Ideas Generation
Glow stones are powered by photo-luminescent (glow) pigment otherwise known as Strontium Aluminate. I have considered using Glow stones as a replacement for light bulbs, creating a path walk lit up by Glow stones.
By changing the pigment of a lightbulb, the light emitted would change in colour. As the colour changes, the filter absorbs harmful light emitted into the environment.
Our circadian rhythm can be altered through light intake, with our eyes being the main receptor, glasses that can change in pigment would help users regulate their circadian rhythm.
Already Exist? Too speculative?
The problems with the ideas above are either they already existed, or they are too speculative. For the Glow Stone, it is too speculative and there is too much uncertainty in using it as a stable light source. For pigment-changing lightbulbs or glasses, similar or exact products exist.
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Glowstone
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Lightbulb with different colour
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Glassess
LumeLens
LumeLens is a pair of pigment-changing glasses with an app tracking light intake. While the base colour pigment of the lens cannot be altered to another primary colour, with the technology of a photochromic lens it can help regulate light intake with an app tracking the numbers.
During the research process, I found out that regulating the light environment directly involves a lot of governing policies and legal issues. However, to reduce the impact of the light environment, human-centred design for individuals can also achieve the desired outcome.
LumeLens aim to reduce the impact of the light environment by regulating daily light intake and circadian rhythm. As our main sight-seeing organ, the human eyes act as a receptor for light and signal the brain the time of the day. With LumeLens glasses, we can tell our brain the desired schedule so that we can see how our circadian rhythm changes with different levels of light intake. It can help user to regulate their lifestyle to a healthier one as well.
In between the lens, on the frame, there is a black dot. It is the light sensor that detects the wavelength of the light, determining its light type and intensity. Then it sends signals to the phone, allowing it to log the light intake of the user throughout the day.
LumeLens glasses are designed based on the technology of photochromic lenses, the innovative design is the pigment of the glasses and the light sensors in the glasses that track the light intake of the individual. Although the base primary pigment of the lens cannot change, for example, red to blue, its level of brightness can alter from light to darker pigment. Colour filters block out other colour-emitted, for example, a red filter will allow red light to go through while blocking other colours in the light, which is a less harmful light to the human body and doesn’t affect the circadian rhythm much.
The red-based lens would be suitable for users from urban areas where artificial lights are common or are exposed to sunlight for a long period. The blue-based lens would be suitable for users from the northern hemisphere where daylight is short and natural light exposure is naturally lower than in other regions.
Touchpoint: Digital Interface
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Neutral Colors for Simplicity: A clean and minimalist look, neutral colours like white, grey, or beige provide a sense of simplicity and sophistication.
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Red & Blue: A cohesive response to the colour of the LumeLens photochromic lens: Red for reduced light intake and blue for increased light intake.
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Day & Night mode: The colour theme for day and night will shift based on the time of the day or the type of photochromic lens the user is wearing.
The logo consists of the element of a symbol for light and the glasses. It uses the light bulb as a human face, while the wires as the glasses, suggesting this app is related to light and glasses.The name LumeLens is made up of Lume for light and Lens for the glasses.
Roboto is optimized for on-screen legibility, which is particularly important for web and mobile design. It renders well across different devices and screen sizes. Roboto is designed for optimal readability on screens. Its balanced proportions and clean lines contribute to clear and legible text. The font has a modern and neutral appearance, making it suitable for a wide range of design contexts. Its clean and contemporary look aligns well with the aesthetics of many digital platforms.
As mentioned before, inventing, or intervening light environment involves more than just designing, there are government policies and laws related to how the current modern community uses light. It is hard to create a new design or alter the current light environment, however, through innovative design, we can create new designs using existing products that follow the current regulations but also achieve what we hope to do in this project
