Project 1- Experience Enrichment

Brief:
Your task is to redesign an everyday hand tool into a more pleasurable one that enriches and enhances the experiences of the user while engaging in its use. "Hand tool"refers to any utensil, device, instrument or gadget that is mainly hand-held, driven by manual force to facilitate work or to produce a certain result.

INDULGENCE SPOON

Appearance Model:

Product Poster :

Product Usage Storyboard :

Rationale :

Technical Drawing: 

Blog Comments:

http://fooides.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-post.html?showComment=1315711410303#c6570312654744740994

http://raymondtinyowides1031.blogspot.com/2011/09/final-model.html?showComment=1315711977343#c3569593392378449162

http://christinaale.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/concept-poster-easi-open/#comment-10

http://christine-x.blogspot.com/2011/09/spatula-concept-poster-hero-shot.html?showComment=1315837059412#c5480024576301803311

http://dominicsee.blogspot.com/2011/09/habu-product-poster.html?showComment=1315837965980#c8039603382756793628

Prototypes

First Prototype

This design was a bit too wide, making it hard to use the ice cream scoop/spoon. The model was also aesthetically displeasing, while the handle was not curved enough for a comfortable hold. The scoop was needed to be a bit more shallow and the scoop was a bit too big. 

Second Prototype

The second prototype was created with the handle increasing in size towards the end, this proved to be disfunctional as the end closer to the scoop was too weak and broke off. The curve of the handle did not mould to the shape of the palm and the end of the handle was too wide. With the handle symmetrical when viewed on top would allow both left and right hand users to use this hand held tool. By having the curves of the handle, when viewed from the side, parallel would increase the aesthetics. The proportion of the scoop and handle were still not as desired. The scoop was also still too chunky, so a smaller spoon like shape would increase the aesthetics.  

Third Prototype

For my third prototype I experimented with shape and texture. The handle was a bit more aesthetically pleasing but not thin enough to create a sleek and smooth appeal. With a higher and thinner arc for the handle would increase the aesthetics and hence pleasurability of my design. The scoop was still yet a bit too big and it needed to be more rounded at the bottom, while the inside of the scoop needed to be much thiner/shallower. The use of air dry clay allowed me to experiment with a different texture, although it could be sanded to allow a smooth texture, the hollow feeling, and the light weight did not replicate the elements of stainless steel. So MDF would be used to complete my final model.

Design Career

I've desired to become a designer as I enjoy creating and I love how design is never ending. I found designing interesting as it is ever changing and reflects the current influences and can portray a religion, community, gender etc just through the form, colours and materials used. I've always enjoyed art and drawing, during high school I studied visual arts and design and technology and found it interesting. I would like to pursue a career where I spend my time doing hands on practical work and sketching. I find teamwork and communicating with others effective and I like sharing opinions and receiving feedback. I decided to study Industrial Design at UNSW as UNSW has experienced and motivated lecturers and tutors. UNSW also has a good environment for study and is a profound University. UNSW has great facilities, which would enhance my learning and improve my experience. My future in design would most likely be working for a company where we design objects for humans to satisfy consumer needs and to make life easier. Objects created from designers allows the improvement of ones standard of living, and I would like to increase the quality off experiences in life. Eventually I would love to open my own company where we create modern innovative designs that are aesthetically appealing, functional and a pleasure to use.

Design Confusion Poster

My design confusion product is light switches, with so many light switches and no clear symbols or labels we are often confused as to which switch operates what function, with the use of colour I have clearly labelled and linked the switches to there functions.

Design Excellence Poster

For Design Excellence I got given ICON which is the futuristic playground created by Kompan.

I chose to use a black background to convey how the buttons which light up can be seen at night, yet making it more fun for the kids. The spread out layout replicates the playgrounds components and sections making it chaotic and exciting.

Experience Enrichment

I started off with 3 ideas of different handheld tools, they were an ice-cream scoop, pliers and a can opener.

For the ice-cream scoop i decided to improve the shape and ergonomics of the handle, letting it flow and look aesthetically pleasing, for the actual scoop I created a teeth or wave like design, allowing ice-cream to be scooped more easily. The shape represented ice-cream melting off the sides.

My second design of the pliers was inspired by a memory, where as a kid I found it hard to use work tools as they were so big, and I had to apply much more energy and effort to control the tool. So by designing handles with 2 sets of sizes, where smaller hands would fit inside the handle and bigger hands could use the outside, I overcame this issue. I would create the handles out of grip like rubbery plastic to enhance the ease of use and comfort. The tip of the handle would be extended so the thumb and fingers would be kept away from the metal pliers.

Can openers as my third design was inspired as I realised how modern can openers require 2 hands to operate the tool, while army and scout can openers are compact and simple, where one hand can be used to hold onto the can while the other operates the hand tool. I improved the old can openers by creating a blade which could swing 180 degrees, so it could be operated by either left or right hand users, the surface of the tool would also be textured or bumpy so grip and stability could be increased.

Video Reflections

Bill Moggridge: What is Design?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOx_Zx95hxM

I found this video very inspiring as it covered a range of aspects in designing. I recommend this video to other industrial designers, as there are plenty of examples showing good and bad design. Bill Moggridge defined a design as anything, which has been altered by man. This shows how broad design can be. Design can be categorised into graphic, fashion, interaction and even interior designs or objects in everyday life.

Design Disciplines include architecture, furniture design, industrial design, glassware, system, surface and digital design. Design Disciplines can be illustrated and divided into various sections, it ranges from the physical design to the digital design and the human and subjective aspect to the technical and objective perspective. Within these four boundaries careers and specialisation occurs, they are industrial design, graphic design, web design, interaction design, as well as physical ergonomics and H.C.I. For more technical and objective careers, they include mechanical, production, hardware and software engineering, and also physical sciences and computer sciences.

A new design, which I have now been exposed to is a combination of a few technological products, which is an imagined new concept, that can be summarised as an ultra mobile pc, which has been created to include navigation, a parking assistant application, personalise your rental car, provide environmental information as you drive, personalise music and hands free calling. This "good design" allows the consumer to buy one product but complete various tasks with ease.

On the other hand I am also now aware of various bad designs, such as a Japanese application, which allows one to buy a drink from a vending machine through cell phone connection. The lack of research and prototyping lead to a consumer, to waste over 35 minutes to purchase a drink. Remote controls are another invention, which has been labelled a bad design as there are so many remotes in our houses and so many buttons. Bad designs are often related to technology and interaction design.

There is a process when designing or improving a product. With any innovation you need to understand people, as they are the consumers. Experience innovation can be achieved when the 3 aspects of understanding people has been completed, these are people desirability, technology feasibility and company viability. When making a product we also need to satisfy emotional, process and functional innovation if we want a successful final design.

Bill Moggridge states that the key factors of success are the use of prototypes and by leaning through doing. When designing for different people we need to understand what people need and desire. There are 4 different methods to achieve this:
1. leaning - using a mind map to explore a persons needs
2. observational - discovering what people really do and not what they say they do
3. asking - through participation we can discover new insights
4. experimentation - understanding and feeling what it is like to use a product from someone else's perspective

Prototyping is a very important stage as during this stage mistakes can be made, we can find faults and improve our designs. This stage consists of 3 minor stages, they are inspiration, evolving and validating, where we check the product works. Prototyping can be through many forms, such as simulations, story telling through videos, modelling using technology- microchips or working at a bench with certain materials and tools. Prototyping can be just a sketch or an enactment or a physical object. It is the quickest and simplest way to portray an idea. These ideas can initially be quick and simple but are later refined for the final prototype.

Sometimes we start off with one idea but it leads and expands to something bigger. This occurs when we create a personal product which can sometimes be expand into influencing health and well being. An example would be self prescribed glasses, where people who can not afford to go to the optometrist can pay just $19 to improve their sight and well being. Physical designs can influence social innovation and designing sustainable products can lead to improving global sustainability. This is shown through a biodegradable mushroom material, which can be used to replace polystyrene, which is creating pollutants in our atmosphere.

Another superb design is an interactive digital globe. This innovation is created from a glass sphere and a projector, this globe shows the current Earth and can be rotated by touching its surface. This interactive globe has improved our understanding of this planet. This visual presentation shows the current sunlight, movement of the clouds, sea surface temperatures, displacement of air pollutants, it can recall historical events such as tsunamis, which when magnified by a magnification function can be linked to images and digital footage etc.

I have been updated on various inventions and concepts which have been designed around the world. I have also achieved further understand of design and the aspects and processes necessary in design. I would recommend other industrial designers to enjoy this video.