When we think about engineers, we tend to visualize someone who works in a lab or a workshop with some sophisticated tools to create a product. However, this week I got introduced to another exciting part of engineering and the design process. Throughout the week, I was able to conduct interviews and coordinate with stakeholders to better understand the problem. Their insight and expertise proved extremely helpful in guiding us through the design analysis stage.
The week started with our team meeting with Mr. Alex Benavides, a veteran at the University of Houston. Mr. Benavides spoke to us about his previous experience in the military and helped us better understand the environment in which deployed ground troops work. He mentioned some challenges for us to consider such as the weight of their armor and working in low visibility conditions. He also provided us with some key information about the kind of haptic cues that would be most needed. To get a different user perspective, we decided to conduct an interview with Mr. Brett Pugsley, who worked as an aviator for the Navy. Given the huge number of visual and auditory stimuli that pilots have to process during active duty, Mr. Pugsley highlighted how important the placement and strength of the actuators’ vibration are important to the success of the haptic feedback system. The information that we gathered from both interviews helped us understand users’ expectations and needs.
To ensure that the aforementioned needs are met, we started gathering information about running experiments to test our prototype when it’s ready. That is why we met with Dr. Philip Kortum and learn from his expertise in usability and user-centered design. Besides introducing the idea of creating a vocabulary of haptic cues for the tests, Dr. Kortum advised us to choose a population that is diverse to get more accurate results. He also walked us through the process of obtaining IRB approval to be able to proceed with testing. Finally, we were able to meet our client, Mr. Grant Belton. Throughout the meeting, we were able to understand his expectations, ask questions about the haptic system, and get some clarifications on the design of the Smart Helmet.
Beyond interviews and meetings, we had the opportunity to meet with Dr.Tracy Volz and Ms.Catherine Clack, known as Lady C, for 3 professional development workshops. During those workshops, I got to learn and practice active listening, understand the dynamics and the process of having difficult conversations, and know how to deal with microaggressions professionally. I cannot be more grateful for having the opportunity to attend those workshops as they helped me a lot in terms of knowing how to manage difficult situations.
As the week comes to an end, I am proud of the progress that my team and I have made. I cannot wait to dive deeper into finalizing design criteria, brainstorming solutions, and coming up with ideas about our first prototype.