Zhiyang (Alice) Xu
Undergraduate
As a first-year ID student, I have gained familiarity with the design process using tools such as research, sketching, and prototyping; and I utilize softwares like Adobe Creative Suite, Fusion 360, Python, and MATLAB to aid my design. I strive for a clean and well-developed form, a user-friendly interaction, and the integration with technology in my design. I consider being able to learn from and collaborate with others around me as a large asset. Furthermore, I am a fast learner and have the work ethic to match. I believe my worldly view sets me apart from others. I am still early in my design career and there is a lot I need to develop, and I am excited for what I will learn as I grow as a designer.
Hui
Class: ID 1011 | Instructor: Kevin Shankwiler
Hui is a modern Scandinavian design brand that believe a good product should help you maintain a healthy mind and body. The brand takes superb natural sustainable material, soft organic form, and the smartest technology, the Hui products are designed to seamlessly transform a standard home into a serene smart home.
The Hui home automation uses bamboo, which one of the most sustainable natural materials today. The Hui home automation hub also emphasizes on a soft color palette. The hub utilizes led light strip to indicate the status of your home. Noticeable but not distributing pastel lights softly radiates on the top and bottom of the hub. The Hui home automation hub uses easy to clean material and finish, wireless charging and magnetically levitates, which makes habitual cleaning effortless, and thus aids the user’s health.
The speaker and logo is hidden under the hub body, which gives the hub the cleanest profile possible. The bottom piece of the hub features an organic form to evoke the feeling of serenity. The overall form of the Hui hub echoes a log floating in a river.
Marble
Class: ID 1011 | Instructor: Kevin Shankwiler
Marble is a electric coffee grinder that explores form and hierarchy. Marble consists a bean hopper, a main grinder body, a logo plate on the bean hopper, an actuation button on the front of the grinder body, and a grinder adjustment on the side of the grinder body. The texture of Marble is inspired by the grain of a rock. The texture is used on Marble to convince the feeling of durability and elegance and is used to indict the actuation button and grind adjustment. Marble uses the rule of third to achieve an dynamic design to further emphasis the sense of elegance.
Ergonomic Redesign
Class: ID1011 | Instructor: Kevin Shankwiler
The objective of this project is to explore ergonomic handle designs. I chose Exacto Knife to redesign in two directions. The first design has a thicker pen body than the original Exacto Knife to accommodate for thicker fingers, a rounded top and wavy side profile allows different holds; a flat bottom to prevent rolling; and the part of the pen that users do not interact with in-use is carved out to hold pen or pencil when the knife is set down.
The second design has a full silhouette that perfectly fits palms without being bulky. The unique shape of the knife allows those with finger and wrist injuries and diseases to comfortably use the tool as well as abled people. The tip of the knife tilts upward to naturally stop the finger from sliding and encourages the user to use the full blade. The flat sides of the knife keep the knife exact where the user intends it to be.