Blair Fraser // Interactive Product Designer

According to Bible Society New Zealand “only 11% of christians read their bibles daily and 28% monthly. This study is echoed also in the UK from research from Rev. Brian Brown which shows that 18% of the general population have read their bible in the last week, and only 31% said that the bible was significant in their lives now.

I have been exploring how social medias and digital technologies can support and enhance faith based communities and what impact they might make.

TextBase is a database that produces scripture from the Bible depending on how you interact with it. TextBase adopts texting as its platform for interacting with the product, one that most people are familiar with. It introduces a new way of engaging with the word of God in a playful yet meaningful manner. When the user texts the product a key word or theme, textBase connects to an online bible database which will produce a piece of scripture based on that chosen word. The product then prints this out on a small piece of paper.

The inspiration for my product came from being directly involved in a church community and having a passion for seeing more of God in peoples life's. It has been designed to help christians connect with the Bible on a more frequent basis and to help people to engage with scripture. In user testing its apparent that TextBase is a product that suits a number of environments including larger spaces such as within a church community for many people to use, but also in a smaller more intimate space for personal use and prayer time at the home.

What i have done is design a platform that crosses digital and physical boundaries that communicates the word of God in a simple and meaningful way. this is what i believe makes it a unique product I have not designed my product to replace the bible or the word of God in any way, but to compliment peoples personal involvement with the bible. To encourage and provide a starting point in which to delve into the bible.