VIGIL - Augmented Cognition Helmet
Augmented Reality Headwear for Urban Firefighting Action
Context
- Msc Design in IxD, Interaction Design Project 2
- Academic Project
- Role as IxD Designer
Deliverables
- Persona
- User Requirements
- Usage Scenarios
- Wireframes
- Interaction Model + Mitigation Framework
- Static UI Prototypes
- UX animations of key interactions
- Interactive Prototype (Game)
Project Specifications
Timeline
Tools
Figma
Photoshop
Illustrator
After Effects
Unity
Overview
The Briefing
The class was presented with a project assignment that involved creating an interaction design project aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. My focus for this endeavor was to contribute to the sub-goal of enhancing emergency response through modernization.
Upon conducting thorough research, I discovered a potential area for improvement: the toolset used by firefighters and first responders when dealing with hazardous circumstances. It became evident that there is a need to reassess and enhance their existing equipment to better address these challenges.
The Proposal
My project focused on envisioning the user interface for an augmented reality helmet. Rather than solely focusing on the interface itself, my goal was to brainstorm the various features that could be implemented, how they could be organized into groups, and how users could easily access them.
Recognizing that cognitive load is a crucial factor, I aimed to design an interface that minimized the mental burden on firefighters and first responders, allowing them to efficiently process information while ensuring their safety.
Stage 1. Research
Literature Review
Exploratory Interviews
Secondary Research
Benchmarking
Extensive research was conducted to understand challenges faced by Portuguese firefighters in urban emergencies. Interviews with key individuals provided information on protocols, training, and equipment. Literature review and desk research explored disaster response, cognitive load, and safety-critical HCI. Benchmarking analyzed augmented reality helmets. Insights informed design decisions for an interface tailored to Portuguese firefighters’ needs.
Findings
- Firefighter equipment is rarely updated but training does happen frequently.
- Firefighting requires a lot of handling of equipment, so interactions should mostly be hands-free.
- Coordination between team members and other emergency professionals is key for success.
- Most often visibility is very problematic;
- Most cutting-edge equipment focuses on the industrial design of the helmet, not on the interface nor interactions.
Persona
User Requirements
- Improve communication between agents acting under the same emergency;
- Improve visibility conditions;
- Improve access to information by agents;both type of info and transmission medium
- Assist in the Intervention strategy;
Usage Scenarios
City fires and other emergency scenarios
Several teams and emergency professionals involved
Interventions of medium duration (1-6 hours)
Stage 2. Product Definition
Principles
Reduction of Complexity
In critical situations, the interface must prioritize minimizing entropy.
Primacy of the Main Activity
The interface should avoid distracting from the main task
Redundant by Design
The user should receive and provide information through multiple senses
Mild Learning Curve
Interactions should be intuitive and easily learnable
Connectivity Between Users
Efficient system performance relies on seamless cooperation among multiple interfaces.
Value Proposition
This project is based on the premise that the performance of firefighters heavily relies on quick and effective decision-making, which in turn depends on the quantity and quality of available information, commonly known as situational awareness. To enhance firefighters’ situational awareness, four crucial aspects need to be addressed:
- Enhanced Visibility: Ensuring firefighters have the necessary tools to effectively perceive and comprehend their surroundings, focusing on vital elements.
- Seamless Communication: Enabling efficient teamwork and facilitating clear and reliable communication among firefighters and other personnel at the incident site.
- Comprehensive Information: Equipping firefighters with the means to access timely and accurate information regarding the ongoing situation, contextual details, and important variables they need to be aware of.
- Strategic Coordination: Facilitating effective organization and coordination under a team leader or superior who will oversee and guide the entire intervention process.
Feature Set \ Information Architecture
The four aspects of situational awareness were thoroughly considered, resulting in a brainstorming session to identify specific features that could be integrated into the augmented reality helmet:
- Enhanced Visibility Features.
- Seamless Communication Features.
- Comprehensive Information Features.
- Strategic Coordination Features.
Stage 3. Materialization
Interaction Model
Event-Based Mitigation Framework
Inspired by Juhnke et al. (2007), this Event-Based Mitigation Framework incorporates real-time monitoring of users’ biometric data and environmental changes as input to the system. This enables the augmented cognition interface to dynamically adapt to the situation in real-time. The data is categorized into four system states: Low Urgency, Medium-Low Urgency, Medium-High Urgency, and High Urgency. Each state triggers progressively noticeable output to alert the user about their surroundings and personal health status.
Key Interaction Flows
Login Process
Sign Up Protocol
Shut Down Process
Visual Design
Style Guide
Components
UI Design Process
Static Prototypes (First Iteration VS Final Version)
Mitigation Framework Prototype
These are the implementation of feedback given by VIGIL when situations arise that trigger each level of the Event-Based Mitigation framework. Feedback gets increasingly intense when perceived danger increases.
Level 1 – Subtle Cueing
Level 2 – Intrusive Cueing
Level 3 – Subtle Notification
Level 4 – Intrusive Notification
Action Prototypes
Login
Listening Signifier
Team Tracking
Interactive Prototype (Made in Unity)
In my interaction design portfolio, I tackled the challenge of showcasing the functionality of an augmented reality helmet without the need for a fully working prototype. Instead, I created an interactive Unity-based game. This game introduces players to VIGIL, an AR helmet designed to assist firefighters in emergencies. Through a series of challenges, players experience how VIGIL’s interface aids decision-making and crisis management. This project highlights my ability to creatively solve problems and deliver engaging interactive experiences with real-world applications.
Final Considerations
Despite the significant achievements in this project, there is untapped potential due to time constraints. The research phase stands out as a strong aspect, successfully identifying challenges and providing corresponding solutions. A user interface (UI) was developed, accompanied by animations that exemplified key interactions between the user, environment, and interface.
The project’s main contribution lies in the mitigation framework and interaction model, which are showcased in the interactive game prototype.
However, further iterations of the UI and additional user testing would be necessary to validate these concepts.