FINALE

Okay so for this blog it will be a complete summary of all that I have learnt in this module. Starting with Needs Identification and research and my main learning point was the literature review , in which I learnt that it gives us researchers a landscape to properly understand what we are keen in researching about , it also helps us identify any research gaps as well as formulate research questions which will better our knowledge on the field.

Secondly, for idea generation, screening and selection I found about SCAMPER which stands for substitute,combine, adapt,modify, put to another use, eliminate, reverse. It is basically promotes creative brainstorming for better idea generation .It was a good way for me to prompt myself during ideation however I did find the process very tedious. I realised I frequently used substitute and climate actions when I did my brainstorming. I also learnt about the COWS decision matrix which was of great help in our final stages of CA. It provided us a way to compare and evaluate different options based on the same given criteria. This came in very handy when we deciding on the type of material to use for our various components.

Moving on, I also had hands on experience in prototyping. We had a coffee maker experiment where we were able to open up the coffee maker and analyse the internal components of the coffee maker. I also gained understanding on the functionality of the components. In short reverse engineering allows us to break down a complex object into its simpler parts so that we can understand its underlying principles. I also learnt about cardboard joinery and how we can manipulate cardboards to create different structures. My group managed to make many different structures that allowed the marble ball to roll over all of them for about 11 seconds. Following that I also managed to to learn how to navigate fusion 360 which helped me in both 3D printing and laser cutting . 3D printing was rather tricky for me however , laser cutting was much easier to understand and get a hang off . At first i used the laser cutting machine with my SOP but the second time i was able to operate the machine without guidance. As someone who hates drawing, I shocked myself when I had to draw a milk carton and book in 1-point and 2 point view. In summary, these prototyping skills have given me a better foundation of what to use and do when I want to create a prototype. These practicals have given me not only knowledge but also skills for me to put to use in my own life and projects.

Lastly, we are reaching the finale. I learnt about material properties and websites that I can use to understand the different properties of various materials be it metals or acrylic. For our CA idea we realised we had to create a persona . This step enhanced our product design vastly as we had had a better margin and understanding of what requirements and goals our product had to meet. Creating a persona helped us bridge the gap between us and the users and pushed us to create a user-centric design. Staying in line with sustainibility we tried to adapt a sustainable product by choosing materials that were easy to produce without much energy required and also has a long lifespan so that frequency mantainence and replacement will not required. Finally, we put all we have learnt over the past few weeks in a slide presentation which was our design pitch. We were clear and precise in our persuassion and we made to keep slides clean with relevant information but not too much so that our audience will be keen in hearing about what we have to say . Design pitch was fun as I was happy to share about product my group and I spent weeks researching and working on. Our product is names BioLumen CellCharge.

This Module has vastly deepened my knowledge on how to create a product, the various steps , research engines that can be used and skills that cannot be easily acquired outside . I am intrigued to not only find out more about product design on my own but to also apply my knowledge and skills on my own individual process. Although it can be tedious , it was always very fruitful to look at the results . I can now use these acquired knowledge and skills for my future modules in DCHE. Thank you and see you !