Our Problems
Four problems we considered and possible solutions:
• It's hard to wake up in the morning
• Go to bed earlier and wake up later if possible
• Use caffeine
• Get a louder alarm and put it far from your bed
We didn't want to use this problem for our project because it's pretty easy to solve by going to bed earlier, also it's important to get a lot of sleep anyway.
• School is boring and it's hard to pay attention
• Take more interesting/easier classes
• Drop our of high school
• Take ADD medication
We didn't want to use this problem because it could be insulting to our teachers.
• Headphones get tangled up
• Get a phone case with the headphones build in that unwinds.
We didn't want to use this problem because there is already an existing solution
• I don't like using a track pad on my laptop, but when using my laptop on the go there isn't enough mouse space.
• Make a device that you can clip on to the bottom of a laptop with a small surface attached to use a mouse.
We decided to solve this solution by attempting to create the device mentioned above. We are particularly interested in this problem because there are little to no existing solutions and it applies to both of our daily lives.
Four problems we considered and possible solutions:
• It's hard to wake up in the morning
• Go to bed earlier and wake up later if possible
• Use caffeine
• Get a louder alarm and put it far from your bed
We didn't want to use this problem for our project because it's pretty easy to solve by going to bed earlier, also it's important to get a lot of sleep anyway.
• School is boring and it's hard to pay attention
• Take more interesting/easier classes
• Drop our of high school
• Take ADD medication
We didn't want to use this problem because it could be insulting to our teachers.
• Headphones get tangled up
• Get a phone case with the headphones build in that unwinds.
We didn't want to use this problem because there is already an existing solution
• I don't like using a track pad on my laptop, but when using my laptop on the go there isn't enough mouse space.
• Make a device that you can clip on to the bottom of a laptop with a small surface attached to use a mouse.
We decided to solve this solution by attempting to create the device mentioned above. We are particularly interested in this problem because there are little to no existing solutions and it applies to both of our daily lives.
Problem Statement
Approximately 88% of laptop users prefer a mouse over the hard to use track pad. While using a mouse while at home may be convenient, it is often hard to find adequate surface space to use a mouse when you use a laptop on the go, which is the whole purpose of a laptop.
Justification by three reliable sources
• We surveyed over 200 people, and only 12% say that they prefer the track pad.
• An official Computech Computer Services employee said that he and many of his customers struggle with a similar problem.
• There are multiple threads on the official Toshiba forum complaining about the same problem, and asking/suggesting solutions.
Survey
Q1: Do you own a laptop computer?
A: Yes - 79% (158)
A: No - 21% (41)
Q2: Do you ever use it on your lap or on the go?
A: No, I only use it on desk or similar surface space. - 33.33% (52)
A: Yes, I use it on my lap or other spaces without a smooth surface. - 66.67% (104)
Q3: How do you feel about using a mouse instead of a trackpad?
A: I must use a mouse/I hate the trackpad. - 43.59% (68)
A: I prefer a mouse, but the trackpad is ok. - 43.59% (68)
A: I prefer the track pad. - 12.82% (10)
Q4: When you use a mouse, do you use a wireless mouse or wired?
A: Wireless - 48% (72)
A: Wired - 38.67% (58)
A: Trackpad - 13.33% (10)
Q5: Do you use a mouse/track pad left handed?
A: No, right handed. - 87.18% (136)
A: Yes, left handed. - 12.82% (20)
Q6: Do you own a portable desk or a lap desk for your laptop?
A: Yes - 15.38% (24)
A: No - 84.62% (132)
Approximately 88% of laptop users prefer a mouse over the hard to use track pad. While using a mouse while at home may be convenient, it is often hard to find adequate surface space to use a mouse when you use a laptop on the go, which is the whole purpose of a laptop.
Justification by three reliable sources
• We surveyed over 200 people, and only 12% say that they prefer the track pad.
• An official Computech Computer Services employee said that he and many of his customers struggle with a similar problem.
• There are multiple threads on the official Toshiba forum complaining about the same problem, and asking/suggesting solutions.
Survey
Q1: Do you own a laptop computer?
A: Yes - 79% (158)
A: No - 21% (41)
Q2: Do you ever use it on your lap or on the go?
A: No, I only use it on desk or similar surface space. - 33.33% (52)
A: Yes, I use it on my lap or other spaces without a smooth surface. - 66.67% (104)
Q3: How do you feel about using a mouse instead of a trackpad?
A: I must use a mouse/I hate the trackpad. - 43.59% (68)
A: I prefer a mouse, but the trackpad is ok. - 43.59% (68)
A: I prefer the track pad. - 12.82% (10)
Q4: When you use a mouse, do you use a wireless mouse or wired?
A: Wireless - 48% (72)
A: Wired - 38.67% (58)
A: Trackpad - 13.33% (10)
Q5: Do you use a mouse/track pad left handed?
A: No, right handed. - 87.18% (136)
A: Yes, left handed. - 12.82% (20)
Q6: Do you own a portable desk or a lap desk for your laptop?
A: Yes - 15.38% (24)
A: No - 84.62% (132)
Summary
We started be trying to find a problem that applied to us as well as a larger population. There were four problems we narrowed it down to: difficulty waking up, boredom in school, headphones tangling, and inadequate surface space when using laptops. We picked the problem about not having enough surface space to use a mouse with my laptop on the go. We wanted to solve this problem because Camden and I both run into this predicament on a daily basis, we like computers, and we found through a survey and other sources that there are many other people who run into the same exact problem.
We started be trying to find a problem that applied to us as well as a larger population. There were four problems we narrowed it down to: difficulty waking up, boredom in school, headphones tangling, and inadequate surface space when using laptops. We picked the problem about not having enough surface space to use a mouse with my laptop on the go. We wanted to solve this problem because Camden and I both run into this predicament on a daily basis, we like computers, and we found through a survey and other sources that there are many other people who run into the same exact problem.