Concepts

50 Concepts

From our research, we produced 50 concepts that we could work with, and selected ten of those to storyboard (shown below). For interested parties, the original list of fifty may be found here

Storyboards

Animated Bus Map --- (Click to view image and details)



This is a map that can display to the user all the upcoming buses and their estimated times of arrival. It will alert the user when the bus is near (if the user is reading something) so that he or she knows to get up and signal to the bus driver that they wish to board (otherwise the bus just passes you).


Dictionary and Translator



Software within the device brings up the definition or translation of a word or phrase when you request it to. This makes it so people who don't carry around dictionaries or haven't studied Latin can still understand what's going on, and in the long term, will help build vocabulary.


Highlighting



Users who use their Starburst reader to read documents, or who just like to highlight their reading are able to do so with this highlighting function.


Holding a Page



A product of our bodystorming efforts, we discovered that many times, without even thinking about it, readers hold a page and flip back to re-read something. Although we are not trying to make our reader entirely like current books, we didn't want it to lack the functions that paper documents provide.


Motion Sickness Remedy



Our e-reader will have pre-loaded sounds for stopping motion sickness. These, like other sounds/music that the e-reader holds, can be turned on or off as the user wishes.


Viewing Multiple Pages



Most useful for viewing documents with many images, this function allows users to zoom out over a span of several pages and select which one they would like to view.


Physical Page-Turning



One of our ideas was to make the reader double-sided, and have page turning emulate the real action--literally turning the e-reader to turn the page.


Automatic Power-Save



Like laptops and other electronic devices, the e-reader will automatically go into power-save mode after either a certain time of inactivity, or perhaps sensors for the user's hands tell the device that the user is no longer holding it (has placed it in a bag, or somewhere, not intending to use it for the time being).


Document Scanning



Often, users on the go may see something that they wish to take with them, but do not have the time or permission to remove the document from where it was, scan it, and print it to take along. So, the scanning function allows them to quickly scan a 'couch for sale' advertisement on a bulletin board, or a few pages of data from those special books they hoard at the library reference desk.


Stop Alert



When you're about to arrive where you need to be, you need to put away your stuff and signal that you want to get off. This is a problem, if you're asleep or reading, and not paying attention to your stop. Also, if you happen to work a late shift, the dark may make it difficult to see where you are.