Studio Practice: OUGD505 - Studio Brief 02 - Product, Range & Distribution

All the outcomes produced can be seen on this blog post - particularly the final walkthrough video and promotional video, which are essentially the main two outcomes.

Overall, the solution created would physically stop the social issue of mobile distractions behind the wheel. Whilst I have only focused on iPhone owners, the concept could be applied to the majority of smartphones, as they are now built-in with microphones, motion sensors and update capabilites.

To gain some feedback on the entire campaign, I set up a small crit group of young adults (the main target audience being targeted) to see whether they think the proposed concept and promotional material effectively solves the issue and grabs their attention. Everyone agreed that it would definitely reduce the number of incidents due to mobile distractions behind the wheel because Drive Mode is compulsory. People thought that, because of this, the campaign is more effective than awareness campaigns, as it is a physical prevention, as opposed to an encouraged message. As the outcomes produced are consistent with Apple's existing visuals, people thought that the campaign would successfully grab people's attention, as there is already such a demand and buzz around Apple products as it is. People said that the distribution methods have been well informed to target younger people, as they tend to use social media and mobile devices more than the older generation. However, many people also thought that the campaign would appeal to all ages, as the tone of voice used and visuals are quite universal. This was great to hear, as it would allow a higher percentage of incidents to be prevented by distributing the update to all users, whatever their age.

One piece of feedback received regarded the walkthrough video, and the proposed idea of allowing BlackBox insurance users to see their driving data in real-time. People thought that this may distract people when driving, as they may keep looking at their phones to see their updated stats. This is one aspect that I would change if I developed the concept further - I would only allow users to see their driving data when Drive Mode has been disabled.

In conclusion, this was one of my favourite projects to date, as it had a real focus on problem solving and making a change to society. Picking Apple as my focus was quite challenging, as their existing visuals are produced to a very high quality; however, I feel that I have made a campaign that is consistent and carefully considered in this respect. Whilst it is a huge long-shot, I am going to put this project online to see whether I can raise some awareness and possibly contact Apple. Realistically, all smartphone providers and car manufacturers need to work together to solve the issue; however, projects like this may make them consider the possibilities they have.