See Bird
How might we design a birdfeeder that helps people see birds up close? See Bird is a bird feeder with a compartment designed for a camera to view and capture bird images and video.
Process
Noticing a need spurred the inspiration for See Bird.
I observed my family struggling to view birds in the backyard through binoculars
and thought there needs to be something for a better bird-viewing experience.
Brainstorming new ideas lead me to drop the use of binoculars
altogether and to incorporate an integrated camera and enjoyable mobile app.
Researching online reviews of competitive products indicated the market
was still lacking a quality birdfeeder with a camera.
Conducting interviews with casual bird feeder owners, bird enthusiasts, and ornithologists led to
several key insights for concept development.
Developing concepts based on user input led to a variety of natural/modern bird feeder options.
Using Solidworks and Keyshot helped me visually portray my design intent.
In this example, an cordless outdoor Ring Camera was used as the camera of choice.
Prototyping out of cardboard allowed me to test the functionality of See Bird.
The seeds flowed easily to the perch area.
Thinking holistically lead to the inclusion of various features to improve the overall versatility and use of See Bird.
Creating a business plan further expanded the use of See Bird.
I incorporated a seed delivery service and app to make bird watching easier, educational, and more enjoyable.
Summary
How does this product take risks?
See Bird is a new way to experience bird watching - weaving modern-day technology into the natural world to create a better bird-watching experience.
How is this product unique and future-oriented?
SeeBird showcases how we might blend the future of tech with the traditional past in a unique way. It proves you don’t need to get overly complicated to be effective.
How does this product contribute to the body of knowledge of design?
This design shows the importance of relying upon already existing technology to produce a better experience now. When sufficient technology exists, like outdoor cameras, it’s possible to work with the existing tech instead of trying to recreate it.