Heart Rate Connection

Research: Does exercise raise your Heart Rate? (Highlighted enlarged text signifies the important information)

The reason for the heart rate rising during exercise is fairly obvious. The muscles need more oxygen as they are moving. To get these, the heart rate must go up to pump the blood around the body faster.When we start to exercise the brain tells the muscles in our body to move. At the same time the brain is sending signals (via the sympathetic nervous system) to the heart to increase its rate. It is the sympathetic nervous system that controls our bodies in time of stress. The brain, via the sympathetic nervous system, also redirects blood to the muscles by reducing the flow from unnecessary functions (such as digestion). As we exercise more, the nervous system feeds back and the heart increases its rate to match the level of exercise being done. If your heart cannot provide enough oxygen to move the muscles, you have to stop.Although we breathe harder when we are exercising, generally it is the heart's ability to get the oxygen to the muscles, rather than the lungs' ability to gather oxygen, which limits how much oxygen the muscles receive.

Heart Rate and Exercise. 2008. Accessed: 10, September, 2011.

                 http://www.planet-scicast.com/experiment.cfm?cit_id=2717

WHAT does this mean for the project?? This information confirms to connection between exercise and increase in heart rate. This means that recording the increase in heart rate, is an accurate measure of how much exercise was performed. For this project - a heart rate monitor can be used in order to measure each users increase in heart rate, to record how much exercise each member has completed.

Exercise and Mood Connection

Research: Exercise and Endorphin release. I have highlighted the information I believe to be important and relevant.

The traditional benefits of exercise have been to improve and maintain physical fitness, as well as helping to prevent diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.  However, exercise is also great for your mood.

Exercise decreases the stress hormones such as cortisol and increases endorphins.  Endorphins are the body’s natural feel good chemicals, and when they are released through exercise, your mood is boosted naturally.  As well endorphins, exercise also releases adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine.  These chemicals work together to make you feel good. 

Endorphins are defined as hormone-like substances that are produced in the brain and function as the body’s natural painkillers.  During exercise, these endorphins are released, and this can produce feelings of euphoria and a general state of wellbeing.  The endorphins produced can be so powerful that they actually mask pain.  Physically active people recover from mild depression more quickly and physical activity is 

strongly correlated with good mental health as people age.

Exercise and Endorphins. 2008. Accessed: 10, September, 2011.

               http://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au/article/Exercise_Endorphins

This is just one of many articles which prove the connection between exercise and endorphin release. As stated endorphins can act as the body's natural painkillers. As endorphins are released, substances are released in the brain, which increases the mood of the person. It's also important that it claims to also act as a recovery for states of mild depression.

WHAT does this mean for our project?? We now have a proven, solid connection, that exercise improves mood through endorphin release. We are now able to continue with the design of the project with the overall intent to motivate users to exercise- in order to get fit, but to also increase and better there mood.

Focusing on Scenario

We began this workshop by dividing into our groups: Scenario, Object and Behaviour. Initially we focused  on what scenario is.. before delving into what its made up of.

Overall we were able to conclude that scenario is the element linking the events people and places within a design. It is comprised of the physical aspects, cognitive aspects and social references. After thoroughly researching each of these aspects you are able to correctly identify your scenario.

We then moved on to further investigate scenario by a number of exercises. Our first task was to outline an initial design brief based on scenario elements identified in the diagram:

From this i was able to identify what was needed within the scenario of the situation. We were asked to come up with a solution to the example design problem about the crowded supermarket. My rough concept looked at implementing a screen at the front of the store which enables users to select what they are looking for then.. supermarket GPS- can take you to exactly where each item is, and it will navigate the easiest way around the supermarket (ultimately saving your time).

Task two asked us to use the scenario diagram and apply it to your project. This was hard for me as my group hadn't fully identified what our final project would be. So for this exercise i focussed on Bec's initial concept which was the plant mood transfer.

This exercise clearly outlined each aspect in our existing concept. It took it back to the real basics- looking at the importance of the information that is transferred. It identified what experiences were existing and forced me to ask which experiences were needed.

This concept map was then used to outline alternative design briefs.

We asked ourselves a number of questions for this task:

1. What is the Topic Area:  Transferring mood

2. What are the key words: Mood, happy, unhappy, grow, physical reaction, connection, emotional, living form etc.

3. Use the topic area and key words to establish separate design briefs:

1. Mechanical fish to represent friends moods. Swim a lot = happy, Hover around bottom of tank = sad

2. Living forms (somewhat disposable) how many forms are living can reflect your mood?

3. A transportable device to reflect friends moods. Advantage of being portable.

We then looked at the positives and negatives within each new concept to get an overall favoured design. I liked number one the mechanical fish the most, I believe the concept is strong and continuing the 'living forms' theme is a strong idea.

NEED to discuss this lesson with my group and present to them the three concepts that i came up with. Could one of these be the final design..?

Concept Selection

This week we began group work to continue on to our final concept design. My group members are Bec Cunz and Yoakim Vasdekis.

The following are the important parts which i gathered about the project from the lecture:

• Latent needs of your user (What design are they going to find beneficial/ WHY do they need it?)
• What daily life experiences are relevant to them? (Find a problem in their existing life and then find a way to solve it. Or enhance an existing experience)
• Quality of information. (What experience are you enhancing- IS it needed? IS it in demand? AVOID transmitting useless information that doesn't assist the user in any way.
• What do you want the information to be? WHAT is needed??

Our group began by discussing each of our concepts with constant feedback and help from the tutors. This is what i recorded:

From here we agreed to go away and brainstorm possible ideas and concepts that relate to the sharing of moods throughout the day between a group of friends.

This is my thinking so far..

• Throughout the day can have updates of how your friends are
• Your friends must 'apply' to view how your day/mood is.
• Also transmit what they are doing? Is this really needed?
• How does it go two ways? - they see your day and you see theirs
• Does it need to have a controlled aspect?

Whats the point?

• Can do something if friends upset?
• Easier than a call
• Simple?
• A connection (Making the friends closer by knowing how they are?)

• Connected by Music?
• Can know what friends recent downloads are?
• Recent plays?
• Showing music?
• Do all friends use iPods though? (would iPhone use be more common?

How to connect this?

Tell mood by music played ie.

Fast techno- Excited

Adele- Depressed

Slow- Calm

Country- Having a weird day..

MUST apply to view what music the friend is listening to.

• Can you listen to that song as well?
• Or is it a list of artists and song?
• Can it be an iPhone app?- NO, no screen use?
• No screen means no printing- cant use print or text

HOW can it work?

• iPod transmits signal- therefore your ipod will play the song your friend is listening to..
• Can it include and app? (Still works by itself but needs app to accept/deny etc?

IDEA has potential. I would like if we could avoid the use of a wristband or ring that needs wearing. Many of the initial concepts used this design and it would be effective to stay away from this. THOUGH- how else can it be done..?