My pencil case is about 3 years old, the inside is covered in graphite, it’s zipper barely functioning. I want to use a A4-sized piece of leather to make a new pencil case that is more personalized for my needs, to replace my old pencil case.
One product that is my inspiration is a leather roll, which uses the concept of straps and a big piece of flexible material to make it wrap itself, making it compact but when extended more convenient. Although it is a good idea, I don’t think it provides enough space for the tools I have.
A picture of a leather roll
As a result, I want to make a pencil case similar to the one I currently have, with a zipper and outer body to contain all the tools within.
For our second unit of Product Design, we were tasked to make a nonexistent item, a smell detector. By sketching out designs, making prototypes and improving from feedback, the unit consists of 3 phases: Define & Inquire, Develop & Plan and Create & Improve.
A picture of the Prototype being held, side viewA picture of the prototype, from the front
I designed so that my prototype has a similar hold as of a TV remote or holding a mobile phone with one hand. I designed so that the thumb of my right hand will control the buttons and functionalities of the prototype. The product also features a retractable “screen” that can be controlled by the left hand with touching it.
The smell first has to go into the nozzle, in which the product will detect and determine the smell. After that is done, it will send the results to a screen for the consumer to see. The operator can use the buttons to control the screen and the statistics of the smell.
A picture of the prototype being held, with arrows to show movement
For this prototype, I had a bit of inspiration from the blinds used on the windows, where you can control the position of the blinds by pushing and pulling. I also had inspiration from certain types of holds on mobile phones and TV remotes to design the ideal hold for this prototype.
Picture of blinds similar to the ones that I got inspiration from
I think I can improve my prototype by making the outside a bit more aesthetic. The nozzle is only made out of cardboard and the outer skin of the product is only covered in paper, making it look cheap and poorly made. I mostly focused on the functionality of the screen, hence I did not do much with the outside layers.
