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Help Needed With University Design Project
![[Deleted User]](https://wc.vanillicon.com/cc318d0f9e456faa26aaf10acc51d5f4_100.png)
Hello,
My university team have been asked to investigate earphones and have decided to concentrate on the use of them during sports activities. Your help/feedback would be very much appreciated by answering all or some of the following questions:
1. Your age
2. Your gender
3. Do you use earphones while running? If not, then reasons would be helpful: safety etc.
4. What type of earphones do you use? in-ear, over ear or on ear etc
5. What is the make and model of the earphones?
6. Do you have any feedback for the particular type or make and model of earphone, any suggestions for improvement, complaints or positives?
Thank you very much in advance for anyone who takes the time to give some feedback.
My university team have been asked to investigate earphones and have decided to concentrate on the use of them during sports activities. Your help/feedback would be very much appreciated by answering all or some of the following questions:
1. Your age
2. Your gender
3. Do you use earphones while running? If not, then reasons would be helpful: safety etc.
4. What type of earphones do you use? in-ear, over ear or on ear etc
5. What is the make and model of the earphones?
6. Do you have any feedback for the particular type or make and model of earphone, any suggestions for improvement, complaints or positives?
Thank you very much in advance for anyone who takes the time to give some feedback.
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Comments
Thanks for the question. The age and gender questions are to attempt to find out if any problems or trends are specific to certain age groups or genders to get a broader picture of the market.
If there is a specific problem which is prevalent across all ages and genders then we may have found an area which could be plausible for an improvement on current designs or an entirely new design. If there is a problem which appears to be specific to a certain gender and age group then there may not be a large enough market to be worthy of further exploration.
The project is in the beginning stage and therefore an information gathering task, the more information we gather the better we do in the task.
Hopefully you will have noticed I specified that help or feedback would be appreciated on all or some of the questions. I will extend that and offer you my appreciation for the feedback on the post itself.
There is no expectation for anyone to reveal age or gender or any other information if they are uncomfortable doing so. And again, any information or feedback given is greatly appreciated.
1. Your age 32
2. Your gender female
3. Do you use earphones while running? If not, then reasons would be helpful: safety etc. Yes unless I'm running at night/ late evening or racing or will be on roads.
4. What type of earphones do you use? in-ear, over ear or on ear etc. In ear headphones preferably with a neck band.
5. What is the make and model of the earphones? [b]Maxell NB-HP 210 Headphones[/b]
6. Do you have any feedback for the particular type or make and model of earphone, any suggestions for improvement, complaints or positives? The rubber bits on the ears disappear (they're probably still stuck in my ears) or fall off. They're virtually indestructible though - have caught them around fenceposts and generally not treated them very well. Have used other makes where the wire bangs on the neckbands and makes a knocking sound when you run - very annoying. Need to be very strong as get chucked in gym bag, sweated on, drenched with rain.
I would like to point out that very few products would be developed without firstly ensuring there is a market for them. I think you would agree that this would need to be an essential and fundamental lesson in a design engineering degree course and one which the students would be expected to learn for themselves. Students can learn this for themselves by posting surveys on relevant forums which may have people willing to help on them. I would draw your attention to the exact same survey on another "runners" forum:
http://www.runnersforum.co.uk/general-running-chat/31257-help-needed-university-design-project.html#post466674
I would also be interested to hear what your past university education consisted of?
Thanks again,
Mike
My past university education was HND Computing (easy), then a BSc in Computer Science (hard). My dissertation (in 1992/3) was "The Use of Genetic Algorithms in Optical Character Recognition". In a nutshell, that was writing software to teach a computer to read non-cursive handwriting. I only managed to get to the point where it was 40% accurate, though, but I did only have 8 months in which to research, prototype, and complete it in Borland C for MSDOS.
After that I undertook a PGCE in Primary Education, finishing with Distinction. Since then I've been (mostly) writing software.
I am confused as to how you are able to give a review on my research methods on the basis of one post on a single forum. Have you considered that this may be one of many approaches we are taking?
I would politely ask that if you have nothing positive to contribute then you decline from contribution. I am sure you have better things to do with your time than be insulting to someone politely asking for help on an internet forum. The term for this is "trolling".
dog - I just love the naivety of new posters on this site when they encounter a small amount of what is often "tongue in cheek" criticism.
MW - you may find that Intermanaut is well aware of what a troll is as he's been around this forum for some time.
fyi - there are many requests for info from research groups, current students, etc. asking for information and many of the requests are tedious and badly constructed. yours doesn't appear to be that inspiring either.
here's my input fwiw - I don't run with music so have no need for earphones. that OK??
Alas you're now sounding like a pompous twat, I was going to say patronising twat, which I think was what you were aiming at, but it's ended up coming across as more pompous. But that's the problem with the internet, so difficult to project a tone of voice in unambiguous manner.
I also appologise about the uninspiring nature of the survey, perhaps I should have started with "I have a dream today"?? I am curious as to which online surveys you have been "inspired" by, they seem to me to be a fairly dull source of inspiration for anyone.
As part of the research into runners earphones we thought a survey on forums for runners may not be the worst place to ask. I have posted the survey on several and have had very helpful people take a couple of minutes to answer a couple of questions and that has been that. On here however the very first response was critical of the survey, there was then some helpful suggestions including someone actually answering the questions.
This was followed by a post essentially insulting my education and followed up by an insulting review of my teams research methods based on a single post on a forum. Bizzarely, this was carried out by a teacher (this causes me to "despair" at the current quality of teaching). I see nothing tongue in cheek about this, just simple attention seeking trolling.
I am not going to descend into "twat" like name calling so will chose to simply ignore that particular troll.
To those (two) who tried to help someone out by taking the time to contribute I sincerely thank you.
Is there any way of ridding the thread of the trolls posts so that helpful people may continue to contribute?
I don't run with headphones either btw.
"My university team *has*..."
"...and *has* decided..."
"...safety, etc..."
"...over*-*ear or on*-*ear..."
"...current designs*,* or..."
"...gathering task*;* the more..."
You started a sentence with "and".
"...time*-*served..."
"...repl*ie*s..."
"...Yes*,* fat..."
"...runners*'* earphones..."
"On here *,* however*,* ..."
"...dream today*?*"
"...team*'s*..."
"...attention*-*seeking..."
"...sympathies..."
"Inturdmanaut" - clever. I was, in fact, not using a derogatory term to anyone I knew to be handicapped. I was using it towards you specifically.
Have you heard the saying "if you don't care for what's on the television then change the channel"?
Why are you as an educated man, and teacher, descending into troll activity on a thread created to help a group of students in their studies?
I am not trolling - I'm answering your questions.
The language which you used is derogatory toward handicapped people whoever you use it toward.
From "define spacker": "idiot, loser, retard or moron". You choose which you prefer. The first two are not derogatory towards handicapped people.
The module I am currently involved in (and reason for starting this thread) is titled Product Research and requires the students to get into teams and do research on one of a selection of potential products. My team is at the very first stage of product research for sports (particularly running and cycling) earphones. We were given this task two days ago.
I am going to attempt to rise above all of this silliness and appologise to you for the tone and insulting nature of some of my posts/comments. I am sorry. Hopefully, on reflection of the course structure and early (two days) nature of the research you will understand my frustration at your insulting comments.
Michael - there's a huge amount of knowledge on this forum and if a student actually came up with a well thought out plan, an ability to show they can accept criticism and a sense of humour, they'd benefit enormously. You aren't the first student on here to get uppity about negative comments and you won't be the last. I hope you consider how you come across in future. This is not the 'real world' but it's not a land of brackets and love either.
Ps. In case it's not covered in your degree, brackets means hugs.
though I'm not the hugging type.
Why should MW15 have to think about how he comes across in the future? This forum was hijacked by some rude comments and MW15 defended himself.
Yeah, people should learn that their thread may come under criticism and even negative comments, especially on a web forum. However, rudeness should never be excused as a sense of humour, no matter how many posts that person has put up. Humour is usually driven by intellect, rudeness is driven by a lack of self esteem.
Some people appear to be quite happy to remind people that their opinions and comments are valid, while invalidating those of others. People like that generally want to speak, have nothing of any value to contribute and therefore, try to be controversial by getting a reaction. The real world has no interest in what they say and, as a result, they must therefore spout their garbage in a faceless environment where they hide behind a computer keyboard.
If I didn't want to take part in a survey, no matter what I thought about it, I would just bypass it, I wouldn't feel the need to destory it for someone else?
Note the difference in language, 'uninspiring', is not an offensive term, 'GCSE laziness' is just plan nasty. For info, can anyone who has criticised the survey offer a better way of doing it?
MW15 start your survey again and this time if you get any rude comments, report them a moderator.
The survey may get some criticism from people which is something you'll have to live with, as web forums are like that, but they don't have a right to criticise you as a person, so do not accept some insignificant little Developer, tell you otherwise.
Cycling earphones ????
Nothing like adding to the accident statistics of UK roads then............