This project was an assignment in a brainstorming & prototyping class at IDEOU. The assignment was to create a special hat for someone, based on getting to know who they are and what they might like in a hat. I chose my pet mouse, Boomer.
First, a quick brainstorm explored what a mouse's needs are. Mice love their shelter, food, and things to play with. Their major pain points center around being food for apex predators in their environment like eagles and owls. A special purpose hat could help reduce this anxiety, and possible ideas include camoflauge, a reflective mirror, or magic.
The assignment was to quickly build an initial prototype out of nothing but aluminimum foil, tape, and construction paper. A model was selected to represent our user.
The finished prototype. A small cap designed for a mouse's unique head shape with leaf-shaped, lightweight panels in colors that match the environment to obscure the wearer.
Testing the prototype.
The mouse wearing the hat is fully shield from anybody flying overhead!
User acceptance testing. Verdict: needs work.
Testing the hypothesis. The mouse can now enjoy the outdoors with reduced fear of being snatched up by an eagle, hawk or owl - but staying in place is a challenge. Future iterations could include a more mouse-optimal cap shape and a mechanism like a chin-strap to keep the hat in place.
