Redesign an everyday object or product.

The current buzzers have many problems. First, they are just plain ugly to look at, the stainless steel feeling institutional and cold. They are also very impersonal, and the fact that residents are represented by numbers and "codes" strips them of all identity, missing an important opportunity to help create a sense of community and pride within the building. From a functional standpoint, they are hard to use. The visitor must first read the "instructions," then browse a registry with a total lack of hierarchy to find the apartment they want to ring. Then they have to enter a code into a pin pad, forcing them to either quickly memorize a number or glance back and forth like a maniac.

My goal in redesigning the buzzer was first to make it more visually appealing, by cleaning up the look and organizing some of the information it holds into more cohesive sections. I also thought it would improve the experience for both visitor and resident if each apartment was allowed its own button, and help foster a sense of community if each apartment was able to display a name by their button.