Postal Presents - Flat Pack Watch

The flat pack "I ♥ Flat Pak" watch, has been designed as an unusual, fun, inexpensive gift which can be sent through the mail in a standard C4 envelope.

The recipient receives the gift in a plain envelope with no idea what it contains. After opening the envelope the recipient still has no idea what it contains until the lid on the flat pack is lifted of. Once opened, there is a strong visual stimulus which aims to create a sense of excitement and expectation.

Assembly is fun and simple, resulting in a funky, fully functional watch which aims to be a conversation piece. It is nevertheless practical and durable for on-going everyday use. No tools, other than the screw driver which is included, are required to assemble the gift.

The "I ♥ Flat Pak" watch has been designed to be laser cut out of simple sheet material, - metal or even plastic. However, the prototype as presented was constructed by hand from nickel silver sheet due to time and cost constraints.

The mass production method of stamping out the various layers is simple, quick and inexpensive. Therefore a highly profitable sub $30 gift is envisaged. The watch mechanisms are a standard item and may be acquired in bulk for less than $1 per piece.

Ross Lovegrove - Organic design

Ross Lovegroves video on organic design highlights the need for 'fat-free' design, and he discusses the way in which he uses nature as inspiration for his designs.

Lovegrove defines 'fat-free' design as being 'lean and efficient' where the material and form are reduced to what is the minimum requirement to obtain the specific requirements of this item. For example the spiraled stair case in his studio which takes its inspiration from DNA structure is a beautiful minimalist object.

The use of the structure of DNA for inspiration exemplifies Lovegroves philosophy and process by using what has been developed by natural evolution. Lovegrove chooses nature for inspiration as he believes that through evolution all parts which are unnecessary have been removed.

Similarly the DNA stair case in Lovegrove's studio is an example of how only through the advances in technology have made it possible to produce such things. For example, the stair case has been formed from a single element with a carbon fiber handrail.

Lovegrove demonstrates to the viewer the necessity to find suitable inspraration for design and he stresses the power of nature through design and how beauty can be very minimalist and somewhat ‘plain’.

Bad Design - Dualit Toaster & Sandwich Cage

The Dualit toaster and sandwich cage has a design flaw as the cage when loaded with a sandwich for toasting does not fit in the slot of the toaster. The result of this is that you can damage the toaster by trying to force the cage into the slot or your sandwich can fall out. This both makes a mess and is wastefull.

My attempt to fix this is to simply increase the width of the opening on the toaster. Thus allowing for the sandwich and cage to easily be placed inside the toaster.

Peer Comments

• Christopher Hui
• Fiona Lee
• Jennifer Widjaja
• Fanru Wang
• Chelcie Nielsen

Experience Enrichment - Fixed Gear Fixer

The “Fixed Gear Fixer” is a dual purpose tool designed for riders of fixed gear bicycles. The product aims to replace both the dull and boring wheel and lock ring spanners. These are the two tools required specifically by fixed gear or ‘fixie’ riders. On ‘fixies’, the wheels are attached with a nutted axle and not the quick release mechanisms which are generally used on bicycles these days. Furthermore, with ‘fixies’, the cog is prone to coming loose as a result of the unique way of stopping. ‘Fixies’ have no brakes and stop by ‘skidding’ the back wheel, which is made possible by the fixed cog rather than the usual freewheel mechanism, - hence the name ‘‘fixie’’.

Your typical fixed gear rider is either a bicycle courier or someone who attempts to mimic that particular style of cycling, - often seen darting between cars in the city. Both of these groups of people share the same persona as quirky, fun-loving, somewhat eccentric and unique individuals. The norm is not of great interest to them, and similarly nor is it your typical spanner . Thus I have developed my “Fixed Gear Fixer” which aims to capture this niche and offer ‘fixie’ riders a tool that is fun to use, appeals to their quirky taste and is a great conversation starter amongst fellow riders. It is also safer to use than a normal rigid spanner.

The “Fixed Gear Fixer” is a flexible silicone encased spanner and lock ring tool. It is flexible as this allows the user to bend the body/handle of the spanner out of the way of sharp points while using it. If a normal rigid spanner were to slip whilst using it, this could cause serious injury to one’s hand. With the “Fixed Gear Fixer”, the silicone body provides the user with a comfortable and ergonomic handle with which he/she can apply maximum tightening torque easily and safely by bending it away from sharp edges. The multi-coloured silicone aims to appeal to the fun and quirky nature of the typical ‘fixie’ rider.

The “Fixed Gear Fixer” has a core consisting of a hardened steel socket for the wheel nuts and a hardened steel lock ring spanner. These two ends are joined by a section of bicycle chain encased inside the silicone handle. This allows for the tool to be flexible in one direction (left to right) but when bent in the other direction (up and down) it remains straight and strong, allowing the tool to perform as a normal rigid spanner would. The body of the tool is cast “RTV Addition Cured” silicone with colour pigments added. This product was used as it has good colour vibrancy with the addition of the pigment. It is also very strong with great stretch properties for a long lasting product.

Four Pleasure Analysis

Ideological:

• Motivated, high energy and goal driven.
• Like to be noticed for their quirkiness

Psychological:

• The fixie rider is trendy and quirky with passionate focus on their hobbies, clothes and other lifestyle choices.
• They have a preference for instant gratification and do not like to wait for anything.

Physiological:

• Young, active, fit and energetic
• Conscious of their carbon footprint and awareness of the need to be eco-friendly.

Sociological:

• Fixie riders and predominantly males between the ages of 20 and 30.
• They are inner city dwellers
• Participate in networking through group rides, sporting events (bike polo) and "swap meets" where people go to buy and sell parts.
• Commonly they are couriers, students and white collar workers.

Yves Behar - Designing objects that Tell Stories

Objects tell stories, so storytelling has become a strong influence in Yves Behars work. Another influence of his work is the fusion of what he like on how and what he is designing. It is this basic principle that made Yves Behar turn down designing in silicon valley as he did not want to mearely create skins for objects. He says “I didn't want to be a stylist in this way”, so he started his own design company which took technology and made it into things that people would use in new ways and find some new functionality.
In recent times the company’s projects have installed humanistic sense in them. The point of this is to create different relationships between “work and world”. This is because designers bring value to business and users. However the value that they put into the objects that ultimately creates the greater value. This is the balance of function and beauty often involving environmental issues, sustainability or lower power consumption. But it is the designer which brings all these elements together.
It is Yves Behar’s belief that designing is no longer about merely re-designing skins of technology. But about designing from the inside out, and then applying small tweaks with hand drawings or computer modelling. It is this that means that a designer’s work is never complete. As you can always improve the packaging, the website. This ultimately means you have to keep in touch with the user.
The ultimate message Yves Behar is conveying it that design is able to create a conversation or breaking the ice.

Don Norman - Emotional Design

Donald A. Norman is a professor of cognitive science at University of California, San Diego and a Professor of Computer Science at Northwestern University. His recent work is based on his belief that designers are now able create products which truly fit people. Thus he says that it is time to move the focus from making things practical as they function well and are understandable to products and services that are enjoyable which give pleasure and are even fun. This concept is the focus of what Don Norman says is Emotional Design, which makes our life more pleasurable.

There has been research done which has proven that people are much more emotionally attached to products which they feel some involvement with. Thus personalised/customised products make a huge difference as to how users interact with the product. Similarly people have a much greater emotional attachment to product which they carry with them all the time for example; mobile phone, wallet or MP3 player. Coincidentally Don Norman identifies that it is much easier to give rules for the design of usable products than for the design of pleasurable products as there are technical specifications which underpin how the object works or functions. Thus there is a large amount of grey area in regard to what makes a design emotional. Thus there are no set guidelines for emotional design. Rather there is a framework to understand the impact that emotions have on design.

Don Norman highlights the point that economic measures are essential for the designer to understand. This is because if a product is unsuccessful, or if it is not economically viable to produce and therefore no company will make it, then it doesn’t matter how well it is designed, as nobody will ever use it and it will be a comercial failure. This being said artists on the other hand can ignore the business side of their work as they are purely interested in the aethetic quality of the design. Hence, a successful product wherther it be desuign from an emotional or technical standpoint must have a sound business model.