EXPLORER: Smart Wearable Lighting Hat
EXPLORER is a smart wearable lighting hat designed for hands-free visibility and safety in low-light environments. Featuring front-facing adjustable LEDs, tactile controls, solar charging, a built-in camera, and SOS mode, EXPLORER supports outdoor activity, night navigation, and personal safety.
Tools
Physical Prototyping, User Research, Sketching, Iterative Design, Figma UI Design, Wearable Computing, Accessibility-Centered Design
Year
2025
Role
Product Designer, UX Designer, & User Research
*Completed collaboratively as part of a team-based academic design project.
The Problem
Users navigating low-light environments often rely on handheld flashlights or traditional headlamps, which can be inconvenient, uncomfortable, or limiting. Frequently require users to sacrifice either mobility, comfort, or ease of use, especially in situations where hands-free interaction is critical.
Many existing products lack intuitive controls, accessibility considerations, and integrated safety features, making them difficult to use in real-world conditions such as outdoor work, nighttime navigation, or emergency scenarios.
As a result, users face increased cognitive and physical strain when trying to maintain visibility while staying safe and mobile.
The Solution
EXPLORER is a wearable lighting system designed to provide hands-free visibility, safety, and intuitive control in low-light environments.
By integrating adjustable front-facing lighting, tactile physical buttons, solar-assisted charging, a built-in camera, and an SOS emergency feature into a familiar hat form, the design balances comfort, functionality, and real-world usability.
The system prioritizes accessibility by minimizing reliance on complex gestures or constant phone interaction, enabling users to navigate environments confidently while maintaining full mobility.
Preliminary Concepts
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EarlyDesign Exploration
Each team member explored two early concept directions to test different approaches to lighting placement, controls, comfort, and aesthetics. These sketches were shared with potential users for early feedback.
SLEEK
Minimalist wearable lighting band with tactile controls, Bluetooth connectivity, and front-facing LED visibility.
Beam Band
A lightweight smart lighting band designed for targeted, directional visibility with adjustable brightness controls and hands-free functionality for active movement.
Halo
Wraparound head-mounted lighting designed for balanced illumination without blocking field of view.
EXPLORER
A solar-powered smart lighting hat featuring adjustable front LEDs, tactile controls, built-in camera, SOS safety mode, and mobile app connectivity.
Helping Hat
Comfort-first smart lighting hat with intuitive button placement and hands-free everyday usability.
Modular Visor
A customizable smart lighting visor featuring detachable lighting modules and adjustable positioning for flexible visibility based on user activity and environment.
User Feedback on Early Concepts
How feedback was collected
8 users across healthcare, HVAC, project management, digital advertising, and construction
Feedback gathered through concept walkthrough sessions
Key insights
Users prioritized comfort, tactile controls, and real-world practicality
Frequent concerns included:
Battery life
Charging method
Water resistance
Strong preference for a hat-based design over band-style concepts
Front-facing camera validated for safety and documentation
Users requested a visible battery indicator in the mobile app
How this shaped the final design
Confirmed hat-based form factor
Preserved physical buttons for outdoor and gloved use
Retained camera + SOS safety feature
Added battery visibility to the mobile interface
Prioritized water resistance for future iterations
Final Design Concept
The final EXPLORER design integrates adjustable front-facing lighting, tactile control buttons, solar-assisted charging, a built-in camera, and an SOS safety feature into a cohesive wearable system.
Designed for real-world use, EXPLORER supports activities such as nighttime walking, outdoor work, camping, and emergency scenarios where hands-free visibility is critical.
By embedding functionality into a familiar hat form, the design distributes weight evenly while maintaining comfort and approachability. The final concept reflects a synthesis of user feedback, safety considerations, and intuitive interaction design.
Physical Prototypes
To translate the EXPLORER concept into a tangible form, each team member constructed a physical prototype using accessible materials. While aesthetic variations exist, all prototypes represent the same core feature set, including lighting placement, control interactions, solar charging integration, and camera positioning, enabled evaluation of scale, ergonomics, comfort, and real-world wearability.
Multiple physical prototype iterations showing front, side, rear, and top views with labeled component placement.
Related UI: Mobile App Interface
The EXPLORER mobile app serves as a companion control system for the wearable device, allowing users to manage lighting, camera functionality, and safety features in real time while keeping their hands free.
Core features include:
Live camera feed with recording controls
Brightness adjustment
Light coverage control
SOS emergency activation
Device status and battery visibility
Route and usage history
The interface was designed to be simple, high-contrast, and usable in motion, supporting quick interactions in low-visibility environments. The UI mirrors the physical controls on the device to reduce cognitive load and improve usability.