Unis is a home security system catered towards families with children. It monitors and notifies users about potential hazards as they prepare to leave the home.

Objective

The project aims to turn home security into a proactive measure. Unlike traditional alarms, Unis doesn't react to ongoing incidents but instead prevents potential dangers. In doing so, it also assists parents in teaching their children about responsibility when they are at home alone.

Concept

Tracking Passive Objects

Unis is different from conventional smart home monitoring by tracking non-connected devices. It sensors passive objects, such as candles and taps that are not connected to the network. Unis categorizes alerts into three areas: water-related issues, heat-related issues, and open entrances.

Procedure

Unis uses infrared sensors, precision microphones and machine learning to detect potential hazards effectively. It only starts scanning the rooms when the user is about to leave to ensure privacy when people are at home.

Interaction

To prioritize user interaction with the objects identified by Unis, rather than the Unis device itself, a LED matrix screen was chosen. This design decision aims to prevent any confusion with a touch screen, ensuring a clear focus on the potential dangers. The singular button serves a dual purpose: toggling between issues in the unlikely event of multiple occurrences and, with a long press, dismissing the issue when necessary.

Visual Feedback

A dot based text and icon system was developed to cater for the LED matrix display. The animations provide a cheerful and direct feedback, contributing to an enjoyable learning experience for children.

Auditory Feedback

The auditory feedback system creates a cohesive sound family. Striking the right balance between pleasant chimes and attention-drawing alerts posed a challenge.

Physical Form

The Unis device is designed to integrate seamlessly with its sound output and to blend into the home environment unobtrusively. Its small form factor allows easy interaction for both adults and children, while the soft backing provides a pleasant feel when held.

Process

We started rapid prototyping with cardboard and 3D-printing for quick iterations. Using the "Wizard of Oz" method, we evaluated general understanding of the concept and how visuals and sound work together. Feedback from children validated our choices in both auditory and visual elements. Throughout, we focused on aligning sound, form, and visuals to ensure a coherent experience.

Conclusion

Creating this complex project in only two and a half weeks was really challenging, however the collaboration between the Interaction Design and Advanced Product Design courses proved immensely fruitful. In the end, we realised this product could not only help families but also reduce anxiety by addressing oversights before leaving home.