Inspired by, but not affiliated with McDonald’s, this project explored the application of principles like ‘blue sky thinking’ and ‘design fiction’ within traditional product design.
McDonalds
Industrial Design Project
The Brief
The goal was to identify a brand and reposition it in a new market to address a global issue projected to worsen in the next 15 years.
Focusing on McDonald’s, the project reimagines the fast food chain as a lifestyle brand entering the fitness wearable/tech market, aiming to align with future consumer needs and trends.
The Problem
Inactivity and obesity levels are growing.
Cities worldwide are experiencing a rise in childhood inactivity, with this issue projected to worsen in the next 10-15 years. And with the demanding work schedules on lower income parents rising, more children are losing access to benefits of playing outdoors due to a lack of available parental supervision.
A fun, playful approach.
To address safety and accessibility concerns in low-income neighborhoods, the McScout provides parents with an efficient way to monitor their children's outdoor activities during work hours.
The McScout is a wellness and activity tracker that projects a user-friendly map of the local area, allowing parents to view their children's activities and locations as they play outside.
By increasing transparency between parents and children, this feature allows parents to confidently support their children in developing healthy exercise habits in outdoor spaces without needing to be physically present, fostering a safer and more engaging neighbourhood environment.
-
The projector uses ultrasound transceivers to track hand movements that control/cast live projections onto nearby surfaces.
It then emits soundwaves to produce haptic feedback in response to the user’s interaction with the map.
-
User-friendly schematic maps are cast onto nearby surfaces to provide the user with real-time updates on their child’s current location.
When the child’s beacon is selected, an animated live feed of their current active status will be displayed to better help parents supervise while their child engages in physical activity.
-
The projector attaches to its charging dock using magnets, supporting wireless charging and portable use.
A built-in LED on the dock illuminates when the projector is recharging.
Concept Development
With safety and connection as core components that needed to be translated into the final design solution, a series of sketch ideations were done to visualise and experiment with various communication methods that were simple enough to effectively provide agency and indicate safety.
Visual methods of communication that were investigated included the use of colour, heart rate, haptic vibration, and holographic projection. These methods turned concepts were then evaluated together and refined into one converged idea that would then go through more rounds of form development and ideation in order to acheive the final design.
A watchful eye.
Scroll down to see the McScout in full detail.
Storyboard — User Interaction
The Golden Collection
The Golden Collection promotes accessible environments for children to enjoy the benefits of being physically and socially active.
Each product tackles different barriers relating to opportunity, fear of embarrassment, and safety / accessibility. These products work together to eliminate all barriers to sport, ensuring families around the world can stay active
The design process for this project involved brand strategy & brainstorming sessions, experiential design, sketch ideations, and eventual 3D modelling of these high fidelity prototypes.
Inspired by McDonalds, not affiliated.
Want to hear more about the project?
I would love to share more about my design process with you! If you have any questions, need more information, or just want to chat about my work, feel free to connect.
Let's start a conversation.