1. Subject Project – Smoke Alarms
Mathew Griffin – St
Subject Project – Smoke Alarms
Weekly Tutorial – 22/11/2017

2. Almost half of battery-powered smoke alarms in England failed to activate in a residential fire, council bosses have warned.
Mains-powered smoke alarms aren't safe either, with a fifth - 21 per cent - failing to work in a fire.
But the failure rate is almost double for battery-operated alarms - 39 per cent.
A further fifth - 22 per cent - of households never even test their alarms, and a tenth - 11 per cent - don't even own one.
It has prompted more than 370 councils to issue a joint-statement urging homes to buy and test their fire alarms.

3. Target Market – Male and Female, Age 20-45
Interests – E.g. Cooking, interior design, home décor.
Typically have at least one smoke alarm in their home.
Issues - However, they simply pay little to no attention to it. This is due to it’s potential unreliability as it’s tendency to detect nuisance alarms creates a dissociation between the user and their alarm.
This therefore means that they have little to no knowledge of how to test or operate a smoke alarm.
They may also find it confusing or complicated to test the alarm in the first place. They wish for this overall process to much simpler and straightforward.

4. ‘Bird’ Concept

5. Comes across as a living thing. Need to look after it.
Bird melts/burns/drops dead. Monthly basis at a minimum. (How is this triggered?)
Comes across as a living thing. Need to look after it.
If it’s a stylish ornament that they would wish to proudly display, they wouldn’t want to leave it in such a state.
By ‘bringing the bird back to life’, not only would it be kept in a pristine condition, but it would then therefore test the alarm. Potential for this process to be flipped i.e. Testing the alarm ‘brings the bird back to life’.

8. Reflection of light.

9. Sketches

10. ‘Decaying’ Alarm Concept

11. Alarm decays over a period of time i.e. a month.
Draws user’s attention. Plants a seed of worry and doubt.
Simply makes user more aware of their smoke alarm. If it’s in the back of their mind, they will be more inclined to test it.
Effect needs to be just right. No reaction will be evoked otherwise.
Test the alarm and it is reset back to normal.

12. Sketches

13. Models

14. Thermo/Photochromic Plastic
Existing Tech?
PLA Plastic - Biodegradable and bioactive thermoplastic aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch (in the United States and Canada), cassava roots, chips or starch (mostly in Asia), or sugarcane (in the rest of the world).
PLA Plastic
Ebb Fabric
Thermo/Photochromic Plastic

15. ‘Burning’ Picture Frame Concept

16. Effect needs to be just right. No reaction will be evoked otherwise.
Picture frame displays precious memories. Emotional connection and attachment.
Burning effect becomes more prominent as time goes on. Visual and audio stimuli.
This sort of graphic imagery draws the user’s attention. Creates a significant sense of worry. Cannot possibly ignore it.
Effect needs to be just right. No reaction will be evoked otherwise.
Button or touch screen tests smoke alarm and resets picture frame? Process could be flipped. Testing smoke alarm resets picture.

17. Thin and Flexible OLED - LG
Thin OLED

18. Transparent LCD
Transparent LCD

19. Sketches

20. Mock-Up – Burning Frame

21. Mock-Up – Burning Windows

22. E-Ink Prism
Could potentially applied to all concepts.

23. Where do I go from here?

24.
Daily Mail Reporter (2017), Nearly half of battery-powered smoke alarms are failing to activate in fires (and a tenth of homes don't even own one) [online], [Accessed 22/11/2017],
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