Knob

Leave voice notes for friends around the house

A contextual voice-note device that attaches to household objects. When placed near an item (e.g., the fridge, the washing machine), it plays reminders—helping housemates remember chores, tasks, or shopping needs in a non-intrusive way.

We wrote a library for the DF-Robot component used for audio functions. There were several iterations on each part of the product, like the knurling, shape of the knob and the case itself, to perfect the experience.

Course

Tangible User Interfaces

Massimo Banzi, Pierluigi Dalla Rosa

Duration

10 days

January 22 – 31, 2025

Team

Gahan, Rohan, Vedant

Tools

Arduino MKR1010

DFRobot DFR0745

Fusion360 for CAD

Form

The team worked on several lo-fi prototypes to decide on the form factor and the primary interactions for the device using a bunch of readily available materials like foam, cups, cardboard, and paper.

knob process image

Affordance

We focused on making each interaction as clear as possible. Playing with light & sound in software, experimenting with the form of the knob (knurling, surface), and exploring different materials and colour – all came together as important signifiers to improve affordance.

knob process image
Good job on the interactions. They convey what's needed.

Don Norman

I can see myself using this at work! Perfect to let people know when equipment room access is restricted.

Sr IXD at Siemens Healthcare

knob process image