LED Dog Bandana 🐶

The next Human Centered Design assignment was to construct a physical object out of fabric and other materials that can be used for wearable or other kinds of objects that might be asked to prototype in a UX practice.

Design

Moving away from my Plant Homie series, I decided to create a LED dog bandana, an ideal bandana for late-night walks. The LED dog bandana offers a safe solution for any pet.

The purpose of this prototype is to provide a wearable yet reliable dog bandana for late-night walks. And the overall goal of this prototype is to give pet owners the security of knowing where their dog is at all times using light.

I first began brainstorming and sketching out an LED dog bandana concept. This involved listing out the potential list of materials and the interaction sketches of the fabric & LED.

Initial sketch & paper prototype

The idea was to sew two pieces of fabric together using a straight stitch, flip the fabric inside out, and connect the fabric ends with a button as a fastening mechanism. I decided to paper prototype the design concept and confirm the initial design was feasible. I wanted to ensure the size, shape, and construction method was achievable through paper first.

Prototype

The process first began by collecting all the materials. This included fabric, a button, a sewing kit, and a LED kit with a working battery as seen below.

Materials for the LED dog bandana

Using my dog’s collar as guidance, I then measured the length of the bandana to fit my dog’s neck. I pinned down the fabric with clips & pins to ensure the fabric was secure before cutting with scissors.

Misu’s dog collar as measurement guidelines (switched to Minnie Mouse fabric)

After cutting out the fabric, I began to sew the fabric together with a straight stitch as seen below. This stitch was primarily used because of its simplicity as the most basic stitch for sewing and the stitch was generally best suited to sew two fabric pieces together.

Example of a straight stitch

Starting at one end, I worked to sew each end and secured the thread by pulling the thread through the loop to create a knot, cinching it at the base of the fabric when the end was reached. Leaving a small gap at the last fabric end, I pulled the fabric inside out to cover the stitching.

I then sewed the remaining opening shut, added a button & buttonhole to secure both ends, and lastly sewed the battery holder on the finished prototype for the LED light.

As seen above, the bandana can be fastened using a button and the LED light works with the battery holder in place. A button fastener was used to prevent the bandana from slipping or a simple tie from untying itself as this is a common issue with regular dog bandanas.

The prototype video below demonstrates the prototype being worn by a dog with a functioning LED light.

LED Dog Bandana Prototype Video

Analysis

Here are my initial results after conducting testing with my own dog, Misu, and other pet owners.

Things that worked well:

1. The battery holder for the LED was hidden inside the bandana (a good plus for pet owners) and the LED light was visible/well spotted.
2. The purpose of the bandana was clearly identified when asking pet owners, they clearly knew it was a bandana that could be used at night.
3. The button fastening mechanism secured the bandana tightly around the dog’s neck to ensure the bandana would not slip out.

Things that needed improvement:

1. Adding multiple fastening options to account for different dog sizes and usage.
2. Securing the LED light by using the available conductive thread and buttons, instead of clipping it on the battery holder.

A limitation of the current prototype is that the bandana only potentially fits my dog who is an 11-week puppy. Ideally, this bandana would currently only fit small dogs weighing between 5–20 pounds. A future goal would be allowing different size customization for bigger dogs as well as different types of pets such as cats.

Furthermore, the security of the LED light is not guaranteed if the dog runs, makes any aggressive movements, or scratches the bandana excessively. The current prototype does not account for any other usages outside of a walk.

Conclusion

Overall the effectiveness of the design was indicated through testing and class critique sessions. The concept was desirable and feasible based on both feedback sessions.

The bandana was overall secure by using a button fastening mechanism for puppies weighing 5–20 pounds and pet owners could see value in the prototype especially during late-night walks.

After concluding my testing and gathering feedback, here are a couple of things I would change and learned while creating this prototype.

Changes I would make:

1. As mentioned as things that needed improvement, I would add multiple fastening options to account for different dog sizes. I could have used velcro, a different material, or added more buttons.
2. I would also use the conductive thread and buttons to further secure the LED light to the fabric. This could prevent the light from potentially slipping from running, shaking, or any rigorous movements.

Things I learned:

1. Sewing is hard. It took multiple attempts to sew just one end without knotting the thread or the thread loosening from the needle.
2. During the process, I also learned it was hard to video prototype a dog moving with the bandana. With a young 11-week puppy as a tester, Misu was prone to either wanting to eat it or be fussy with it on.
3. Lastly, the LED sewing kit offers much more than just sewing the battery holder onto fabric. I personally should have looked more closely into this and watched more demos using the kit.