Project 2: Postal Presents

The Table Top DVD Rack

Target Market:
Although there is no specific target market because anyone who owns at least 1 DVD can use this, i mainly intended this product for someone who would be working 5 days a week. Age is not a factor in the design of my product rather how well this product would function for the user. "Messy" people would be able to find my product useful because it seems they would always misplace things and end up losing them in the end. The materials i chose would be easy to clean for this person and would fit into any type of household.

The main purpose of this product is to be able to hold and organize a small set of dvds or games for the user. Say the user were to watch a movie or put a game into their ps3, they would more than likely toss the box aside and end up kicking it about until it is lost somewhere in the house. This rack allows them to simply place the case somewhere they can see clearly and organize it even though they're using the disk. This rack can also be used to store the users favorite movies or games. Ones that they would use often, so instead of always putting it back in the shelf after each use they can simply place it on this rack on their coffee table and still not make a mess or create a storage-like stack.

the overall shape of the product derived from the fact that i wanted this to be a one-piece product. I didn't want the user needing to fiddle around with 20 small pieces that are meant to fit together to form something that might not be stable depending on how the user assembles it. This way, i could eliminate the factor of the user being and absolute dummy for assembling products. This led me to start looking at flexible plastics, wood veneers or other types of materials that have similar properties. I also had to make sure it was stable enough because once the slits were cut for the dvds to slide into, the curve became weak which i found out after using a few types of plastics for prototypes. The type of material i ended up using is a type of PVC. This vinyl is flexible and has shape memory which allows it to always flatten out after being twisted up and bent.

The reason for my choice of colour for the vinyl was quite simple. I wanted my product to look rigid when it was all folded up into place so the colour would have to show that. The marble/concrete type look to it tricks people in thinking that its something totally rigid while it really is flexible. It would seem like a piece of concrete was hardened in that position making it seem much more interesting. The other interesting aspect of the product is the use of chain to create the curve. The strength of the chain combined with it's small size allows it to be flat packed and hold the product in place when put together. The chain attaches into the vinyl through ways of cutting slits and poking holes which keep everything in place. By cutting a cross slit in the vinyl, it can hold the chain quite well.


The shape of the product is quite simple and yet it looks interesting. The tops of the curves could carry enough of a load to hold up the dvd cases while the other curve provides stability when the cases are in place. The middle may seem like a weak spot in the product where it caves down a little but it is actually as stable as the rest of the product. I came across this "imperfection" while creating prototypes and realized that it gave the product more character while not giving up any stability.


Overall, i created this product so that it would easily fit in most household situations whether there are antiques lying around or if its placed in a futuristic setup. I also wanted this to be something people would talk about if they saw it sitting around. From its flattened state to its upright shape, i wanted the user to feel like they have something different here. It may look rather simple and normal when flattened which allows for easy storage if not in use but when it is folded upright, there is something that the user would be glad to put on their t.v. stand even if there aren't any cases on it.

Video Reflections 5: Annie Leonard - The Story of Stuff

I am actually glad that i saw this video. The amount of useful and insightful information in this is bountiful. The way Annie Leonard has laid out all this information in an easy to digest way made it that much more fun to watch. Although what was being said is something that should really be handled, it inspires me to want to thrive in this subject just so i can change the way production is. The flaws that were mentioned in this so called efficient materials economy was very surprising besides the fact that most of these flaws lead back to the United States.

Annie Leonard made it clear right in the beginning that we really need to sort out our priorities in this system when she mentions what the factories were doing to the world and what they were doing to the people of the world. Having 1/3 of the worlds natural resources depleted is not a happy sight. While she has explained the chain reaction of this process, the main thing that got to me was how it may affect people who are not even of this generation. One of the natural things in this world, breast feeding, is caused by these chemicals that do not pass standards. This in turn affects the babies who are ingesting toxins without even knowing it so just like that they will have a lesser quality of life if they aren't lucky enough.

She also brought up another interesting point when she mentioned about a seemingly cheap radio before figuring out what an impact this radio did. I had the mindset that buying something cheap was always helping the world because the materials would be easy to get and there must be an abundance of that type of material for it to be so cheap but Annie then mentions why it was so cheap. The cost is only paying the company while the world and everyone else is suffering from it such as pollution from the factory that made it, or the people who lost their homes because of the mining of the materials. All these costs that weren't noted in any account book was what they called Externalized Costs and i learned a lot just from that.

The thing that made me really annoyed to a certain extent that, yes were are aware of all the waste we are producing which is shown very clearly in the figures that only 1% of the materials that we buy are still in use after 6 months but it was the fact that people had planned for consumers to be wasteful. It was all a grand scheme of money greedy people like Bush to put this false hope in our head that all things will be better if we just go out and buy new stuff. The evilness is just over the top when there are designers that design products that have a limited life span but just long enough so that the user would feel like it was a very good product and go out to buy another one thus feeding this industry of extremely narrow minded people.

In the end, she has just told us that we are pretty much drones being controlled subconsciously to do what ever makes the cycle better for the corporations. We don't buy because we need new stuff, we buy because we are being made fun of, because we won't fit into society.
There were a lot of depressing things in this video that makes me wonder why it ever made us happy in the first place but i liked how she ended on a good note with a load of organizations and process that are helping to clean up this mess that we've created. This actually gives me some energy to go out looking for more sustainable materials even if i have to pay a little more to keep the earth cleaner and the people healthier.

Project 1: Experience Enrichment

The Serving Tongs
Target Market:
My target market for this project was a person who's seen the world a few times. They can be either male or female but the important thing is that they like the outdoors. They like the natural things of the world but to contradict that a bit, they also appreciate the luxury that they've worked hard for in their life. A few fast cars, a boat and very comfortable place to live in and a peaceful walk in the forest would describe what this person would like. Being a person that is fairly well off and a lover of the world itself, they would be quite the outgoing person with friends surrounding them. A classy person like this would definitely need some classy and interesting utensils even if they were in a dull kitchen but since their not in a dull kitchen, it makes it all the more fitting to have utensils that dazzle.

Solution

This is a set of serving tongs which can be used to serve most things to guests. These tongs are presentable and at the same time, very practical so the host doesn't need to hide in the kitchen to do all the serving. This suits my target market because the host needs to be proud of what they have when they have guests so this product lets them be proud of such an ordinary utensil that is pretty special.

The mechanism to this tool is very simple as it only needs a spring to control the two prongs. The user would let the tool rest comfortably in their hand and use their thumb to press down on the upper lever which closes the clamps and when they want to open them up again, they can simply release their thumb from the tong and the counter force from the spring will automatically push open the tongs.

Special design features of this tool includes the handle which resembles a shift stick for the target market who appreciates their cars. The curves of the tool also make it look more elegant to fit into their homes. Materials were chosen specifically for their colour and their manufacturing properties. Since it will be hand crafted, the wood needs to be easy to work with but also be aesthetically pleasing. Rosewood works well with the product because it has a very good natural finish and is quite durable. It is also a very expensive and elegant type of wood which would suit the lifestyle of the user. The second prong is made of White Ash which is a lighter wood which would look very nice contrasting against the darker Rosewood. Ash is strong and has shock resistant properties which is very useful when it is the main point of contact when using the tool. It also bends well which helps make the manufacturing process easier.


With the materials, the simple mechanism and the overall curvaceous shape of the product, it provides the user with a comfortable experience. It is something that looks very good but does not require any effort to use which is perfect for the laid back host that just wants to get the food out to his guests so they can start eating. The curves feel good in the users hand and the surface of the prongs are large enough to make picking up food very easy. The user would definitely want to use these prongs for more than just special occasions.