Hi there everyone, I'm a masters student at the University of Nottingham and I'm currently looking to improve the design of the ski/snowboard helmet and goggles for my final year project. I'm exploring the ideas of helmet customisation and how the helmet interacts with the goggles.
What are the main issues you guys encounter with helmets and goggles while you're on the slopes? Or are there any features of this equipment you've seen that were particularly good? Any thoughts you have are welcomed!
I'd like to congratulate you on not having a fixed idea of what you want the answers to be.
I see too many of these where the survey is designed to support the students pet project.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Done, if you need anyone to help you model a helmet design, I am in Nottingham, but bear in mind, I do not wear a helmet!! (don't get us all started - it could be a long discussion!! )
Done. Some of the questions are bit limiting. Do I wear goggles? Only in bad weather. Both yes and no would be a little misleading.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Done. Although maybe too late, I'd suggest an option other than Yes or No to the 'Do you wear' question, as for me it's an 'it depends'. One way to do this would be 3 options: 'Always/nearly always', 'Sometimes' and 'Never'. Or you could allow a percentage of the time that you wear them, though that might be too granular
After all it is free
After all it is free
done.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Done
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Thanks for completing it for me, and thanks for all the feedback as well! It's all welcomed and I've made some changes to the survey based on your suggestions
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Designski, done
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Done
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Done
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
done
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Done. Counted a Buff in cold weather as a scarf.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Scarpa wrote:
Done. Counted a Buff in cold weather as a scarf.
Ah discrepancy I didn't - mind you I use one all the time- pirate style as hair substitute when hot. chin condom when cold.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
They should have a solar panel so I can keep my hud goggles charged
The day when helmets have in built head up displays, solar panels and inbuilt cameras with microphones and speakers can't be that far away can it !
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@gad, They'll be making them with some sort of display so you can see the pistes in 3d next!
1) Some of the answers there could be a 'yes and no' answer. Particular do you wear helmet / wear goggles. I always wear a helmet but have been known to take goggles off in poor light conditions if no snow is coming down, as sometimes this gives you the best vision
2) It's strange that you ask "what is the most annoying" as if it only matters to your research what the single most problematic factor with helmets or goggles is... why not ask people to list all of their problems? The most annoying thing for me is when I can't see through them properly but that can be caused by a wide variety of things!
3) But most importantly... how does this represent masters level research? Are you now better equipped to say "40% of 50 anonymous people on the internet who may or may not actually ski, who if they do ski to do so to an undetermined level of ability, on an undetermined number of days per year, in undetermined conditions in undetermined environments... have problems with their goggles steaming up". Is that data actually useful? For survey research to be useful, you need a huge amount of responses, and you need to be able to identify the demographic. So perhaps to make your form more useful, you could add a confidential age/gender/experience/number of days/ski or board/etc etc kind of page - so at least you can correlate information to key demographics.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Just don't end up designing another Ruroc system . . .they look daft IMO and unless you want to be Darth Snowboarder forget it! I don't think there's a 'fit all' solution for either helmet or goggles, and given the choice I'd rather wear a beanie and shades . . . on this basis MY preferences are
1 - Weight. Anything over 350g is heavy . . .consider uber lightweight but strong materials (graphene?)
2 - Breathability. I sweat like a pig in a helmet . . the more holes the better for good circulation . . .consider a system that auto vents with the amount of effort being exerted - think 'smart' materials etc
3 - Comfort. A combination of the above plus fit. The simple 'boa' system with a padded non chafe chin strap works well . . .look at fit customisation for differing head shapes / face lengths - think polymorph materials
4 - Re goggles 1-4 all apply . . .the primary deal here is a lens that morphs with the light available. How can this be improved and what are the latest photochromatic options?
Personally I like my K2 Route helmet as it does all of the above and some . . .plus you can hook it to your pack with the supplied helmet cover - this is simple, effective design at its best. But if you're doing product at Trent then you may need to scribe something a bit sexier to impress the tutors. . .good luck
I'm a masters student at the University of Nottingham and I'm currently looking to improve the design of the ski/snowboard helmet and goggles for my final year project.
"Masters student doing a final year project" - which is it masters or final year?
Is this very poor quality questionnaire real or fake?
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I've always felt bad for any student rash enough to post a query/survey here but I do confess that I'm getting a little fed up with the enquiries. It doesn't really bother me as I don't have to respond, but a little mean-spirited part of me does think "Oh for God's sake! Haven't these students anything better or more important to do than focus on non-existent/trivial issues. Just because you happen to like skiing/snowboarding doesn't mean you have to do your project on that. It's so desperately unoriginal. The examiners must be bored to tears." - Then again, that could just be me being particularkly grumpy on a Monday morning.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Quote:
Just don't end up designing another Ruroc system . . .they look daft IMO and unless you want to be Darth Snowboarder forget it!
Totally agree, why cut yourself off from the sensations of being up a mountain?
Last week I encountered a guy with an Oakley head-up display. He was in a group I was skiing with. First time I'd seen one, it all looks very clever but clearly he had more going on inside his helmet and goggles to be paying any attention to other slope users and it resulted in a coming together with a slower moving skier who definitely had the FIS rules on his side (I'm one of the 0.00001% that knows them so you'll have to trust me on that). Mr Head-up Display blamed the person he just hit of course for "cuttin' 'im up" and it resulted in a bit of a confrontation with a friend of the person who had been hit. All quite entertaining handbags at dawn. Nobody died but it just struck me that this fella had the best part of £1000 on his head including the fancy helmet and the GoPro, but didn't know the rules of the piste and skied the whole day at speeds in excess of his ability in my opinion. So, to answer the question I would say that anything you can do to retain the protection but allow for maximum spatial awareness would help. I'd also say that because of helmets, people wear goggles on days when sunnies would definitely be better but I don't know what you do about that. That was a still, warm, bluebird day and most were in goggles. I don't get it.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
As a glasses wearer I have done 2.5 seasons now with a visor style helmet.
The best improvement would to be increase airflow within the helmet to prevent my glasses from misting up when I get hot.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Survey done.
Major piece of advice - if you are making a helmet / goggle combo don't make the helmet some kind of bulbous monstrosity like the recent Oakley offering. Sure, it fits really well with all their goggles and gets a good safety rating, but it is so massive that I can't imagine any hood would ever go over it.
If you are looking for helmet based inspiration: Sweet, Smith and Poc are the way to go.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@foxtrotzulu, you are grumpy
My experience of Product design students (as an employer it is significant believe me) is that they mainly design Hoovers (as they want to work for Dyson), Bikes (as the want to work for Specialized) or Digi kit (as they want to work for Apple) . . .most would love to design cars but they're not good enough . . .
Being positive as long as his/her design improves/resolves real challenges based on insight and attempts to consider commercial viability then a ski helmet/goggles is potentially quite a challenge . . .
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
http://youtube.com/v/DSPnJOHIpOQ&t=11s
forget the oakley airwave with its buggy software this is the ultimate head accessory apart from lack of visibility and no actual protection however whenever i wear a helmet i start taking risks so normally avoid them
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@dp, Firstly thanks for the positive feedback, I do admit that some of the questions could be better! In terms of asking for a list of issues, I need to focus on the key issues that people have, it's okay for me to try and solve every issue but if I try to do so much that it results in a badly thought through solution, each time I add a new feature I have to make sure that the feature is both comfortable, easy to interact with while wearing gloves while ensuring it doesn't compromise the integrity of the helmet structure.
In terms of this constituting 'masters level research', this is only one small part of the research phase of the project, there are other research activities that I am currently undertaking. I am not being marked on either the quality of the survey or the quality of its responses, rather how have I implemented the data I have gathered into a well-designed product. The ability of the users has no bearing on my design, the product should accommodate as wide a user group as possible, when it come to buying a product a beginner is no less important than an experienced skier/boarder. Similarly, if a product is designed to be appropriate for multiple age groups and genders then you have a larger market. The issues of inclusive design are additional issues to go on top of the issues that current helmets have, so assigning an ability level/age/gender will not only provide no useful data but would have hindered my ethics applications to allow me to run the survey
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@johnE, In your knowledge of degree structure I'm sure then that you'll be aware of an Undergraduate Masters, in which you do four straight years on one course, bypassing the Bachelor's title. In my case design engineering.
As to the judgement of the quality of the questionnaire, this is measured by its ability to gather the data I am looking for. This information is not provided to you on purpose so as to not lead your answers in any one direction, hence the openness of the questionnaire.
I can assure you that this is 100% real, and I have received some very useful and positive data.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@foxtrotzulu, @Belch, I agree that it may seem unoriginal to many to pick a project based on just 'something that you like'. While on the surface a ski helmet/goggles may not seem to solve many global issues it is unfortunate that not many products can solve large global issues and better product designers than myself have tried and failed to have that 'lightbulb' moment whereby they solve one of the said global issues. In this instance, I am exploring the concept of modularity, a feature that is to play an integral part in the conservation of materials and sustainable manufacture of products in the future. It may not be a 'wow' idea but small steps are the way forward. If each time a person decides they want a new helmet or goggles, through fashion purposes or through damage, a given number of elements of the old product can be retained while only some new parts are needed. This leads to a small saving in materials each time an upgrade is desired, and with it comes an energy saving. The more products that are designed this way, the greater the energy and material savings.
In the past, on my course I have designed a device to help rehabilitate stroke survivors, a medicine dispenser to help administer dosages to young children and redesigned the mechanism of the coffee machine to increase the recycling rate of coffee pods. This is my first chance to work on an aesthetic product in an area of my enjoyment, and when you're working on something for months at a time its important that you enjoy the subject!
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Designski, very well argued! I wish you the best of luck with your project, you deserve it.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Just tried to do the survey. iMac running 10.9.5 and safari. When I click through the click and drop menus (e.g. q5) it seems to blank off one of the previous answers as I answer the next. I then get a "this is a required answer" response when I try to submit.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I wasn't dissing your product choice! . . .as a Designer myself I could argue most of what I do isn't going to change the way the earth spins on its axis . . .design is much about problem solving as it is making items of desire . . .apple being a good case in point.
You have every right to design something you are passionate about whilst studying - the real world can wait believe me . . .
Have a look at Nike / Adidas . . .both have recycling programmes (Nike Regrind / Adidas Parley) where they are either recycling relevant materials to make a new performance product or recycling an existing product to deliver other solutions elsewhere . . .
Enjoy - and stay away from creating a 'me too' Ruroc system!
I guess a few of the grumpies are moaning because snowheads seems to have a number of questionnaires from students...although I doubt we get even as many as 50 in a year.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Designski, Have a look at Sweet Protection MIPS Trooper and Oakley Flight Deck Prizm lens goggles. These meet all my criteria, if you can better these you're doing well, otherwise I suggest just copy them......they are the quality/ performance benchmark that'll take some beating imo.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
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