This course at Tufts teaches the history and current state of industrial design, the industrial design process, and industrial design principles. Students practice the application of industrial design for user needs and expectations. Students are also pushed to consider designing for product safety, efficacy and consumer satisfaction.
Project 01 | Make it Better
Transform the standard paper to-go cup into an experience that resonates with your target interviewee leveraging the human-centered design process.
I was tasked to interview an avid coffee drinker to understand the current pain points, customer journey, and needs demanded of the to-go cup. I then prepared and brought in 3 core user experience needs which included spillage control of the mouth opening, secure sealing between cap and cup, and comfortable shape for users to grab. Lastly, I drew 10-15 sketches of process and development in ideating towards 3 chosen directions.
Project 02 | Building Upon the Cup
Students will design a pour over coffee maker and carafe to go with your coffee cup. After finalizing a design, they will storyboard how it might be used with their cup.
I sketch 10 different and distinct forms for my pour over coffee maker. I then chose one design and used found or taken reference images as underlays to storyboard how the cup would be used with my new carafe.
Project 03 | Mighty Mouse
Envision an ideal mouse use experience based off of your chosen persona. Focus attention on a variety of form studies, challenging your visualization skills.
The persona I designed for was Martha, a 70 year old woman, who primarily uses the computer to video chat her family. She has arthritis and decreased dexterity in her hand motions. She wishes to use a mouse that is comfortable with good tactile response.
I produced 30 computer mouse sketches where each sketch explores a unique form. I visualized key experiential moments in storyboard format (with considerations of use and storage in different contexts based on my persona's lifestyle).
Project 05 | Mighty Mouse Mockup
Produce a photoshop rendered visual of a mouse that best fits your persona's lifestyle while also considering Google branding. Draw inspiration from Google and create a mouse that fits in with their line of products. Remember to focus on a form that will deliver on the persona’s needs.
Project 06 | The Humble Humidifier
Audi, Google, Nike, and B+O continue to expand their brand into humidifiers at home and want to visualize how their brand could break into this new product offering.
Design a brand-relevant humidifier, that follows your assigned brand language, considering 3 design language elements that define the assigned brand.
I identified 3 brand language pillars that translate into visual attributes that define the design of the concept. I then created 3 different tone board to visualize each attribute. I then developed 1 sketch that visualize the new branded concept. This sketch was a reflection of the tone boards and attributes and had thumbnails leading to the final design.
