The Brief: Less than 10% of people test their smoke alarms fortnightly as recommended. Research revealed that the main reason for this is simply forgetfulness, so the brief became about reminding people to test their smoke alarms.

The Stickers: I began thinking when the best time to remind people would be: the “test me while you wait” stickers remind you to test your alarms when you’d otherwise be waiting around e.g. while waiting for the kettle to boil. This encourages people to be productive in those few minutes and test, rather than scrolling through their phone etc.

The Test Request Mobile App: The “Test Request” app allows users to keep track of their smoke alarm testing and maintenance (when each was last tested, what date they need to be replaced etc). To remind you to test your alarms, it also allows you to set a time to block your phone weekly, fortnightly or monthly and will not unblock until it detects the noise from a smoke alarm, thereby forcing users to perform regular tests. “Test Request” also educates the user on smoke alarm safety and includes a fun translation feature to encourage people to share and discuss the app (and also to try and make the annoying noise slightly more fun and slightly less annoying!).

The Post Pack: The app would be advertised through a “Post Pack”, which would include a double sided postcard advertising the app and explaining how to use the stickers and a set of free stickers. The pack would be posted through letterboxes, handed out by fire departments and included with products by popular brands. Stickers would also be available to order online from the ‘Test Request” site.