Charge Your Phone, Says the Tiny Creature I Built
I never imagined that one day I’d be soldering wires, debugging sensors, and giving life to a clay bug whose only job is to annoy my flatmate into charging his phone. But exploring electronics felt like unlocking a new language—one made of vibrations, distances, and delightful chaos. Buzz Bug started as a joke and slowly became a tiny creature built from code, cardboard, cubbies, and curiosity. And somewhere in that process, I realized I was designing behavior, not just hardware.
Phase 1:
The Prototype That Looked Like a School Project but Worked Like Magic!
My first prototype was a Frankenstein of cardboard, bottle caps, jumper wires, and an ultrasonic sensor peeking out like confused eyes (Process Book, p.30–31). I housed the vibration motor inside makeshift clay legs, wired everything to an Arduino Uno, and tested the logic: laptop open → sensor detects → bug vibrates → reminder delivered. It wasn’t pretty, but it was alive. This phase taught me that function must come before aesthetics—because only when something works can you start imagining what it could become.
Phase 2:
The Final Product: Where Craft Meets Code
The second phase transformed the prototype into a real product- three wooden cubbies drilled, connected, carved, and rearranged into a pen stand, sensor dock, and tiny bug cave (Process Book, p.34). I sculpted Buzz Bug using air-dry clay and wire, tested vibration timing (15 seconds), ensured the motor auto-stops, and refined sensor accuracy (Process Book, p.32). The final form looked intentional, warm, and surprisingly adorable. It blended utility and personality- exactly what I hoped for when designing for a real person with a very real problem.
What I Learned
This project taught me that hardware prototyping is just UX research wearing a different outfit. Every wire, sensor, and motor is an interface decision. Understanding my user- Kanishk, a chronic phone-dying human- was more important than understanding voltage. The behavior logic (detect → vibrate → stop) mirrors user flows; the physical form mirrors emotional design. I realized good UX isn’t limited to screens. It’s about designing moments, triggers, nudges, and habits- sometimes through pixels, sometimes through a tiny clay bug sitting politely on a desk.