Zerene Space (2023-2024)

During the design process there were a number of phases that help the project progress towards grad show. Some of the most significant phases include: research, conceptual development, and prototyping. 

 

These specific phases of the project had significance mainly due to the fact that the co-designing practices and sample sizing developed a very people driven outcome. In this project, it contributed to the patterns during research and directed the solution during the concept and prototyping phases.

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Research

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During the research phase, a total of 23 participants and SME's were involved in creating and developing the sample size of data input. Within the total, 21 of the participants were students between second to fourth year. All 21 participants were included in three rounds of interview and group discussions. 

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Each round of interviews and discussions looked to build on the previous set of questions in deeper meaning. All the data put together helped provide a large synthesizing of raw data into key insights. The results showed large clusters of the data emphasizing four major themes.

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Using the four major themes, developing a design criteria for what the solution would eventually include.

 

Conceptual Development

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During conceptual development, the involvement of a central group of 5 participants from the interviews were invited to further support and provide feedback. The group of 5 were considered the co-design group in which their input and feedback would support and direct more accurately a solution for them.

 

In this phase of the project, there were frequent (almost weekly) meetings that included meeting together for sketching and ideations workshops, concept exploration and development, and there were also meetings related to discussing the experience of the potential solution outcome.

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By the end of this phase, the concepts that were developed by the co-design group created a blend of what the experience and product should bring to the people it was designed towards.

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Prototyping

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Moving from the concept development into prototyping, developing the prototypes was considered to be a stepped process of priorities. Those priorities included core functions to the solution, creating the intended shape and forms physically, and lastly the testing and refining the experience through testing and continuous feedback cycles.

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As an overview to the prototype testing, in total, four prototypes were used to progress the priorities of the development. This included establishing a first prototype using cardboard to model and present a level of tangible and interactive functions.

 

Using the first prototype, the co-design provided their insight and feedback towards the functions that could be foundational and other functions that were not essential. From the feedback about the first prototype, developing the second cardboard prototype become a matter of improving on those foundational functions while determining the shape and form.

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With the development of the second prototype, at this time in the overall project timeline, this version of the prototype was the first version presented in a mid-process gallery exhibit to the public at DesignWith. Along with the continuous feedback of the co-design group, the addition of the general publics input and feedback during the event provided a greater sense of the interest level in the project. 

 

With many interested and curious about the final outcome of this project, this helped determine that developing with closer to final materials was the next step. Going into the third prototype, developing aspects of the final prototype was critical. During the making process, there were various levels of testing taking place simultaneously. This included testing the physical manufacturing of bent lamination, observing and testing lighting features, and the testing of mechanical movement and motors.

 

Once testing each of these aspects was satisfied and after presenting each to the co-design group for further input feedback. This indicated that the final prototype, which would be the accumulation of all these aspects, was the next and final step in this project.

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Making the final prototype version, using the final choice of materials, was much more laboring in regards to the quality of the finish being as accurate to production. However many, if not all, aspects the final product satisfied the level of finish as this projects final showcase would be presented at GradEx109.

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Conclusion

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As an overall conclusion to the outcome of this project, during its showcasing at GradEx109, there were numerous responses. The majority of those responses, expressing interest and admiration for the final outcome of the product overall. As a major takeaway from this product, there were many responses about this project related to market interest.

 

As a response, this is only the start of where this project could go.

 

There are a lot details that were chosen to be left out due to the level of complexity. To find more in-depth details about the design thinking process, there is a series of blog-posts that will look to share in more detail the entire design process.