angeles. First, you identify which team mindsets dominate your thinking. For me, it’s Entrepreneur and Realistic Executor. This means that I embrace new ideas and want to find the most pragmatic way to get them accomplished. Understanding the instinctive goals of your teammates helps to build trust and empathy. Without a strong team foundation, challenges become obstacles instead of learning opportunities.

An upcoming team project involves health technology and sensors. We are aiming to create a wearable for health geeks to analyze their overall wellness and, ultimately, partner with healthcare providers to suggest preventative interventions. What if AI-assisted health models could predict disease well in advance of an actual manifestation?

Companies like Viome, Forward, and Apple are all pushing the boundaries for what is possible in terms of health data analytics. The possibilities of AI-powered health analytics are more plausible than ever before. A company called Adaptive is building an AI-based immune system snapshot system that can detect every virus and bacteria you’ve been exposed to, helping to create a picture of your immune health. Empowering our own amazing immune systems to fight cancer and infections remains an untapped area of innovation.

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Creative Problem Solving Interviews

Laura — Interior Designer

1. How do you generate ideas? How, when, and where are you inspired? What obstacles do you face in coming up with a new idea and how do you overcome those obstacles?

I am inspired by beautiful things—mostly places and scenery —especially old things! I like to investigate architecture, photography, national parks, and colors—all while trying to connect the past with the present. I am inspired when I am fully immersed in these places and situations.

Sometimes projects just don't come together in the way I wanted and I have to start over, which can be devastating, but is always the correct choice.

2. What processes do you use to solve problems? Explain your journey from inspiration to implementation.

I am very visual so I draw things out and color code them so that I can understand everything in a clear way. When I come across a problem in my work, I like to re-trace my steps and figure out where we went wrong. Once I figure that out, I think of the best approach to get what I want to happen which usually involves explaining the problem to someone else in the clearest way possible and making them feel like they are on my side. It's hard to solve a problem on your own and usually is a team effort so you need people on your side.

Once I have an idea, I need to create a plan. I am most successful when I am organized and have clear steps to take to reach my goal.

Trieu — Graphic Designer

1. How do you generate ideas? How, when, and where are you inspired? What obstacles do you face in coming up with a new idea and how do you overcome those obstacles?

My biggest source of inspiration comes from my designer folks and everyday life interactions with people and things. I’m inspired every day by other designers’ work, their methods to communicate messages, and how they execute an idea by creating something new based on what has been done before. Good designs can be found everywhere, now that people are starting to realize the importance of imagery and brands. It’s like picking up a beautiful and easy-to-understand restaurant menu, or a quirky hand-drawn message in a gift package. 

For me, one of the greatest obstacles in generating ideas is understanding how to take those inspirations and then create something new. Another challenge is to be broad enough to allow your imagination to take off, while still allowing for brand limitations. At the end of the day, these obstacles can be overcome by strong research processes and great discussions with your peers so they can help to build and expand your ideas.

2. What processes do you use to solve problems? Explain your journey from inspiration to implementation.

For every project, I prefer to begin with research. Extensive research helps to set parameters—to see who or what the design if for. For me, this is the most important process because I need to define and analyze the problem in order to find a solution. After that, brainstorming sessions pave the way for concept development. I look for inspirations from my peers, from other designers, and from the world to see what has been done before and what else can be done. 

The last step is sketching out of different ideas, executing them, receiving feedback from peers, and incorporating notes and revisions until the final solution is delivered. 

Kevin — Reality TV Producer

1. How do you generate ideas? How, when, and where are you inspired? What obstacles do you face in coming up with a new idea and how do you overcome those obstacles?

To generate ideas, I think about what’s happening in the world. In reality television, I think about what’s happening with the cast and then I decide what would have the biggest impact through change and entertainment.

I’m most inspired when hearing about change-makers that are not in my field. I look to understand how their ideas can be applicable to what I’m doing. Following trends and current events gets me going. 

An obstacle I encounter is making sure ideas are authentic, but also entertaining. When something isn’t entertaining or authentic, I try to flip ideas on their heads. For example, on “I Am Jazz,” Jazz wanted to do a drag show, but there wasn’t a strong reason behind it. Then, I found out that her friend, Noelle, was denied insurance coverage for her gender affirmation surgery. I immediately knew we could produce the drag show as a fundraiser for her.

We also sent the crew home after Jazz’s gender affirmation surgery and then she had to have an emergency second operation. I ended up filming several scenes on my iPhone, which saved the last episode of the season. I see this as innovation.

2. What processes do you use to solve problems? Explain your journey from inspiration to implementation.

First, I identify the problem and look at how it was supposed to be. Then I determine the timeline and priority of how it should be addressed. In terms of implementing a solution, I first have to get everyone else on board. When something goes wrong, we discuss as a team and try to understand how to avoid similar problems in the future.

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Exploring Creativity

My thoughts on the philosophy of creativity:

Creativity relies on the innovations of those who came before. I’m a firm believer in learning the rules before breaking them.

If you’re not introducing something new into your artwork, I can’t say it’s creative; a true creative endeavor must add a fresh element to the equation.

A true creative project reflects the signature of the creator: your work should demonstrate who you are—otherwise it may be perceived as “generic.”

Anyone has the capacity to be creative within their field of study. Creativity in this regard is reflective of the ability to synthesize ideas and create something that has not been achieved before.

Use the right tool for the right job—and don’t get started with a project without understanding the parameters of your current reality. If you don’t think you have the tools for what you want to accomplish, start asking questions and validate if what you want to do requires further technical investigation. 

Know your strengths… and collaborate. A team project often invites more insight than a personal project. Understand what your strengths are: design, development, management, legal—and execute.

Follow through. If no one sees your concept, how will it ever be realized?

Know your goal from the start. Whether a physical piece of art or a digital, immersive experience—it’s critical to understand exactly what you are trying to accomplish.

How do you want your viewers to feel? Maybe you don’t care—or maybe you want them to question a current reality. In either case, it’s important to clarify how your art might impact others.

Don’t fret. My biggest “pet peeve” is when someone won’t even touch their pen to paper because they are too worried. You have to start somewhere—and starting at all is more important than anything else.