To create an interface for an mp3 device that allows you to control music player navigation without having to remove protective garments in inclement settings.

Background
Laws of simplicity, Maeda
Smoking Mittens, Tobias Wong
The Firefly, invented by Eric Goldfarb
Vexed Generation, function clothing by Adam Thorpe and Joe Hunter

Audience
Snowboarders (jacket interface) and Skiiers (glove)

User Scenario
You're on the slopes, your halfway down the mountain and you don't like the current song-skip to the next song with the touch of your fingers without ever stopping your run. You're on the lift holding on for dear life, and you realize you can't hear a thing your friends are saying, don't fumble with your gear and rock the chairs trying to get you ipod out and taking your gloves off, just squeeze your fingers together and turn the volume down.

Implementation
Conceptualize/Design/Create/Fabricate/Produce a glove and jacket interface for an mp3 player focusing on the key user behaviors of the two target groups and finding the most simple and effective solution to the problem at hand.

Conclusion
I learned that most people are in fact deterred from listening to music while skiing/snowboarding due to the inconvenience factor. I also learned that in order to keep the social aspect strong in mountain sports, I would need to highlight certain functions over others to enhance the moments where one would want to listen to music, while not detracting from the moments you would want to keep human contact undistracted.

(Also, I broke a lot of circuit boards, reed switches, fsr's and inhaled a lifetime's supply of solder smoke.)