Sensory Design: The Computer

initial brainstorm ideas for began by looking at the limitations and restriction of the standard laptop - suggestions from personal use e,g. limited battery life and my room mates e.g. very heavy to carry about

Also idea of current laptop bags and laptops are very obvious to others e.g. can tell when someone is carrying them along the street or around university making them more prone to being mugged etc. so thought of the idea of making them camouflaged - blend more into ones clothing.  a more stylized more personal not so hard and modern looking - therefore opting for a more stylised aesthetic laptop design  instead on looking at new materials and form adapting current making more user friendly - not having to worry about how its being transported as blends in. 

also from brainstorming of ideas visually looking at current trends and materials thought to research into new modern laptop designs entering the market. a few i found individual- a trend seemed to me multi functional and all tend to use new technology and materials e,g. HP chameleaon has a micro-cell coverage enabling it to become transparent into it surrounding background like a camilla

from my laptop market research considered some helpful features i would like for my personal laptop - how it can improve - make it multi purpose e.g. finger tip sensor instead of need for password log ins = more efficient also touch screen or turn into a wipe board/ note pad for quick notes maybe in for of post it notes ?

customization of buildings/ environment the shimmery designs are a modern within it environment = translate to laptops making them bolder not so genetic e.g. rows of buildings tend to all look the same , not unique. maybe use alternative materials to camouflage the laptop or make them standout more unique?

first feedback review to aid direction of protect = spider diagram :

idea to make "the laptop" more friendly not so industrial/ futuristic in its appearance = more ascetically pleasing = looking more into materials= a material cased laptop not a plastic shell.

directing down the route of styling -fashion- current trends or up and coming trends for 2012 = more personal as we are very selcteive wen it comes to deciding on clothing as a society we are heavily influenced by the retail an fashion industry ans our appearance reflects our sefl image. 

also considered the idea of making the laptop more social e.g. facebook design laptop - the idea the laptop comes with added pieces. starts with the basic laptop and add on pieces to extend the laptops meory or enlarge the keyboard for when writting emails maybe (life of the lady bird)

followed route of aesthetic's- styling- from magazines like elle, vogue and glamour etc i researched into key styling fabrics/ materials for 2011 autumn and 2012 trends - found a heavy influence of lace, wool, velvet and leather - mostly thicker heavier materials but this is mostly due to the time of year ,
the velvet and lace were very bold and rich in colour unlike the leather.

trialing the idea of a lace keyboard using tracing paper and corrugation card.

idea of blending the laptop into you - making it less obvious to others/ passers by that you are in fact carrying an expensive laptop  and making it less precious as i know i am very protective about how i transport my laptop. so the idea of making/ keeping the laptop so pristine by maybe a softer frame = less likely to damage, dent or scratch if made from fabric = > remove the need for a case and turn or adapt the laptop into a hand bag style e.g. has a strap attached to the actual laptop making it easier to transport and less obvious?
i included fabric swatches/ ideas and features to compare to from magazines to make my sketches/ ideas clearer/ more visual

translating ideas into dirty models

progressed with idea of extending using fabric all over the laptop not just the exterior casing maybe having woolen keys or lace keys > with the lace keys this would make each key individual as is the repeat pattern in the lace was big enough it would result in each key being cover by a differnt sqare of material = sensory > keys can be identified by touch and sight , could aid the visualy imparied.

"final design" achieved through following the route of aesthetic design instead of using new technology although i think a touch keyboard will be required underneath the lace qwerty keyboard template.
below are my pen sketched edited in photoshop to achieve the lace covering and individual lace covered keyboard more clearly.

image of lace laptop model including an attach shoulder strap made from form board and lace. 

improvement - i think in hindsight the ribbon strap is not substantial to support the laptop when its being carried so should of considered using other/ additional materials e.g. leather , but i did ideally aimed to avoid using leather to prevent comparisons to a laptop case/ bag wanted to see more ascetically pleasing more feminine materials. however this is also a disadvantage i  terms of marketability as this design would mostly appear to females but also a large market as females are the ones that mostly follow new trends within the fashion industry.