Accountabiliband

Group Project (with Joseph De Ferranti)

In this project, the assigned brief was to design a pair of devices that communicate with each other through the internet via a pair of M5StickC Pluses. We therefore created the Accountabiliband: a pair of wristbands that, as the name suggests, promote accountability through real-time mutual support.

The Accountabiliband is based on the principle of loss aversion theory, where a penalty is a stronger motivating factor than a reward. Taking exercise as an example, the feelings of guilt and disappointing one's accountability partner that the user would feel for not having done their exercise for the day would be stronger than the feeling of gaining a reward or a sense of satisfaction for completing their exercise, which drives the user to exercise. Below is a flow chart that explains how the Accountabiliband works.

We decided to make the wristband prototypes with silicone, as it would be able to encase the M5StickC Plus while having the flexibility to bend around the user's wrist. We first 3D-printed a mold by capturing the negative space of the wristband before proceeding with silicone casting. Next, we created the stand out of wood, where additional M5StickC Pluses are connected to NeoPixel Rings, which will glow the same color as displayed on the wristbands. We painted the stands in silver to simulate a metallic appearance, which also allows the wristband to come in different colors.

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