Project1-Poster6: orthographic drawings

Project1-Poster7: sewing pattern

Project1 Refection

The process of this project was slightly different than I am used to at my home University. Here, we researched as a group and at the same time came up with concepts. At home, the research and "process" of coming up with concepts lasts for a longer period of time. Here I was immersed in my chosen concept from the very beginning. This could be good and bad. On one hand, here you will spend the majority of the time developing the concept you have chose, and therefore it will look complete. However, since the research/development phase is so much shorter, this could negatively affect the overall concept and purpose of the final design. Having this background, of importance of project research INSIGHTS, I feel my project was well influenced by thorough research.

When I began working on the model, I was very nervous because I didn't know if my mini-models would translate well onto the real material I was using. I decided I would up-cyle wool from a stained coat to make the model and decided that would be a feasible option for low-cost and low-earth-impact manufacture. The final model came out kind of cute! I was hoping it wouldn't be "too cute" so that many ages of children would want to use it, and I feel I succeeded. It has a "muppet" look for younger kids- while at the same time having an "UglyDolls" (popular stuffed animal in the US) appeal for older kids.

Project1 Rationale

‘Security-Kid’ Rationale

Evacuating for a bushfire is a traumatic experience for a child.

My concept aims to relieve a child’s confusion, anxiety, and worry- before and during bushfire evacuation. ­This concept is a kit designed for children (approximately 3-8years) that promotes bushfire education, provides psychological comfort and a practical assurance of safety. This product uses up-cycled wool materials to build the main section. With low-cost of manufacture, the kit is also accessible to low-income families.

Need for this product

Children living in a high-risk bushfire location are carrying a heavy weight: constantly waiting for evacuation. They are often worried about their homes and their parents. Children are often left out of a proper explanation of bushfires and therefore remain anxious even when there is no concern for safety.

“Children traumatized by the Black Saturday bushfires are experiencing a fresh wave of fear as predictions spread of another horror fire season, a child psychiatry expert says” (Michelle Draper, Herald Sun).

"What we are finding is that children are very much affected by their exposure to trauma, that many children will have concerns that they might die'' (Prof Newman, Herald Sun).

Product benefits

Education: The “Security-Kid” would be distributed to primary schools to promote bushfire education. Schoolteachers would dedicate one a day a year to bushfire awareness. During this day, children will become familiar with the use of the “Security-Kid” and learn methods of individual prevention of bushfires. The kit facilitates questions that children often have difficulty verbalizing. It serves as a barrier for a child to express feelings and in tern, relieves confusion.

Practical needs: The “Security-Kid” provides essential elements to ensure safety. Although most of the items will (most likely) never be used, they provide assurance of safety. A visual list of the contents is sketched on the back to make remembering items easier for both child and parent.

Items provided in the kit:

Smoke mask

Goggles

Whistle

Torch/light

Recommended personal items:

Snacks

Favorite toy

Psychological comfort: In addition to practical needs, the elements of the kit provide psychological comfort for a child evacuating their home in a bushfire. For a child, knowing they have everything they need to evacuate, eases anxiety during that stressful time.

“Security-Kid” is also a comfort object during stressful times and a safe- heaven for the child's favorite possessions. The “huggable” bag designates a home for a comfort object commonly carried among children. Prior to evacuation, children are familiarized with the “Security-Kid” which becomes a friendly household item that provides comfort when separated from familiar surroundings.

Materials explanation

“Security-Kid” is made completely out of fire-resistant materials. Up-cycled wool coats and blankets are used to make up the “Security-Kid” body. Even though it is unlikely that the “Security-Kid” will be exposed to embers, fire-safe materials help keep peace-of-mind and in tern reduce worry.

Task 5: Design for life

Task 5: Design for life

Phillip Stark’s television series is a competition of young designers to win a spot in his design firm for a period of time after the content. In the first episode Stark states: “we must have less and less product”. Stark’s approach to testing them involves asking them to find objects that have specific meaning. One student finds an ipod case and Stark deems this object “useless”. He wants to see what new insight they can convey through innovative thought. He says: “we don’t speak about design, we speak about creativity”.

Stark wants the students to be able to present their ideas. He claims this is his claim to success. He has them go out into the world and put themselves in others shoes. He also teaches them the importance of deadline. He wants his students to come up with affordable sustainable products that can benefit everyone. To help humanity achieve it’s potential.

I found Stark’s approach to his competition an interesting way to weed out designers. I was initially surprised at how little they knew of common design skills such as design sketching. Some of the students who were already working at design firms at good ideas but poorly communicated them. And I was surprised at how easy some of the tasks were. If Stark were to come into our design class he would be impressed!

Task 3: 11th hour

After watching The 11^th Hour, I sent the link to my friend who is the complete opposite of a naturalist. Unfortunately, it seems that most are unaware of such human consequences on our environment.

This documentary has the most of the overwhelming facts about our environment.

Just a few of them:

• We have lost 90% of the big fish in the sea in half a century

• With global warming we potentially could make the whole surface ocean stagnant- last time that happened more than 95% of all the species on the earth went extinct

• The UN estimates that by the middle of the century there will be a hundred and fifty million refugees at any given time due to climate change

• 99.9999% of all animals that ever existed are extinct

• Using off-the-shelf technologies, which we already have, we could reduce the human footprint by 90%

It is depressing to be known as the “nature lover” in my group of friends when I am not in any position to be granted that title according to my ecological footprint. I would like to be more sustainable in the way in which I live my everyday life, but there are so many forces driving me away from that. The question is how can I change my lifestyle without changing my lifestyle, you know? Which brings me back to a quote from the video, “Humans are conditioned by 2 essential characters- one is opportunism and the other is greed”.

Something that I thought was really cool sounding was the micro restoration using mushroom mycelium in order to heal environments. This type of research just shows that there are ways in which we can be helping our environment in very simplistic, natural ways. David Suzuki asked in the video: “What would it cost us to take carbon dioxide out of the air and put oxygen back in it? Which is what all the green things do for us for nothing.”

Like they said in the video, food is becoming poisoned and it is to the point where we should worry about it. But WHY don’t we worry about it? Because humans=greed. And like Kenny Ausubel said in the video, “The greatest weapon of mass destruction is corporate economic globalization”. I don’t want my design to be the cause of corporate gain. Thus we must redesign design itself. Because “all of life is a design project today. We have to design the capacity to sustain life in the long run”.

Charrette 1: Reflection

Collaborative group design

“Lazy Bub”, (from still to stellar)

An additional product that would be sold as an aftermarket attachment to the existing Ikea chair. The target consumer is expecting parents. The product would contain two parts:

removable rocking casters and 2. A wider supportive back rest.

With these attachments, the simple Ikea dining chair would transform from still to stellar in any new parents mind. A no-stress fix for the need for a rocker in a world with no sleep.

· How will the proposed solution improve the emotional attachment of the user to the chair?

The proposed solution would improve the emotional attachment of the user to the chair because it would add sentimental value. A rocking chair has potential to add emotional memories to the product including moments such as: nursing a newborn, or reading to a youngster.

· What are the proposed materials?

The proposed materials are laminated plywood (rocking casters) and a recyclable padding (back rest).

· How do you expect the consumer to use it?

With our target audience being expecting parents, we expect the consumer to use the ‘Lazy Bub’ as a nursing, calming, or rocking while reading chair.

· What stimulus will encourage the user to modify the chair or buy the aftermarket attachments for the chair (eg, change in life circumstances, etc)?

We felt that an expected family addition would encourage the user to buy the aftermarket attachments for the chair.

Charette design process reflection:

· How has this task challenged your design thinking about promoting long-term satisfaction, product attachment and product endurance?

This challenge has challenged my design thinking about long-term satisfaction in many ways in which I will take into account into future designs. I now see how promoting product attachment and endurance would be helpful to the consumer and the environment. When products can be up-cycled they are worth more to the consumer in their potential output and can in essence be more meaningful to the user.

· How do you feel about designing beyond the original product?

Originally I thought designing beyond the original product was practically a no-brainer, but incorporating long term meaning to the addition can be quite a challenge. I think that in the heart of recycling products to save the environment, designing for an extended life of a product would be a wise place to start.

· How did you feel about the collaborative problem-solving activity?

The collaborative problem solving-activity was a good challenge for practice in designing beyond the original product because it forced us to think in a specific way that would work for all ends of the spectrum.

· If you were to design a piece of furniture from scratch, how would you do it differently? (Sketches not required, I just wanted to know if you have a design philosophy that you’d like to follow).

If I was to design a piece of furniture from scratch I would probably chose a dresser, like the one that sits in my room at home. My reason being is that I find dressers to be extremely cumbersome. I prefer to see the clothes stacked or folded in a open-shelf experience. I would focus the design on the hanging mechanism for the slats of wood that would become a shelving unit. This not only saves on floor space, but you can create wall art with your clothing! It also encourages oneself to stay neat and tidy, or if you prefer a messy look then that works as well. A simple hanging curtain can also be useful for those who enjoy the ‘out of sight out of mind’ appeal of a closed dresser. Also, you can easily find wood scraps from resale stores or use wood being thrown out on the street. Repaint it if you like. If you move to another apartment, the shelf system can be disassembled and transported without movers: all and all it saves money and the earth’s resources! I think I’ll call it “the anti-dresser”.