Family Message Center

	The lifestyles of people have changed drastically over the last few decades. Use of mobiles and similar devices has removed the need for face-to-face communication. Such interaction compromises the power of body language during conversation. Existing study suggests that only a small percentage of communication involves actual words: 7%, to be exact. In fact, 55% of communication is visual (body language, eye contact) and 38% is vocal (pitch, speed, volume, tone of voice). This makes it imperative in the above scenario to convey the message in its entirety (context, tone, pitch, etc.) through the words. The design needs to address this issue since effective communication would also help the family ties to grow stronger. (Read more about the design problem) Two very essential criteria govern the prototype developed − i) Importance of visual and vocal communication and ii) Accessibility of the device for users with visual impairment, hearing impairment or both.
	Overview of the prototype: The message center is a 5" wide * 11" long tablet records both audio/video in addition to text. It can be either made to stand erect with the help of a support stand or mounted on the wall using the wall-hanging hook provided behind the device. The user can interact with this device in four ways − a. Directly through the touch-screen, keypad and function buttons. b. Through a mobile device (mobile phone, PDA, etc.). c. Voice menu driven input and output. d. Through the Braille keypad.
	(Read more about the prototype)

Message Center