Post-feedback design brief

Design problem:

It is often hard to find shelves that can fit in different rooms of different dimensions, and even harder to find one that has individual compartments for the objects you are willing to store.

User/Audience

The primary audience of this design will be people with a need for simple organization solutions and therefore have turned to shelves. In order to increase the specificity of the design, it will be designed for an average bedroom, with the intended placement being in a corner.

Purpose

The purpose of this product is to create a solution for organizing objects that is easy to assemble, and individually customizable to suit the consumer’s needs.

Constraints

Should the final design ever be manufactured it will be constructed of wood.

Goals

The end product should be visually appealing, freestanding, and customizable with different components separate from the main shelf.

Materials/Resources

For the wooden final product, access to a basic woodworking setup will be required.  Alternatively, access to a laser cutter can replace the need for a woodworking setup. The prototype will likely be constructed of cardboard, which will need to be fastened using various materials such as hot glue, super glue, tape. Cutting implements like cardboard cutters and scissors will also be needed.

Mentors/Assistance

There will likely be a need for mentors with experience in engineering to help construct the mechanisms that will be used to attach separate storage compartments to each other.

Design Inspiration – Target audience and inspiration

Brainstorm on paper

2 basic sketches demonstrating what the lamp could’ve been, the right one follows the form of a tree, while the left one is a flower pot combined with a lamp

This is the first prototype, I ditched many of the botanical features found within the sketches in favor of a fully minimalistic “stick” design:

This is the second prototype,

I laser cut 3 pieces of plywood for the base and layered them on top of each other to create an opening for the power cord, though this feature will only be present in prototypes, as the intended design is battery powered.

For the tubes, I used paper rolls, and inserted a plywood rod through it, which I wrapped the led strip around to provide light. I covered most of the rod with paper so that it did not look too ugly from the outside, but there is still a bit of wood exposed in the back that isn’t visible in the image.

Presentation “drawing”

I created this scene in Blender in about 3 hours (beginner here, which is why it took so long to make such a simple scene) to show an example of a place where the lamp could be positioned, in this case, on a desk.

The shape of the lamp was designed specifically with focus on minimalism, which was one of Michelle B’s interests. The lamp’s shape is composed of all cylinders, which makes it simple to recreate, though the way the second paper roll and the way the LEDs are concealed are slightly more complicated.

FEEDBACK:

“Clearly made targeting user’s interests, what is this lamp used for, decor or for practical use? (e.g. desk lamp).”

“The light part of this lamp isn’t very bright – could be brighter”

“Maybe the light part could be bigger? Or the top part could be adjustable (like a trumpet) – could open and close (slide)”

“Feedback:

• Minimalistic
• Neutral colors, natural material (wood + paper, sustainable) – allude to interest in nature & contemporary modern art (reminding me of that).”

I agree with this feedback, for the most part, I created the lamp with Michelle B’s interest in minimalism in mind. The feedback on the light-emitting part stated that it was too dim, however, in the original design, it was intended to be much brighter. Also, the adjustable “light part” was considered in the original design, but scrapped for the final prototype as there was no easily accessible method to stop the upper half of the lamp from falling down after it is raised.

Overall I am quite happy with how this project turned out, though the lamp wasn’t very impressive in the end, I managed to make it look relatively high quality by employing precise cuts (using a laser cutter) and use of adhesives.