GroupProposal:Safety GPS
From IEOR 170 Spring 2007
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[edit] Team Members:
- Chris Ling
- Ryan Panchadsaram
- Rakesh Vij
- Karey Park
[edit] Brainstorm:
- 1. Interactive LCD Event Bulletin Board
- 2. Pizza Box w/built-in Plates
- 3. Online Reservation of Parking Meters
- 4. FastTrak for Parking Meters
- 5. Baby’s Recycling Bins
- 6. Pepper Spray with Built in GPS Panic Alert System
- 7. Street signs pointing out local attractions
- 8. Solar panel lights to gather electricity to light the city at night
- 9. Reward system for recycling
- 10. Online system to inform citizens of gym queue lines
- 11. Online gym equipment signup
- 12. Energy generation from all gym equipment
- 13. Shower device to measure water usage
- 14. Cell Phones meters telling you how many minutes you have left
- 15. Anti-Graffiti paint, so paint that doesn’t absorb spray-paint.
- 16. Spikes to punish cars that go when not supposed to (on red, etc.)
- 17. J-Walking detector, which alerts cars w/light if someone is going to J-Walk
- 18. Digital live/dynamic Bus/Bart Schedule at all stops.
- 19. Food Vending machine to distribute food to homeless people
- 20. Audio devices measuring sounds from violent activity
[edit] Idea Selection: Pepper Spray with Built in GPS Panic Alert System
We chose this idea because it addresses each part of the persuasive design challenge. By creating a device that keeps people safe while walking around Berkeley, we make our campus, city, and community a better place. After discussing the list, we felt that this idea was one we could prototype and iterate with our current resources. Furthermore, with the crime rate surging in Oakland and trickling into Berkeley, our product addresses a current need: student safety around our campus.
[edit] Project Description:
[edit] Target User Group:
Our target user group is college students, or anybody that is within the nearby campus boundaries. For example, while students will be able to feel safe with our product, the nearby residents in the Berkeley will also benefit. Thus, the expected user population encompasses the entire local community, with the core target being the student population.
[edit] Problem Description:
The basic problem that citizens face is that they are being exposed to the ever increasing crime rates of the world. Every day thousands if not millions of people worldwide are assaulted and mugged. Just this weekend I attended a dance competition with 10 teams from across the nation, and to my disbelief 10 guys from the UCLA team got brutally beaten and lost all of their possessions to a mob of gangsters on their way to the show. Granted that this is not an everyday occurrence, but crime especially in the form of theft and rape are increasing in frequency. This problem can be avoided with crime deterrents and police activity, but often the police don’t know where they need to be when. The problem is that citizens need a resource to keep in touch with the police and actively tell them where crimes are being committed on a live basis. The problem isn't only faced in big cities and bad neighborhoods, but increasingly crime is spreading to suburbs and once nice neighborhoods. The problem our new product solves is dynamic and affects every one's lives in one-way or another.
[edit] Problem Context:
The context of the problem that we are solving is faced by community members everyday. As a college student the context of this problem is most apparent. Many times students come home late from studying at the library, meeting with colleagues, or from going out with their friends. These late night trips can be really unsafe especially in college towns where criminals know they have so many potential targets. When walking home from these late night activities and a student gets mugged the police can only be informed after the event is over and the police is called. Sometimes the thief even steal the victims cell phones, which delays contacting the police even further. For this purpose the Berkeley Police Department has setup black poles with blue lights which act as police calling centers. So when a crime does occur a button is pressed upon these portals and the police rushes over. Now the problem can be seen even more clearly: the police isn't being informed of crimes soon enough after the crime begins to make a difference. Having a police pole closer to you would alleviate this problem, but it is infeasible for the police to plant these things at every square inch of the city so the problem still exists. Even in context with the story above of the UCLA group who got beaten, if they had a method to contact the police earlier the police could have arrived and deterred the crime rather than showing up ten minutes after everything was over and not being able to do anything. However, this situation isn't unique to these two context, in fact this story replays itself in every city multiple times everyday, and something needs to be done to change that.
[edit] Design Theme:
There is a real group of users out there that need this product. Our design allows students to traverse the areas surrounding the campus without the fear of being alone and mugged (or even worse being beaten, raped or killed). Currently there are cell phones to alert people of your whereabouts, but often there is not enough time to relay your location and situation. With our design solution, we provide a way for students to alert the local police department of their position, and if an unwarranted situation occurs, the police can know the student's exact location. This design addresses the theme of campus because the product's primary motivation is to keep students safe. It deals with city because it allows local law enforcement to respond quicker and keep their operations lean and efficient. Finally this design betters the community because if implemented and successful, it will make the surrounding area a safer and better place to live.
[edit] Solution Sketch:
