Pre Final Posters & Focus Group Exercise

 Today we assembled into focus groups with following peers within our class. The aim was to present your idea of child packaging through 4 posters without any oral presentation, so in return you are to listen to the feedback and discussion made about the communication of your packaging idea but also on the conceptual idea. This in turn would allow other peoples to critic your work objectively acting as a very helpful tool for improvement.

The following questions were the aim of obtaining feedback.

1.       What are the issues, difficulties or problems that my peer group found in understanding or interacting with my design, as expressed by my mock-up and posters?

• The referencing to the company logo has to be added to show the work is for the client.
•  Overpowering text, simplify it as pictures speak lower than words.
•  The scaling of the product with in the context of use as to be reduced.
• Improve the conciseness of the writing and enlarge the context of use on to one poster as it’s the main advantage to the design functionality.
• Look at the possibility of the door begin automatically opening on twist or having an other slot that is always open so there is the elimination of the door.
• The concept that the child had to interact thus the purpose to the live hinge door to allow for the child to seem as they were independent wasn’t clearly stated and missed.
• Increase the hands to demonstrate the usage
• Show the live hinge in the exploded view as had to be searched for within other posters.
• The clip on the door wasn’t visible enough, increase its size or indicate its location.
• Consider the shelving through having a pp made modelling holding the vitamins on the shelf showing the labelling.

2.       What are my strategies for addressing the issues found? What steps should I take to ensure that my posters communicate the merits of my design in the best possible way for Cormack industry critique next week?

• The reorganisation and making the text more concise will be reviewed as such to highlight the context of use on an individual page whereby the benefits and values will connect with environmental advantages.
• Creating a clear message of the child’s interaction but the parents functional selling of the vitamin bottle.
• Look at the spacing of the posters avoiding the tightness of the text.
• Include more photo representation as in the research component such as the existing bottles etc. to set the emotional problem.
• Look at redesign the handle clipping of the live hinge door.
• Set the project as exclusive to the Cormack client through the exhibiting their logo on the poster.

Design for Product Lifetime

Today’s team exercise was aimed to see how looking at a products assembly and the effort behind its dismantling contributes to the environment impact. It was interactive experience allowed us to see how the way we design impacts the life of a product. It demonstrates how the more difficult the disassembly and repair to recycle etc. the more likely the company doesn’t engage in its recycling as it cost more to commute with no market share gain as time can be spent creating a new one with profit. Seeing how its design, in terms of the amount of fasteners, materials choices, finishes and manufacturing processes impact its possibility to be even recycled or ending in landfill to begin with.  

As a team we analysed the design of a Breville Kettle, looking at the time of its disassembly…..1hr 16min 20sec 27ms and its difficulty in order to discovering possible solutions of improvement. We are to see how we could improve its disassembly &recycling – in terms of materials minimising, fastening standardising, component limiting (litre indicator), combining features  (5 buttons to 1), reducing manufacturing process (welding nozzle to main form), eliminating glues and aesthetical purpose parts, clear recycle labelling in order to encourage repair& upgrade – easier disassembly and standardising fixing encourages repair and upgrades of internal components (element) whereby the main kettle form that doesn’t change over time leading to improving durability –allowing for extended use of life were by internal component change and advance with existing main structure.

The below photos demosntrate the experince of difficulty and amount of matierals involved in the disassembly. Also the displaying the overall sketch solutions and exploration.

Review: 11th Hour

This video was one the most inspirational and had thought out views of the world in regards to the importance of the environment. As quoted we need a balance between human life and the environment. Our way of life and mass production of the industrial revolution is throwing this out of balance hence the effects of global warming. The video re articulates the phrase “save our environment” stating that it’s our life we need to save from eventually killing ourselves or suicide. We have created the unbalanced between nature. Action starts with us to fix the world and sustain the resources and life.

 You learn through the number of interviews presented that the way our world is as such of depleting resources and overdoing it, it is due to human nature having the quality of greed, the economy and superiority to that of nature rather than thinking we are a part of it. It’s importantly noted that the industrial revolution provided the thought of limitless resources thus accelerating usage. It highlights the destruction we as humans are creating pollution, deforestation, destroying ecosystems and landfills changing the environment. 

 The video points out the bridge between the people and government in failing to create a harmony between people and nature. The video is empowering, screaming out that people need to priorities, correct objects of desire and choice. We need to face reality and see the importance of losing the beauty of the world.

 The most motivated point is where they embrace design as such we need to consider cradle to cradle rather than to gravel so mass production to mass utilization. Looking at leading to sustainable design were new design is not visual, form is unlimited, it’s what’s inside – the performance, intelligent, structure will have the greater impact to the world and environment we live in.

The video ends with the idea that what we choose suggests our value of the environment. The level of awareness and then experience in consumer choice will make a difference. The inspiring ending focused on how to let us focus on local produce and nature. Your voice and action is the strongest power, embrace the love of the land and its existence to continue by being eco.

 3 key messages:

1.   Humans are in control of the affect made to the environment. We are to blame for the effect of global warming ever since the industrial revolution. It is due to the over use of resources, the importance of oil and the economy rather than sustainability. It’s the action of the government and the people who are responsible to change the world before it’s too late.
2. We need to find balance and harmony between human and environment that needs to be correct for the world and its life to be sustained. We are in control of our life with the idea of extinction being a possibility. FACE REALITY.
3. The idea of design moving from mass production to mass utilisation were design is eco in the sense that the materials chosen to use have to be cradle to cradle rather to gravel after use.

Why industrial designers should watch this video is because it gives them an insight as to how the industrial revolution which we are a part of has affected the environment. We as designers can start to change and reduce the effects of the environment by for example, looking at the lifecycle of a product, the materials we use are sustainable thus cradle to cradle rather than to gravel. We take influence from this video as does the way architecture can be adapted to use nature’s resources without harming it back. We can look at not depending on oil as a part of transport design but adapting solar technology and wind turbine design.  Our design challenge is to adapt as fast and intelligently as possible such as utilizing the sun as the main energy source rather than coal/oil. We as designers have to take notice in design the eco environmental saving it possess so that when people choose products its more than function but choosing to save the environment.