Creation of Group Maker Projects
Biography
Hi there! I am a second year student within the User Experience Design program at Wildrid Laurier University, located in Brantford, ON. For as long as I can remember, I have had a passion for design and creation, from photography, prototyping, social media work and much more. I love to innovate and produce products that are both visually appealing and user focused. Over the past few months, I have learned what it truly means to become a “maker” and below are some projects I have co-created alongside Kareem, William, and Lakshan.
Group Maker Project One - Compact Desk Box
First sketch of the frame of the Compact Desk Box.
Summary
For this project, my group was given the task to “hack” the traditional concept of a box. This meant that we needed to manipulate the box in a way that it became far more useful for any common user. This was an immediate challenge as there was not a ton of room for creativity, as we were restricted to a box and reusable materials. We needed to find a way to turn this box into an effective and engaging product that a user would find both effective and efficient for use. That is why we created the Compact Desk Box. There has been countless times where I have small items and have no realistic place to store them without forgetting where they are. With this product, there are multiple, differently coloured storage units that help with desk organization, while still looking aesthetically pleasing.
Front 3D modelled view.
Description
As previously mentioned, we were given the challenge of “hacking” our traditional knowledge of a box and turning it into a product that a user would be able to use with ease. This product refers to the problem of organization. Small items are the easiest items to lose and having a suitable storage place for these small items are necessary to keep track of them. The Compact Storage Box also has a folding mechanism that allows a user to transport this storage unit with their items inside without the risk of these items falling out. The units are organized by colour and by doing so, users can store their small items in a categorized way (school supplies in the green unit, spare change in the blue unit, etc).
Top 3D Modeled view.
Review
To begin, we had to understand our users and what they needed. However, we were still confined to a box. We decided to focus on a problem that was present among all of us as a group, and that problem was organization. We developed a target audience of students for this product after we came to the realization that students needed this the most. It is typical for students to be forgetful, especially when it comes to small items. With this knowledge, we began the ideation phase. We came up with multiple ideas regarding to size, materials and overall functionality and in the end, we went with the simple and straight forward solution. By making the storage unit tall, it requires less surface space on a desk or flat surface, meaning items can be stored in a very small area. We researched on what materials would be best to use, how the storage units should be shaped and how the folding mechanism would function. All of this was taken into account when designing our final prototype. We implemented all of our ideas and constructed the Compact Desk Box both virtually and physically and put it to the test. As the box was made of lightweight materials, we unfortunately had to have a weight restriction of how much the box could actually handle.
Side 3D modeled view.
Concluding Evaluation
As our first big project as group, I feel as though it taught us a lot about what it means to be a “maker”. We understood how important the ideation phase was to our overall design as we all generated ideas together for hours on end. With all of this teamwork, we were bound to create something that can be both useful and effective in virtually any household. As a group of amateur UX Designers, we began to understand what it really means to work as a team and that every idea can generate conversation on more ideas. I am very proud of how well we worked together and how useful the final product turned out and I am grateful that I not only got the work with fantastic people, but I also got to appreciate and recognize what “making” is.
Group Maker Project Two - Plug N’ Play Projector
First sketch of the Plug N’ Play Projector.
Summary
For the second Group Maker Project, we were challenged with the task designing a product that can effectively address a social issue of concern. There are numerous social issues ongoing in society but the one that stood out the most to us was public health. With the progressing issue of COVID-19 we knew we needed to create something that can keep people safe and at home. Coming up with something that would physically keep somebody safe was difficult, so we decided to formulate a product that would instead encourage people to stay at home. That is how we came up with the idea of the Plug N’ Play Projector.
Front 3D modeled view.
Description
As previously stated, the problem at hand was the health and safety of individuals and families. But, with the issue of COVID-19 comes other issues such as mental health. Staying at home for months on end can damage the psychological state of an individual severely. The idea of designing something that can not only keep people at home but also keep them entertained nailed both of those issues of concern. By creating something like this, we were able to connect current technologies with an old form of projection (camera obscura). Not only that, the projector was wireless and portable, meaning it took zero electricity to use and could be used anywhere the user desires.
Top 3D modeled view.
Review
To start this project off, understanding the user was fairly simple as we are all in the same situation, stuck at home with not much to do. With this in mind, we knew we wanted to create something that would engage and entertain a user while they stay at home, keeping their safety in mind. We researched on what people have spent the most time doing during quarantine and lockdown and to no surprise the results were both watching movies/TV shows and playing video games. We thought to ourselves, how can we make this activity more engaging? We began to ideate, coming up with idea after idea that didn’t effect the actual viewing experience but rather the surroundings of the individual, but then it hit us. What if we created something that completely changes the viewing experience? We took this idea and ran with it and after brainstorming and further research we came up with the product idea of the Plug N’ Play Projector. With this, users could not only craft the product on their own with common household materials, but also alter the way in which they watch movies/TV shows and play video games. All of this while using no electricity whatsoever and encouraging users to stay home and be safe.
Side 3D modeled view.
Concluding Evaluation
There was a lot to take away from this project after the completion of our final prototype. Despite the long process of actually coming up with this idea, we were able to brainstorm together to create a product that successfully addresses multiple social issues of concern. I was mentored by William when creating 3D model of the Plug N’ Play Projector, as he has a lot of experience when it comes to modelling and passed his knowledge onto me. 3D modeling is an important skill to learn in the field of UX, so I am grateful that I had the opportunity to gain some proficiency within this skill. Teamwork was once again a huge factor in our success. Communication was key and we were able to understand each others ideas and generate further ideas off of those. I am very happy with how the final product turned out. It looks aesthetically pleasing and attractive to users and is extremely useful and functional in virtually any household.