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the helen hamlyn research centre: design for our future selves the royal college of art: postgraduate art and design

DBA Inclusive Design Challenge 2006

Chatterpack / Coley Porter Bell

A pack that can talk to you, warn you, inform you, help you learn a language or just make you laugh. Chatterpack is activated when moved so that a message is delivered and brings benefits to consumers of all ages and abilities.

Background

Identifying the contents of a pack in the home or in the supermarket can be a problem for consumers with visual impairments, those who suffer from memory loss, have reading difficulties or just cannot decipher small print. Talking tins and labels are available on the special needs market but the devices are cumbersome, expensive and not easy to adapt.

How Does it Work?

Chatterpack uses the commonly available, inexpensive, microchip technology similar to that used in talking greetings cards. It can be stuck to the bottom of packs, bottles and other objects. The action of moving or lifting them activates the voice and importantly no buttons need to be pressed.

This concept allows Chatterpacks to be tailored to many different types of people, all with different needs - some functional, some cognitive, others emotional. The idea of a pack that could talk offers a flexible and accessible solution in particular for consumers for whom packaging presents a cognitive challenge. The design team explored some scenarios that exploited Chatterpack’s potential:

  • A voice could warn a child that the contents of a bottle are toxic or dangerous
  • A carer’s voice could remind their client with memory loss of the exact dosage of their daily medicine
  • People with short-term memory loss could be reminded of how to do things. The repetition of key words and phrases would be a lifeline and would help restore their dignity
  • A grandchild’s voice could ease loneliness by saying ‘hello’ when a jar of coffee is picked up or when their photograph is viewed
  • A person on a diet could be reminded of the calorie count of forbidden foods
  • A foreign language learner could learn the names or common items in the home
  • Visually impaired people would be able to navigate their way around jars and bottles in cupboards and be alerted to sell-by-dates in the fridge

Chatterpacks would be available in bespoke and standard versions and sold in blister packs either singly or in bulk in stores, on the internet or over the phone. The high contrast logo used is semiotic with a speech bubble to indicate that it would speak to you. A sans serif type has been used for maximum clarity. The magnetic or adhesive backing allows each Chatterpack to be applied anywhere - on a photo frame to identify the person in the picture or on appliances to indicate the on button. A sensor or button option would also be available. The cheapness, flexibility of use and wide potential applications mean that Chatterpack has great mainstream market potential.

User Input

Users with mobility, dexterity and visual impairments and carers of those suffering memory loss.

Judge’s Comments

The judges loved the simplicity of the idea and the fact that it can be tailored to individual needs yet remains easy to use, inexpensive and therefore is a truly inclusive solution. They felt it would work well with specific groups of people, short-term disability is also addressed and above all it has huge potential in marketing terms. The judges loved the way the team had looked at serious issues but not neglected the important element of fun implicit in the idea of products that can talk back.