PROJECT

An Overview

Our original idea was to work in the field of issues related to so-called Digital Wellbeing; we refer by this expression to all those aspects related to a healthy and efficient use of digital tools, a very topical issue considering how much digital is now part of the lives of many students and workers.

Knocknock Anatomy

Main interaction

The final version of the prototype consists of two basic parts: the physical and digital prototype.
The physical prototype consists of an Arduino, to which the necessary sensors and actuators are connected, assembled in a 3d printed shell.
The digital prototype, on the other hand, is an interface built and programmed on Unity. In this case, it is a solution designed to overcome the technical and timing problems faced in the creation of the prototype itself.

How does it work?

The tool assists the remote worker during their work-from-home sessions, providing them with a range of communication methods to get in touch with their colleagues and superiors in different ways, tones and contexts.

The first important touchpoint for the user is the contact list, within which he can find users, lines and channels of his interest organised by his superiors;

With individual contacts the user can reach specific people;
With channels he can reach specific groups of people by topic (a working group for a project, a meeting group with coordinators, a break group and many other possibilities).
With the lines, the user can request a voice chat with users who are experts in a specific field; all will receive the request while waiting for one of them to take it up.

Once this is understood, the tool offers the user various ways of contacting others, be they individual users, channels or lines:

Vocal chat: The most complete form of direct communication consists of a voice channel in which all users involved in the call request can participate by accepting the invitation with their device; during voice chats users are represented by their own customized peckers;
Peck: A voice note that mainly acts as a filter, to be sent together with the call request with reasons for it, can easily become a means of faster vocal communication itself; it is in fact possible to reply to a peck with another peck instead of starting a voice chat;
Quick peck: The quickest and most immediate means consists of an empty message delivered by your personalized pecker, which will be automatically displayed on the recipient's device; being completely free, it can take on infinite meanings based on the moment, the context and the relationship between the people who exchange it.

A final important means of communication, more subtle than the others, is the do not disturb mode itself: with it it is in fact possible, in addition to blocking the arrival of feedback from the device, to communicate one's unavailability to other users, who will see the contact in question inaccessible and accompanied by a synthesis of the reason for absence.

The Prototype

In order to register the rotation input, we opted for a rotary encoder, which allows for infinite rotation (and not limited to one revolution like that of a potentiometer) and most importantly gives the possibility of registering a knock input like that of a button.

Light feedback is achieved through an rgb led ring, while knock input through a button located under the body.

In order to include the do not disturb mode, a circuit part was placed on the base of the object and one on the main body, positioned so that the circuit would be closed only if the main body is placed on one side of the base.

Of course, all the wires and electronic components are connected to an arduino, which properly programmed handles all the input and returns the various feedbacks to the user.

Knocknock fun fact

At some advanced point a huge technical problem made us worry to design the prototype from scratch; we managed to solve the issue just in time for the review.

Hardware Components

Unity State Machine

The interface developed on Unity is programmed with a state machine that allows us to be able to nimbly control inputs and the resulting outputs, creating a modular system that can be easily modified as needed and to the inevitable evolutions and modifications of the project itself.
In the diagram below it can be seen that the channel selection menu is the heart of the state machine, as it is the starting and ending point of every function implemented. The structure of the machine was built from the experience designed for madness, and then following the path developed for testing. After test results and subsequent revisions, it was slightly revised, but the basic structure remains the same.

User Interface

The user interface is designed to show as little information as possible on the screen at a time, with a view to a non-distracting, minimalist and immediate interface.
After numerous experiments and tests, this is developed on a small surface (the screen) of approximately 35 mm and is accompanied by the luminous feedback of the LED ring.

Desktop Platform

The desktop platform responds to an important need of the user as well as of the managers of the company that supplies Knocknock; to work properly and guarantee, among other things, the simplicity and clarity of its contents, it is necessary for someone (perhaps the company's CTO or a HR manager) to manage the complexity of the information collected by the device.

From the platform, company managers (who have access to more functions) can manage channels and lines, modify participants and characteristics, but also assign to each employee the contacts and channels to which they will have access, to avoid transforming the Knocknock of a new taken on in a chaos of contents.

On the other hand, each user can, through his platform, customize his account, his pecker, and manage the more technical settings of his device.

Link to the figma file

Brand Identity

The visual identity is important, as well as for the strong personality it provides to the object and its variations, for communication and personalization reasons.
If the naming is easily attributable to the iconic interaction of the object, the logo takes up other elements of our imagination: the pecker resembles the shape of a radio, and at the same time lends itself to the metaphor of the peck as an attempt to contact another.

Knocknock fun fact

The very first inspiration for the brand identity was “Radio gufo” (Owl Radio) from the italian TV show “Melevisione”: a chattering radio of great company.

Another important aspect relating to brand identity is the versatility of the pecker icon: within the user experience the personalization of one's avatar takes on a more important than decorative role, representing the personality and uniqueness of the user within via communications Knocknock.
The icon was designed precisely to lend itself to high customization without ever losing its recognisability.