Jared Smithers
User Centred Design
Final year project
An Educational Investment Platform Designed to Teach Gen Z'ers How to… [Read more]
LAUNCH | Educational Inve
LAUNCH is an educational investment app designed to teach Gen Z'ers how to take their first step into becoming financially independent. The app uses experiential learning as the main way to educate the user about investing. It forces the user throughout the onboarding process to choose a company that they believe in and make their first investment using an in-app currency called LAUNCH tokens in the stock market simulation otherwise known as paper trading.
LAUNCH also uses a Robo-advisor through an avatar called Astro who takes the user through a quick tutorial and provides constant tips and strategies for the user as they use the app. The longer the user uses the app, the more Astro learns and is then able to create a personalised feed. Astro is also able to recommend financial securities based on a short risk-tolerance questionnaire that the user completes during the sign-up process. For example, if the user answers questions and is shown to be risk-averse, Astro would recommend long-term index funds like VOO and showcase the importance of compound interest. He would also personalise the educational cards to assist that specific user's investment strategy. In this case, teach about dividend reinvesting and growth vs value stocks.
During the prototyping and evaluation phase, I had to run various tests regarding how data is visualised, what information is relevant and irrelevant and how to gamify the educational aspect of the app for both beginner and experienced users. The challenging part of this project was ensuring that only the education and learning parts were gamified and that the actual process of investing was not.
BENCH | Workout Bench For The Micro-Home
This workout bench was designed specifically for micro-homes in Asia with the purpose of ultimate accessibility as a piece of transformative furniture. Now more than ever we are adopting home fitness as an effective way to keep fit. There are, however, a number of barriers that are preventing people from comfortably and confidently working out from home.
As the pandemic subsides the fitness industry will look radically different as people view their workouts in a different light due to the normalisation of remote working.
Large populous cities are struggling to find solutions to limited land supply and affordable housing. One rising trend is the development of micro-homes (predominantly in Asia). People are being subjected to work at home that is only getting smaller and smaller. A new way to support a healthy lifestyle is required and a multi-use piece of furniture will help achieve a solution to these problems.
BENCH | Workout Bench For The Micro-Home
I designed this subtle workout bench that doubles as a piece of sitting furniture that stores dumbells, a barbell, a total of 75kg worth of plates, and enough space to hold any other gym equipment the user requires inside the wooden drawer on skirted castor wheels. The bench is able to incline up to 90 degrees for back-supported shoulder presses allowing the user access to a plethora of workouts and exercises.
The most challenging part of this project was working within a short time frame to come up with a simple and efficient solution to such a topical and widespread issue. This project really tested my Keyshot rendering capabilities with regards to lighting and creating my own environments.
FOKASU | Headphones That Help Increase Productivity
FOKASU was designed to maximise productivity and efficiency. Not only in the workplace but in everyday life. It uses EEG sensors (located in the headband) to measure and infer emotional states, anxiety levels, and concentration personalised to the user and their brain.
At work, we're interrupted on average every 11 minutes and it can take an average of 23 minutes to get back on track after a distraction. How we perform and succeed is dependant on our focus, yet we neglect it. 31 days are lost every year due to the distractions and interruptions in our lives. FOKASU aims to give the user more time to do the things they want.
Embedded in FOKASU are two EEG sensors that measure the electrical activity in the user's brain. This data is analysed with AI and advanced algorithms to present your mind state and provide advice in real-time through an app.
FOKASU tracks your level of focus throughout its use. Every time the user's brain state changes, it adapts to the soundscape by modulating intensity, complexity, and other parameters. These changes help your subconscious mind recognise when you've become distracted. This training helps build a habit of prioritising deep work; letting you set daily goals, receive reminders, and track your focus levels over time (much like your very own productivity coach).
The challenging aspect of this project was 3D printing the CAD model as I had not thoroughly ensured that each part had the correct tolerance as some of the pieces were too advanced to be printed out clearly. This really tested my physical prototyping capabilities as I had never worked with fabrics and Arduino nevermind implementing them into a 3D printed model.
Jared Smithers
Hello, my name’s Jared, I’m from Hong Kong and I am a practising full-stack designer creating impactful experiences to help users strive for self-improvement and live the life they want to live by reaching their goals.
All my work revolves around motivation, education, and accessibility. I chose to work using these three factors because the bar to living a successful and fulfilled life is getting harder and harder to reach. People always want to learn new things that will get them to where they want to be, they just don't know where to start and if it's worthwhile. I want to help these people who don't know where to start, begin their self-improvement journey whether it be striving for financial independence or as simple as improving their physical fitness no matter their situation.
Alongside my degree, I have taken extra courses in web development (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) with the goals to learn new programming languages over the summer at coding boot camps to further my knowledge in computer science.
My skills in software include having a high proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCAD and Solidworks, Keyshot, UX prototyping software, and overall front-end development. With my expertise stemming from UX ideologies and practises, I am very proficient at conducting robust user research, analysing data, and transforming this information into fully realised products, services, systems, and experiences.
At the moment I am in the process of learning IOS and Android development which will eventually lead me to learn more about back-end development in other programming languages. I would list my main strength as being ever-perseverant, always willing to take on challenges, and having a relentless nature to learn and develop new skills.
I am currently enrolled to study MSc Management in London as I aspire to achieve a senior-level management role in the near future. My ultimate ambition is to start my own business in the tech industry using the experiences and skills I have learned throughout the years. I believe that there needs to be more designer-led companies who put innovation at the forefront of their business and I want to lead in this example.
You can learn more about my work, aspirations, and development as a full-stack designer and entrepreneur on my website.
Final year project
An Educational Investment Platform Designed to Teach Gen Z'ers How to Take Their First Step Into Becoming Financially Independent.
Work Experience
Junior UX Designer | IBI Group Holdings Ltd. | 2020
I worked at IBI Group Holdings Ltd. in the summer of 2020.
They are a listed international group of companies focusing on construction, innovative product solutions, and investments based in Hong Kong.
At IBI, I led the design and optimisation of an in-house app to facilitate management efficiency. My approach involved breaking down many complex integrated processes and included communicating with many stakeholders, driving the project, and sharing my vision with senior company executives through co-designing workshops and design sprints.
I also led the front-end development of a new website for their subsidiary company, Building Solutions Limited. I had to work alongside contracted back-end developers and negotiate terms to ensure a smooth transition of information.
The biggest challenge that I faced was that I was not very confident in my front-end development skills at the time and I had to lead and manage the whole project. I learned how to take charge and efficiently allocate time and resources to best approach the management efficiency problem in a short period of time. Working on this project forced me to learn at a rapid pace to solve front-end issues ranging from problems with organising user research to UI specifications to learning how to write less messy efficient code.
Freelance Web Developer | Self Employed | 2020 - On-going
The pandemic gave us a lot of idle time and I wanted to use this opportunity to improve my proficiency with web development in both Hong Kong and the UK.
I started to design and develop website portfolios for other aspiring creatives. During this experience, I learned more about back-end development including SQL, MongoDB and learning more advanced JavaScript implementations. The biggest challenge that I had to face was tackling both my degree work and fulfilling client deadlines with what they wanted which required personalised JSON animations which I had to learn to create.