NEURO
R
I
N
G

OVERVIEW

Working with a team of six, we were tasked with proposing a repositioning strategy for an existing brand, considering potential product developments over the next 10-15 years, and developing a product family for the brand.

The project analyses how discriminatory behaviour and negative biases to marginalised groups can be resolved through early intervention. These interventions can be both direct and indirect and are delivered as design interventions.

Ben & Jerry’s are an Ice-cream business that prides themselves with their activism. Being guided by their core values, they not only ‘seek to advance human rights and dignity’, along with supporting ‘social and economical justice to marginalised groups’.

With the population ever increasing, these growing issues are in dire need of intervention. In this report we will reposition the Ben & Jerry brand, staying intact with the goals of social justice and activism, while keeping with the trend projections for 10-15 years.
ROLE
Product Designer
DATE
January - March 2024
TEAM
Louis Bertholet
Amina Afrah
Rosie Johnson
Christina Alvarez
Faith Olasupo

BRIEF

"Cultural and ethnic diversity are still not fully welcome within communities; therefore, how can we influence the youth to foster multicultural community development?"

PROBLEM

The population is steadily increasing over the last decade, it’s not hard to deduce that migration has played a large role in that. Stemming from that boost there has been an uptick in racial, ethnic and religious discrimination. Discrimination is the unjust and prejudiced treatment of a group or individual based on characteristics like those listed before; race, ethnicity and religion etc.(Migration Observatory, 2020)
‍
In 10-15 years the UK’s population has been estimated to soar up to 73.2 million, this would be an increase of about 5.5 million from the population at 2023 (67.7million) (Nash, 2011). Along with the surge in population, unfortunately, this can also prompt a rise in discrimination. Although the majority of minorities are facing the brunt of these negative biases, we are going to focus on the adolescent individuals ranging from the ages of 6-22 enveloping the front and back end of this group.

GROUP DISTRIBUTION

Throughout the project, each team member was assigned the same tasks, ensuring a collaborative and cohesive approach throughout the project. As we progressed, we shifted focus to our individual products while maintaining a consistent design language across all items, ensuring they collectively represented a cohesive family of products aligned with our project’s goals.

DESIGN PROCESS - Double Diamond of Speculative Design

This framework was ideal for this speculative design project as it facilitated a structured exploration of the problem and the development of innovative solutions. It allowed for a broad investigation of discrimination issues and a iterative refinement, ensuring the design was both creative and aligned with the project’s objectives. This approach was crucial in navigating the complexities of designing for social impact.

SIGNAL SCANNING

whats udder the cover

udder analysis

meet our flavour fanatics

This is so ‘Choco kiddo’
(6 to 8 years old)

- Want to be liked and accepted by friends
- Give more attention to friendships and teamwork
- Family interactions remain their most important influence
- Do not pay attention to other person’s ethnicity nor origin differences
- Unaware of discrimination and its impacts
- Get easily influenced, repeat and reproduce others
- Show rapid development of mental, physical and social interaction skills
- Learn better ways to describe experiences and express their thoughts and feelings
‘ Swagger master’
(9 to 13 years old)

- Want to show more independence from parents and family
- Need to understand more about their place in the world
- Rapid development of mental skills and reasoning abilities, rapidly absorbing information
- Begin to care more about others
- Further develop social skills
- Begin to understand what is right and wrong
- Want to hang out with friends begin to matter
- Highly under the influence of their peers
- Start to express their personal feelings and emotions
‘Ice teen’
(13 to 16 years old)

- Socially involved and connected
- Define themselves through their environment
- Begin to understand about being liked and seeking approval
- Show more independence from parents and tend to spend more time with friends
- Start to make decisions with independence in mind
- Have a greater ability for caring and sharing, and developing more intimate connections
- Able to give reasons for their own choices, including about what is right or wrong
- Show more concern about future school and work plans

SCENARIO DEFINITION

BRAND OPPORTUNITY

The company Ben & Jerry's is a good fit for us since they have uncapped opportunity and share our values and use their brand to bring attention to significant life issues. Ben & Jerry's will set itself apart from other brands if it takes the lead in addressing diversity. Ben and Jerry believe the world can be changed by ice cream. Their social mission is progressive and nonpartisan, with the goal of eliminating inequalities and meeting human needs in local, national, and international communities. They incorporate these concerns into their daily business operations. Ben & Jerry's brand innovation strategy is centered around three key pillars:
PRODUCT
‍
Famous for its inventive and distinctive ice cream flavours, Ben & Jerry's releases new flavours all the time. A group of taste innovators at the company are always experimenting with different components and pairings. Ben & Jerry's has introduced a number of cutting-edge new products in recent years, including its dairy-free line, "Topped" line of ice cream with toppings incorporated in, and "Change the Whirled" flavour featuring Colin Kaepernick.
‍
SUSTAINABILITY
A commitment to sustainable business practises is made by Ben & Jerry's. The company uses renewable energy in its manufacturing facilities and sources its ingredients from sustainable farms. In addition, Ben & Jerry's strives to lessen its environmental effect by cutting back on packaging waste and offsetting its carbon footprint.
‍
SOCIAL MISSION
‍Ben & Jerry's is a socially conscious business that is dedicated to improving society. The business supports progressive causes and speaks out on significant social issues using its platform. The company's dedication to social justice is evident in the way it develops new products, since it frequently introduces new tastes to further its charitable objectives. For instance, Ben & Jerry's introduced the flavour "Justice ReMix'd" in 2020 in an effort to increase money and awareness for criminal justice reform.

DESIGN INNOVATION STRATEGY

defining my sub theme

Having completed the discovery phase and selected the brand, the team transitioned to the next stage by choosing sub-themes that resonate with our overarching meta theme. Each member then embarked on developing their own individual products, ensuring that these contributions harmonize into a cohesive family product line for the Ben & Jerry’s brand by the project’s conclusion.
Meta Theme
Cultural Discrimination

Sub Theme
Interaction/ Dating

interaction vs discrimination

THE PROBLEM
‍
Dating cultural discrimination refers to a distinct type of cultural bias that takes place within the realm of romantic partnerships. It encompasses instances where individuals face rejection or discrimination due to their cultural heritage, including factors such as their race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion. Both persons pursuing same-sex partnerships and those pursuing opposite-sex relationships can encounter cultural discrimination in the realm of dating.
‍
There is an increasing amount of research that has recorded the frequency and adverse effects of cultural discrimination in the context of dating. One study revealed that Asian American women had a higher likelihood of reporting instances of racial discrimination on dating apps compared to white women, with rates of 12% and 2% respectively. A further study revealed that Latinx persons exhibited a higher propensity to report instances of ethnic prejudice on dating applications compared to their white counterparts, with percentages of 31% and 11% respectively (Brown, 2018).
‍
Cultural discrimination in dating can result in several adverse effects for individuals, such as:
‍
- Diminished self-worth
- Depression and anxiety
- Challenges in establishing and sustaining interpersonal connections
- Ingrained emotions of humiliation and inferiority

PRODUCT DESIGN SPECIFICATION

Performance

  1. Encourages the practise of embracing and valuing diverse cultures in the context of interaction and romantic relationships
  2. Assesses both users compatibility data to analyse match
  3. Utilises cultural identification and helps user understand it

Aesthetics

  1. Future designs to align with the future trends
  2. Fits well with the Ben&Jerry’s branding
  3. Utilises cultural identification and helps user understand it
  4. Must contain 60-70% of primary colour palate (Blue (Pantone 298 C 10% tint &/or Pantone 298C) &/or Black (Pantone BlackC)), and 30-40% of secondary colour palate (Green (Pantone 376C &/or Pantone 7741C) &/or Gold (Pantone 130C) &/or White)*
  5. Must contain 60-70% smooth (50%) gloss primary texture, and 30-40% rough (40%) matt secondary texture*
  6. Sleek and minimalistic design

Human Factors

  1. Futuristic design but must have family & friends feel
  2. Resonates with Ben&Jerrys values
  3. Easy to put on and use
  4. Comfortable to wear for long periods of time

Sustainability

  1. Must be durable and have a longevity strategy
  2. Water,dust and shock resistant

Social Function

  1. Make existing relationships stronger
  2. Analyse users historical data to predict long term relationships
  3. Compatibility matching

Size & Weight

  1. Less than 1kg as its a wearable
  2. Custom size for individuals fingers

Maintenance

  1. Minimal maintenance, only charging and software updates
  2. Consider repair-ability
  3. ‍‍

‍* = collective PDS

MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

SCENARIO EVOCATION

cONCEPTS

development

Features

  1. As your relationship deepens and progresses, the ring facilitates a closer bond between you and your partner by physically drawing the rings closer together and visually displaying your relationship’s growth through the design of the ring.
  2. Utilizing anthropometrics with auto-adjustable technology, similar to Nike’s laceless shoes, the ring adjusts for a perfect fit.
  3. Advanced neurotech paired with AI predicts long-term compatibility, enhancing the connection experience.
  1. As you strengthen your relationship, the ring concurrently reveals its full design, with each piece of shared data gradually uncovering more of its intricate details. This process symbolizes the deepening bond between you and your partner, visually representing the growth of your connection.

User Journey

1) During the date, users will put on the ring which then will send a pulse to their brain using neurotechnology then with the additional use of AI, the ring will examine historical data to forecast long term relationship compatibility. This provides valuable insights into perspective strengths and weaknesses within the partnership.
‍
2) After the ring with transmit the data to the users devices for them to examine.
‍
3) If users continue to see each other, the rings will connect to each other and act as one.
‍
4) as the relationship continues, the ring will build itself my revealing the carved swirls bit by bit, which acts as an progress bar.
‍
5) As the relationship continues, the ring will also allow both rings to get closer to one another, like an magnetic force. In the end both the rings will reveal all swirls and will interlock with each other forming one symbolic design which represents the relationship journey. ↓

further
development

After finalising the form, material and finish with the team, I crafted sketch models to refine the design, focusing on form and shape to ensure both aesthetic appeal and functional integrity. This hands-on approach allowed me to experiment with different designs, enhancing usability and ensuring the product is both aesthetically appealing and functionally robust. Then transitioned the design into CAD software to finalize the details and prepare for production.

DIEGETIC PROTOTYPING

neuro ring

interact↓

(Drag with two fingers)

ben&jerrys

OUTCOMES
The project successfully delivered a speculative design for a neuro-technology-based ring that enhances dating experiences by predicting long-term compatibility. Integrating Ben & Jerry’s brand aesthetics, the product not only embodies the brand’s values but also promotes inclusivity and cultural sensitivity in relationships. Through iterative design processes, including sketching and CAD modeling, the final product visually represents relationship progress while fostering deeper connections, ultimately culminating in a pair of rings that symbolize unity and mutual growth.
‍
TAKEAWAYS
This project underscored the potential of integrating advanced technology with user-centric design to enhance interpersonal relationships. The key takeaway is the demonstration of how speculative design can be used to address complex social issues like discrimination in dating, providing both a functional and symbolic solution that aligns with and promotes the values of inclusivity and cultural sensitivity.

‍

VIEW OTHER PROJECTS

(Keep scrolling down)

Formosa Thumbnail

FORMOSA

The ethical guidepost for the beauty industry.
TSCT Thumbnail

THE SICK CHILDREN'S TRUST

Improving conversion rates for online donations.

ASTUTE

The app that streamlines at-home academic assistance for secondary school students, minimizing frustration and reducing stress associated with learning challenges.
Internship home screen cover

RELAYTO

In just a few clicks turn ordinary content into extraordinary experiences. (EXTRA)