Industrial design · Final-year project
Inclusive product design
Ignis
A portable fire-alert concept for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
THE PROJECT
I developed Ignis for my final-year Product Design project at Bournemouth University. The brief was to explore a personal device that could recognise selected fire-alarm sounds and translate them into light and vibration. I brought user research, form development, electronics and physical testing together in an academic design and prototype study.
01 / THE PROCESS
Start with the way people use it
I began by considering how an alert device could travel with someone beyond a single room or building. Questionnaires with Deaf participants and members of the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Service informed the brief, alongside research into existing products and inclusive design.
The responses challenged a purely wearable solution. Some activities made wearing a device inconvenient, while preferences differed over whether it should look discreet or expressive. I updated the product design specification and explored alternatives through sketches, personas, a user journey and concept comparisons. Foam models helped me consider size, handling and placement before committing to detailed CAD.
02 / THE PROCESS
Develop the product as a system
I developed the enclosure and internal layout together. Onshape models allowed me to break the design into components, examine assembly and accommodate the circuit, batteries, microphone openings, screens and seals. The electronics packaging influenced the overall depth and the arrangement of the casing.
The proposed construction combined 6061 aluminium, silicone and ABS with acrylic screens. I considered wall thicknesses, machining tolerances, draft angles and access for disassembly. Supplier quotations, a bill of materials and engineering drawings brought manufacturing considerations into the design. Laser-cut and etched samples explored how a customisable top surface could be produced.
03 / THE PROCESS
Test the decisions
I built circuit test rigs to investigate an analogue bandpass-filter approach, using a signal generator and speaker to explore its response. This established a direction for development and exposed issues with bandwidth, resonant frequencies and vibration affecting the microphone.
Separate physical tests informed the mechanical design. I compared vibration transmission through different material thicknesses, which led to a thinner area in the aluminium base. Lux-meter tests and 3D-printed fixtures explored LED intensity and angle. I also investigated magnetic attachment and introduced silicone isolation features to reduce vibration reaching the circuit. Each test created a specific design decision to revisit or refine.
04 / THE PROCESS
Make it personal and adaptable
The developed concept uses a rounded enclosure, interchangeable top casing and different strap arrangements. These options allow the same underlying product to be carried or worn in different ways, while colour and finish give the user a choice over its appearance.
I explored magnetic connections and a quick-release interface to make changes between arrangements more convenient. Rather than treating these as finishing details, I considered them alongside battery access, handling and the way the product rests against the body.
OUTCOME
The work, brought together.
Ignis brought the project from an initial brief to a detailed product concept supported by CAD, physical models, electronics test rigs and manufacturing documentation. It is presented here as an academic prototype study, with the research and testing showing how the design developed.
Further development
Further development would focus on sound recognition and false-alert reduction, light transmission through the finished enclosure, smaller electronic components and more user testing of the attachment and handling features. These remain development tasks rather than validated product capabilities.
Project record
- Rian Edmondson Project Report (1).pdf · 1, 4, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57