Overview

This was a Project that I did as a part of my masters program at the University of Washington. 

The design process involved Surveys, Interviews, User testing, Wireframing, Concept Sketching, Low and high fidelity prototyping 3D modeling etc..

The final outcome was a new designed epinephrine that scans food and gives the user feedback along with an app that goes with it. 

Design Problem

Food allergies and dietary restrictions, while common, are not always understood or accounted for. As such, the challenges of traveling and eating outside of one’s home can be difficult or even life-threatening, as it is often difficult to determine whether or not food on a menu will be safe to eat for those with severe food allergies.

Project Scope

The scope of our project was to demonstrate the following:

Project declaration and definition of the design question: “How can we help travelers with significant food allergies or dietary restrictions enjoy their travel destinations and vacations in a safe way?”

Performing user research to define key personas in the design of our application

Ideation and sketching of our design

Low- and high-fidelity prototyping of the design based on feedback obtained through usability testing

Major Design Decisions

We began with a number of predefined assumptions:

Travelling abroad creates significant challenges for people with food allergies

Target users would be primarily interested in a “Yelp-like” experience in choosing restaurants & meals

Our user research validated that these assumptions were broadly correct, however we learned that:

Eating out locally, or at a chain, can also be challenging

People with severe food allergies are more interested in an accurate assessment of the food ingredients than in any kind of social experience

People who suffer from food allergies expressed a common concern about embarrassment.

Based on these learnings, we chose to do the following:

Design a handheld food scanner that would [1] be accurate for severe allergy sufferers, [2] look “cool” for people who don’t want to be embarrassed by carrying a clunky EpiPen around

Optimize the app for a social experience so that users with less severe allergies could “play along”

Include the ability to view common chain restaurants (Starbucks, e.g.) for “safe” menu choices

Softwares used- Solidworks, Keyshot, Photoshop, Illustrator, Axure

This Project involved Taking an Already existing Hair Dryer and changing its Aesthetic Design keeping it's original Mechanical Components. This project involved competitive analysis, market research, SWOT analysis, concept sketching, 3D prototyping, 3D printing and the softwares used were Illustrator, Photoshop, Solidworks, Keyshot2.

This concept eliminates the hassle of maintaining a chain on a bicycle by incorporating a shaft driven mechanism along with a storage centre unit for your pet or the groceries!

Softwares used- Solidworks, Keyshot, Photoshop, Illustrator

The issue here is that there are many people that have difficulty reaching certain areas of their backs while scrubbing in the shower. This issue is even worse for people with spinal injuries, muscle problems etc.. 

The goal is to design a back scrubber that would make the shower experience more convenient for the user and eradicate strain to the muscles.

Through research and development I have created a multifuctional Water heater with a electric back scrubber that will help solve this problem

This was designed with the asian market in mind as most countries in south east asia use electric water heaters in their homes.

Softwares used- Solidworks, Keyshot, Photoshop, Illustrator

The area of Focus here was to Design a Safety Device. The Outcome was a Pill/Water Dispenser along with a watch that helps remind Elderly people When to take their Pills and also monitors their vitals and sends reports back to their Doctors. two glasses on the side of the device for convenience and a priscription refillable pill tube that can be replenished at the pharmacy.

this project involved interviews with 15 elderly people that we pre screened before hand. all of the participants were over the age of 60 and had to have been on 5 or more different medications per day. Secondary research was done by interviewing 2 doctors to get feedback on the possibilities and requirements of patients involved.

Softwares used- Solidworks, Keyshot, Photoshop, Illustrator

The Exhibition

This is an exhibition showcasing the designs of one of the worlds most versatile designer called Philippe Starck.

Venue

It is based in the Bukit Bintang area, which is the heart of downtown Kuala Lumpur. This area of the city is the main tourist hub of Malaysia and attracts large crowds of both young and old people of various backgrounds.

Lighting

As for the lighting of the exhibition, I have decided to use an in-ceiling lighting with a translucent, plastic ceiling. This gives the entire space a smooth, mellow glow. As for the products on display, there are overhead spotlights for each. The height depends on the products, with some having larger spotlights for consistent light coverage, while some have smaller light to focus directly on the product on display.

Environment

For the wall, I have chosen a cement-textured wallpaper for the entire exhibition. I have chosen this in order to give the exhibition a vintage, yet modern feeling atmosphere to the exhibition, as it reflects the style of design of Philippe Starck himself. In terms of the textures, I have chosen simple circular patterns, as they bring a simplicity, yet stylized feel, which is what Starck’s designs usually are – they are very simple and organic, yet very stylized. 

Centerpiece

For the centerpiece, I have chosen the Alessi Juicy juicer, as it is one of Starck’s most famous and award-winning designs. When you say the word Starck, this product is the first thing that comes to mind. It is a product that was designed to stylishly and effectively squeezes the juice from oranges. I have placed a 7:1-scale model in the center of the last room on the lower ground floor. It is placed on a platform with a circular light at the base, which produces an upward glow, as well as a spotlight focusing directly on it from the top. It is enclosed in a circular glass case to protect it from visitors either touching or damaging it. The aspect that has been added to it to make it special is that there is a fountain in it that flows from the top of the juicer down to the bottom where a glass is placed to collect the orange liquid that represents the orange juice. This shows the function of the juice, but in a glorified and large scale. It also boasts about the perfection of the flow of the juice into the glass. As for the surroundings of the centerpiece, I have placed a very large illustration on the main wall of a squid = an orange = the product. This represents the elements from which Philippe Starck derived his inspiration to create the juicer. Two actual scale models are placed in in-wall exhibits in the two corners of the room, protected by a glass casing, in order for visitors to see the actual products themselves. 

Softwares used- Sketchup, Keyshot, Photoshop, Illustrator