5. B wl f Butt ns
This project was about designing a product using recycled material giving
it a second life. This was completed over five weeks during the first year of
my degree.
Bowl of Buttons creates a space to store personal items such as jewellery,
keys, buttons or lollies in a creative way for display. This bowl can be
positioned on different angles to reveal or conceal its contents from
different views.
To construct the bowl, I molded the buttons around a white foam form I
hand carved into this shape. The buttons are threaded together, held in this
form through clear glue.
home process photography designabout me
6. This project was about designing a light to create a sense of safety,
completed over six weeks during the second year of my degree. Noise Alert
is designed to inform workers exposed to noise in their work environment
setting of excessive noise levels. Noise induced hearing loss is described
as painless, progressive, permanent but preventable. It is the main cause
of hearing loss among New Zealanders working in noisy environments. The
coloured symbols indicate to workers the actions that need to be taken;
whether the area is safe, if they requiring hearing protection, or if the area
needs to be vacated. This will keep them informed and safe in the work
place.
home process photography designabout me
7. lifestyle watch
30 JAN 2012
30 JAN 2012
This project was done in collaboration with my classmate Alex Whitcombe.
It was undertaken with our client Zephyr Technologies over a seven-week
duration during the third year of my degree, where we focused on the form
and the interface and Zephyr supplied the inner technology. Our watches
are designed to monitor the vital signs of the user through seamless
integration into their everyday lives. This allows the user to feel ownership
over their health without becoming complacent and dependent upon it.
Our traditional designs allow elderly to connect with their watches, by
incorporating them into their personal style with all the added benefits of
modern technology.
home process photography designabout me
8. The watches we are designing are not stand-alone products. These
products will fit it to a system communicating with two parties: the doctor/s
and the elderly. Each user needs to communicate with the watch in a unique
way so that they get the information how they understand. It is the doctors’
roll to facilitate the initial education of the elderly patient around the usage
of the watch; this will make them confident that they can do it themselves
without the help of others. This watch needs to clearly communicate to
the users the necessary information. Indicating to them the “answers” not
the raw data. Whereas the doctor needs to see all the ‘data’ as they can
interpret the information themselves.
ELDERLY DOCTOR
WATCH
?
To start prototyping we explored shapes, forms and sizes of the face. We
looked at details such as the different joins, different materials and widths
of the strap. We did this using leather straps and laser cutting faces. We
discovered through exploration and testing with our users, the male wrist
compared to the female is a lot larger and their styles differ. Through our
research we discovered our males users like larger watches with metal
straps. Whereas our female users like smaller faced watches with leather
straps. This is when we made the decision to design male and female
watches to better suit the style of the different genders.
home process photography designabout me
9. TOP: Female iterations. BOTTOM: Male iterations.
Developing the male and female watches individually we went through many
iterations to refine the design. We refined the size, shape, material, button
size, button placement, strap joins, strap width, strap thickness, mini usb
port and clasping mechanism etc. We continued exploring through laser
cutting models with leather and metal straps moving in to three-dimensional
printing of our CAD models. This allowed us to refine the thickness, edges,
inset surfaces, contours fitting to the wrist and testing the moving strap
joins etc. This was the most effective way to test the form of the faces and
the straps.
ABOVE: The vital sign symbols we developed to communicate each vital.
Before developing the interface system the user would need to navigate,
we established all the information the user needs to see. They need a home
page for the time and date, heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure,
blood oxygen, activity level, balance as well as emergency alert and fall
detection. We saw the clearest way of displaying all this information through
individual screens for each vital sign, making it as large as possible.
We explored different home screen styles users could select, as well as
methods of indicating the “answers” to the user through a visual spectrum-
using colour working with the shape of the round screen.
home process photography designabout me
10. ABOVE: Interface system, how users navigate through the vital signs.
Users can navigate through the vital signs by pressing the button once
each time. The spectrum will display whether its safe or of concern. The
bottom two vital signs will be prompted through automatically detecting an
emergency from the readings of the vital signs or detecting a fall through
the balance vital sign. The user is given the option to either dismiss the
emergency or fall by pressing the button for two seconds, or calling for
help by pressing it once. If the user has taken no action within one minute,
help will automatically be sent to the user. After this minute, the screen will
automatically flick back to the home screen.
LEFT: The final female watch is small and elegant. The face of the watch is
made from lightweight stainless steel attached to navy blue leather straps.
The leather strap can be adjusted and tightened through a metal clasp on
the underside. This simple design is very similar to many watches available
on the market without looking “medical.”
RIGHT: The final male watch is of a traditional medium form. The face and
the strap segments are made from lightweight stainless steel, fitting to the
users wrist and clasping together with an easy clipping buckle. Making the
design traditional allows the users to feel comfortable with this watch, as it
will appeal to their personal style.
home process photography designabout me
11. Scooper
This project was about designing an ergonomic kitchen handle. This was
completed over four weeks during the first year of my degree. The project
required me to consider the user and explore different forms through white
foam, blue foam and MDF models.
The Scooper is designed to reduce the uncomfortable hand grip position
whilst scooping ice cream for both right and left handed users. The large
surface allows maximum pressure to be applied through the thumb whilst
digging. The narrowing form allows for a comfortable resting position
for all fingers with the pointer finger sitting below the larger surface for
counterforce against the thumb.
home process photography designabout me
12. This project started with my mission to improve the hospital experience
for children and their families undergoing cancer treatment. Through my
research and opportunity refining, this lead me to the redesign of the IV
drip pole, to remove the medical stigma from the product and to make this
product child friendly and easier to use.
The research for this project was done over six weeks and the exploration
and development was done over a fourteen-week period. The design allows
children to take control of their Sprout and connect with their Sprout,
giving them a friendly figure that will stay with them through their hospital
experience.
home process photography designabout me
13. CAREGIVERS STAFF
IV POLE
PATIENT
My product system involves the patient, Starship staff and caregivers. For
my project the patient is my key user, but the interaction needs to meet
the needs of the staff and caregivers as well. It is the caregiver’s role
to ensure the tube attaching the child to the IV pole remains intact and
unharmed. Whereas it’s the role of the staff to monitor and set up the
pump machines and fluid bags, this needs to be as convenient as possible.
But most importantly, this product needs to be something the child feels
connected to. Something they feel comfortable with, encouraging them
to take the pole themselves. The IV pole should be the platform for their
creativity and allow them to personalize it and take ownership.
My research for this project was based around understanding the
experience these children and families go through while in hospital.
Through expert interviews, emotional timelines, social media videos,
literature reviews and unpicking my personal experience in hospital as
a child, I mapped out the experience. Using an affinity diagram I sorted
all this information in to five areas; environment, equipment, treatment,
life necessities and entertainment. This gave me clear insights to drive
my project. The main insights were convenience; kids need to be kids,
personalisation, fear and anxiety, distraction and normality.
home process photography designabout me
14. Through developing I split the design into different components; pole,
hooks, platform and extension clips came later. The pole form I refined to
optimise the shape, making the most comfortable hand positioning to cater
to the varying heights of the children, staff and caregivers moving it.
The platform shape I refined to establish the optimum form to indicate to
the users pushing the pole where to walk, as well as allow enough space
for a child to safely stand on the platform. The final platform clips on to the
base structure where the wheels attach, allowing it to sit inset.
The hook form I developed to refine the design that best fits through all IV
fluid bags. I went through a number of iterations with full-scale prototyping
to explore the amount of hooks that could fit while keeping the proportion.
The clip form I developed and refined through CAD models and three-
dimensional printing to ensure the clip worked as well as suiting the overall
aesthetic of the sprout. I explored how I could incorporate the logo on the
clip making the grip, fitting into the overall design.
home process photography designabout me
15. The Sprout IV pole is an engaging interpretation that responds directly to
the physical and emotional needs of children.
• The ride on base platform, allowing children to be transported.
• Ownership and control over the experience is given to the child through
personalization. An attachable base for transportation of themselves or
toys can be removed if not required.
• The Sprout ‘leaves’ at the top allow children to hang objects as well as
creating the attachment for the fluid bags.
The Sprout IV pole is designed for maximum ergonomic effectiveness.
• The design of the base platform allows the IV pole to move alongside the
Sprout Leaves
Curved Stem Handle
Clip-On Platform
Wheels & Brakes
Root Structure
Tightening Clips
Straight Stem Space
user, encouraging better face to face interaction.
• Effortless mobility is provided through five castor wheels (braked).
• A height adjustable handle.
• Users can direct the pole by comfortably gripping the curved stem
without needing to stretch.
Every child’s path is different, and never straightforward. Sprouts form
represents a child’s journey in a playful way, symbolising a child’s well-
being with optimism and hope.
home process photography designabout me
16. Local Village, Vanuatu. 2009 South Sea Island, Fiji. 2010
home process photography designabout me
