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This project is done for the class SMPL. The class runs as a mock design consultancy with all of the students as staff designers and explores a series of real-world inspired client briefs and delivers tangible outcomes.
Client
S&R
Industry
Professional Scuba Diving
Services
Consumer Research, UX/UI Design,
Industrial Design, Product Development,
Brand Identity
Brief
S&R is an industry-renowned private institute specializing in professional training for Search & Recovery divers. The institute approached SMPL for design services in designing a new proprietary diving headset capable of assisting divers while at sea.
The headset should be compatible with relevant scuba equipment & diving accessories, take into consideration common search methods, and have the ability to capture high quality imagery while underwater. The product should be optimized to ensure diver safety, enhance diver productivity and enable clear communication with crew.
Under water remains in an analog world while modern technology constantly pushes its edge toward other fields
Hence, Search & Recovery is an industry-renowned private institute specializing in professional training for Search & Recovery divers tasked us to design a smart headset that assists professional S&R divers with their jobs and fully enhance their experience under water with the caution of maintaining Ocean’s ecosystem.
Diver
The dive team is responsible for responding to and conducting water based rescues and searches in both the underwater and swift water environments.
Team leader / Crew
Provide searching assistant, observe the situation of divers, and take control of the mission progress.
Search and recovery is the act of locating and retrieving a missing person when it has been determined that they are beyond rescue. Additionally, search and recovery include the retrieval of valuable objects such as police evidence or overboard vessel equipment.
In underwater search and recovery, the goal is to find and retrieve the victim or object of interest safely and quickly.
45 - 60 min
180 - 350 feet
Seabed & Cave
Carrying a lot of devices like compass, diving computer, defog, BCD, dive weight consume more air and limited divers' actions.
Divers rely on hand signal for most underwater communication and underwater communication product now in the market are not compatible with most masks.
Divers rely on hand signal for most underwater communication system and underwater communication are not compatible with most masks.
Data visualization summary
View all data in one page
Dark Mode
More suitable in dark environment
Mask type: Full face mask
Technology choices
Interaction Methods
I assessed interaction methods—physical buttons, voice control, screen interaction, gesture tracking, and eye tracking—for reliability, accuracy, space usage, learnability, and underwater ease of use. Physical buttons and voice control emerged as effective options, complementing each other in various scenarios.
Understanding Users
To understand our users better, we did a thorough research on their workflows and watch documentaries to observe their working environment and find pain points while they are completing the mission.
The Behavior System
To understand our users better, we did a thorough research on their workflows and watch documentaries to observe their working environment and find pain points while they are completing the mission.
Prototyping
Clay models and scale models are used to test out the proper scale of the project and enable real ergonomics.
Modern technology are rapidly developing in all other field, but this project will be the first high tech smart headset for underwater. There is a large range to explore, and we believe the product can be applied to the larger market. In the future, we wanna push Vista further into recreational market and try to lower the bar for diving and help create a safer and more pleasant underwater world.
