  The design of smart jewelry can be challenging as it requires technical
knowledge and practice to explore form and function. Adressing this issue, we
propose ProtoFlakes, a design speculation for a modular prototyping tool kit
for smart jewelry design. ProtoFlakes builds upon the our prior work of
Snowflakes, targeting designers with limited technical expertise with a tool
kit to make creative explorations and develop prototypes closely resembling the
final products they envision. The design requirements for ProtoFlakes were
determined by conducting ideation workshops. From these workshops, we extracted
four design parameters that informed the development of the tool kit.
ProtoFlakes allows the exploration of form and function in a flexible and
modular way and provides a fresh perspective on smart jewelry design. Exploring
this emerging area with design speculations informed by ideation workshops has
the potential to drive advancements towards more accessible and user-friendly
tools for smart jewellery design.
