Designed to Quit is an experimental University of Hertfordshire student project developed according to a brief from UK's National Health Service. It was done in a very short time and with limited resources.

Smoking is one of the oldest and most dangerous addictions known to mankind. It is also one of the easiest to pick up and hardest to give up. The reason behind the addiction is not just the nature of nicotine itself, but also the psychological factor. Research shows that most smokers, especially those of young age, pick up on the habit to fit into the company of other smokers. For young people smoking often means being cool and rebellious, and the acceptance by a crowd of like-minded individuals means quite a lot for them. These factors make smoking a social activity that is directly attached to the need of self-actualisation and communication, and therefore hard to give up because of the sense of desocialisation and disstress that leads to it. The proposed solution attempts to address that by involving quitters in other social activities to distract them from smoking and compensate for the feeling of distancing from the old friends.

The proposed solution consists of two parts: a social network for quitters and a device that is connected to it. This device is a unique combination of a cigarette lighter — something that is found in the inventory of every smoker — and a simple communication tool that works in conjunction with the social network and is integrated into existing information infrastructures.

The device is controlled in a way that is similar to the operation of real lighter. Main control is a haptic feedback dial that also doubles as a lighter spark wheel. User rotates the dial to select the option from the menu and presses it to confirm.

Presentation board.

CAD development.