Assignment 2 : Postal presentations

The design brief basically stated: design a USEFUL object that can be flatpacked into a C4 (a4 size) envelope. This object would be a gift that would be sent in the mail. We were encouraged to use sheet materials as they flatpacked well.

After various failed ideas and brainstorms, i came up with an 'inbox' tray. This inbox tray would hold the things you would normally have in your pocket whilst you are at home or at the office. These things included wallet, keys, phone, loose change. i figured everyone in the world had these things, therefore this product would be useful to everyone.
















Above is an early paper model with 3 slots. There were many problems with this. The dividers were just mere slot-in pieces, making them very flimsy and easy to knock out. The sides were also very weak due to the flimsy divider pieces.















This is the final product after a couple prototypes. It consists of a main body piece, two side skirt, two edge pieces and a stable divider that uses fins to slot into the main piece holding it in place. The material used is Polypropelyene, a fairly durable plastic that bends well and is easy to use and cut.





















Above is the cutting diagrams for the pieces required to put together the inbox tray.



















The steps to put the pieces together are above in the four pictures.
In hindsight, the whole product was slightly more complicated to piece together than expected. The pieces could be simplified. Example being the edge pieces could have been from the same piece as the main body. thus saving cutting and also making it more simple in terms of construction. The tabs i used were simple triangle slot ins. This could also have been changed into a fishing hook type (the ones that, once go in, are harder to get out). All in all, this was an interesting product to work on and i have learnt much from this experience.

Task 4: Bad design

I have chosen a product that has a badly designed feature which
creates confusion when using the product. The comsumer then is lead
to mis-use the product which leads to frustration leading
to an unhappy consumer.

The product i have chosen is a sandwich press. The sandwhich press
consists of two press parts, a lever, 4 legs, cable and a latch used
for storage of the press. The latch closes the press and holds it in place
so that the press is easily stored and moved around without the whole thing
flapping around.

The picture above shows how the latching mechanism works. It is a
simple sliding device that 'latches' onto the bottom plate of the
sandwich press.

The problem comes when you are using the sandwhich press. When you
lift the sandwhich press lever up to insert the food stuff you want to be
pressed in the sandwhich press, the latch automatically slides down to the
'closed' position. This is often done un-noticed by the user who continues
to load the food in and press it down. Upon pressing down, the user is suddenly
stopped by the latch which is in closed position. This is a badly designed
latch as it did not take into account of what would happen when you
pulled the lever up.

I believe this would be most easily solved by replacing the sliding latch with
a swinging latch as shown in the picture above. This latch would be easily seen
and noticed when using the sandwich press.

This latch would be a simple swinging latch that is spring loaded to
stay in 'open' position during the use of the sandwich press. Upon finishing
using the sandwich press you would swing the latch down and it would catch on
the bottom using a simple catching mechanism. I believe this solves the problem
of the badly designed latch

Task 5: Week 7 Reflection

This weeks video was 'The story of stuff' by Annie Leonard. This video tells of how our products we buy. That is, our stuff, moves through a system. She initially explains this system as a linear path starting from extraction, going through production, distribution, consumption and disposal. She then breaks to us that the system is in crisis. Why? Because its a linear system in our finate world. We are then taken through all these steps and explained the problems with them. How we dont have enough resources, how we waste too much. How we put stupidly toxic chemicals into our everyday products. And how the government is being taken over by big corperations instead of taking care of the people. At the end of the runthrough of the 5 steps of the linear system, she explains that there is another way of dealing with stuff. To change our system in crisis into an effective system. Chaning the linear system into a circular one that utilises sustainability and equity. Using things like renewable energy to stem the waste on the planet and help alieviate the pressures on the world that come with chaning climate.
All in all, this was a very interesting and enlightening talk that opened my eyes and ears to the relative issues concerned with producing products and how to deal with them.

Rationale: Project One - Experience Enrichment.

'Twist' Salt and Pepper Dispenser.

Target Market:

- Early twenties to late thirties.

- Young people looking for an interesting alternative for the Salt and Pepper dispenser.

- People who buy unique things for thier homes.

- People who value the objects in the kitchen.

- People who want to lighten up the dining area.


How it enriches the experience:

Salt and Pepper. Two important things to put on a dining table. The traditional salt and pepper dispensers were the glass bottle with metal cap types which were ridiculously small that made them hard to find and easy to lose. There was not much joy from using one, if any at all.




















The Twist Salt and pepper dispenser is a two in one dispenser featuring, as the name would suggest, a twist action to release the pepper unit from the salt unit. Larger in size and easy to hold, this dispenser is also made with colour, bringing colour to the dining table.

Its egg-like form features a round bottom which allows it to be used easily and handled effectively, giving the user staisfaction and a sense of purpose. The round bottom also serves to give the unit a lower center of gravity hence preventing spills. The twist action is a novelty one, but also functional as the twisting action seals the pepper unit.

The unique shape, colour and size would bring a new 'thing' to the dining table which would provide conversation, and add some new colour to the table. This would in turn give a much more positive vibe in the room and hence enrich the experience.