Tag: reflection

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Team 3: Project Reflection

Introduction:

Welcome to Vizallo! Throughout the semester, we built silicone cover solutions to prevent water from damaging electronics in power wheelchairs. We are a team of 4, comprised of 2 technical business students, a computer science major and a very talented industrial designer.

Ryan’s Story:

Our journey began when we were introduced to Ryan, a recent UIUC graduate and a power wheelchair user himself. We heard unbelievable stories of his multi-thousand-dollar machine simply powering off in the rain because of circuit leakage – and we could not believe it. Ryan resorted to literally using a Ziploc bag to protect the electronics to avoid being stuck helplessly in the rain, banking on kind pedestrians to assist him in getting under a roof. It didn’t take us long to commit to embarking on this semester-long design challenge and trying to help Ryan find a sustainable way to stay dry in the rain.  

Research:

We first decided to look into the market to identify the different options that are available for the purpose of protecting the electronics on the power wheelchair. Although there are several brands with the offerings, most of the options available apply the same concept. They look like a little quarantine tent, where the user would insert his or her hand into to operate the joystick of the power wheelchair.

We realized that these types of covers have many flaws and thus, a big space for us to make improvements on. For example, there are many complaints about the product not being able to hold against heavy rain. It could successfully prevent light drizzles from entering through but under heavy rain, the water could still enter through, thus failing to provide its primary purpose of protecting the electronics of the power wheelchair from the weather. Additionally, because the products are so big and bulky, the users always take them off when it is not raining outside. This means that the users often forget to bring the products with them or get caught in the rain by surprise without having access to them. Furthermore, the designs of the products are not appealing to the users, discouraging them from continuous use.

Design Process:

The design process was not easy. To create what seemed to be a simple solution, such as using an umbrella, was not beneficial for our user. This is when we really became challenged by the design prompt. We came up with extreme ideas from protectant fields to very simple ideas such as utilizing saran wrap. After talking with Ryan about his desire to ride in a Ferrari, our perspective changed and we realized that in order to design something effective, we had to thoroughly consider the user. Coming to this awareness really enabled us to focus on the actual problem, which is to protect the joystick. Although we thought of coming up with solutions that will protect the entire chair from the rain or even his hand, in order to design effectively, we had to consider how every aspect of our design was going to affect Ryan.

After gaining an understanding of what is available on the market, we decided to poke around other protective covers to gain inspiration for our product. We did not limit ourselves to the power wheelchair related products and looked far beyond. For example, we looked into baby strollers and convertible cars to gain inspiration for the “armadillo-style” protective cover. We even looked at phone cases to come up with an idea of a “perfect-fit skin” for the arm of the power wheelchair.

Our goal was simple: create a product that is easy and effective. Since we could not exactly predict the other weather conditions that may come with rainfall such as wind, we had to simplify some of our ideas. This is when the phone case idea provided major inspiration. The phone case is an everyday product that is not only practical but also customizable. Those are two characteristics that we did not notice in other power wheelchair protective covers available on the market. So from there, our goal was to create a product that serves as a skin cover for the joystick, thus allowing it to be mobile, simple, and provide a room to add customization.

Make-A-Thon:

Leading up to the Make-A-Thon, we spent most of our time brainstorming. Going into the Make-A-Thon, we had a solid idea of what we wanted to produce but we weren’t quite sure of the process. Our first step involved creating a mold of the joystick. Since we did not get to scanning and 3D-printing the actual joystick until weeks later, we created a model of a joystick out of styrofoam. After this stage, we were again, unsure of our next steps, and so we tried to develop a prototype that incorporated everyone’s ideas.

We decided to develop on the sleeve cover idea, for which, we tried out the heat gun. The goal was to use heat in some way to get the plastic to shrink to the form of the joystick prototype. Unfortunately, this was not very successful. Some of the plastic and styrofoam melted and the rest refused to stick to the prototype. However, what we did discover was that the plastic, when heated would stick to itself. Therefore, after we came up with another idea, which was to cut the fabric into pieces and piece the pieces together with hot glue, we utilized the heat gun to seal the seams.

While looking for inspiration, we also ran into covers/skins with texture such as the one on game controllers. This inspired us to make grips out of moldable plastic that we then added to our prototype for additional support when the joystick gets slippery. The overall process worked out great and after we added a couple of details, we were done with the prototype for the Make-A-Thon.

Post-Make-A-Thon:

After the Make-A-Thon, we continued to work on the next version of the prototype, which would be closer to what we would hope to put on the market. In order to make the prototype more accurate, we scanned the joystick of Ryan’s power wheelchair, with which we 3D printed the mold. Unfortunately, due to the size of the arm of the power wheelchair, we had to scale the mold down and only focus on the part with the joystick to serve as a demonstration. With the scan of the arm of the power wheelchair, we used Meshmixer to isolate the part with the joystick. We also used the software to fill any gaps from the scan.

The file was then transferred to Fusion 360, where the mold is designed based on the scan. Our idea is that we have a base of the mold with the scanned joystick, which will be enclosed by the top that has a slightly larger negative image of the joystick. Therefore, when the top encloses the base, there will be a slight gap between the base and the top, through which silicon will be inserted to produce the sleeve cover. We were unable to try the silicon injection but we were able to successfully print out the top and the base of the mold.

Next Steps/Testing:

Although the semester wrapped up and the project ended, we decided to share what we have planned on doing further if we were to have more time. For example, we planned on performing more user testing. This will allow us to gain perspectives from the other power wheelchair users and also test the scalability of the product by having them give us feedback. This will also give us valuable insight into the user interface/user experience process of putting on and removing the silicone cover. Since certain users may have less dexterity function than Ryan, we must ensure that we can accommodate everyone.

Next, once we have validated with a broader range of users, we would look into manufacturing the silicone cover at a slightly larger scale. However, we will probably only leverage the database we would have built up from working one on one with the other power wheelchair users. Nonetheless, since there is such a limited amount of power wheelchair manufacturers, this would help us cover a substantial part of the market.

Ultimately, we would look to encompass the rest of the market through more one-on-one testing and database logging or try to leverage the OEMs and use their molds directly from the production line. This is where the large scale manufacturing and distribution comes into play, otherwise known as our moonshot.

This is an enormous industry as a whole. According to Smart Chair, the power wheelchair market alone was valued at $3.9 billion. This is a large market which can be easily infiltrated due to the staggeringly low amount of wheelchair manufacturers that exist. According to IBIS World, there are only 21 wheelchair manufacturers in the US, and it is likely that not all of them make power wheelchairs.

Hence why we justified growing a digital database one-by-one based on individual user testing. Since there is a maximum of 21 different models which we would need to model and manufacture for, hustling and meeting users of each type is not completely out of the question. The manufacturer concentration in this market actually plays heavily to our long-term advantage.

The final presentation for my team can be found here: Team 3 Final Presentation.

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E-Portfolio Reflection

Early Expectations

Coming into this class I really had no idea what to expect. I knew that the class involved 3D printing and design, but I wasn’t aware of how close we would be working with mentors to develop a real product that could be used in their everyday life. In this class, I was hoping to get more experience with 3D modeling and printing and learn more about the industry in general. I wanted to be familiar enough with the technology that I could use my knowledge after I graduated to understand how 3D printing will continue to disrupt the business world.

Overall, I would say that the class met most of my expectations and gave me great experiences that I wasn’t expecting to get going into the class. The nature of the class led us to focus much more on user-centered design and I gained very valuable experience on how to design for end-users during the product development process. I had some experienced with user-centered design in the past, (https://digitalmaking.web.illinois.edu/spring2019/week-2-recap-inspiration-ideation-and-implementation/) but this semester taught me so much more. From a personal standpoint, this course taught me how to collaborate with people with very different work styles and how to split up work to play to the strengths of everyone on the team. The whole semester was a team effort and I definitely could not have accomplished everything without the help of my amazing teammates, Ryan Kane and Jay Lee.

Resources and People

One of my biggest takeaways from the semester was just how awesome the University of Illinois network is. Vishal was able to do a great job bringing in speakers and resources for our class that helped make the experiential learning process easier. I want to thank Milestone Labs, John Hornick, Dan Banach, and Jeff Ginger for coming in and sharing their wisdom with our class. We were also able to seek advice on our project from two professors: Matthew Goodman (Material Science) and Deana McDonagh (Industrial Design). Both of these professors added helpful insight into the material make-up and aesthetic design of our prototype.

I am also thankful for Adam who introduced us to our mentors at DRES. Before this semester, I had no idea that DRES existed and it was so cool to see all the amazing services the facility provides and the awesome people who work and train there. Specifically, our mentor Jenna was incredible to work with and inspired us to keep on persisting through the design process.

In addition to these wonderful people, we were given access to a lot or resources at the college. I had very little interaction with the Fab Lab and the Makerlab before this semester, but I really enjoyed learning about and utilizing all of the resources they provide. As a Senior, I wish I had learned about these great facilities earlier so I could have used them more often throughout my college career.

https://digitalmaking.web.illinois.edu/spring2019/digging-deeper-into-our-ideas-week-3-reflection/
https://digitalmaking.web.illinois.edu/spring2019/democratization-of-innovation/
https://digitalmaking.web.illinois.edu/spring2019/preparing-for-the-make-a-thon-3/
https://digitalmaking.web.illinois.edu/spring2019/make-a-thon-preparation/

3D Printing Skills

One of my expectations coming into this course was that I would learn more about how to 3D print and model. Using Fusion 360, a 3D printing software, Dan Banach was able to teach us how to design our own custom phone holder. When I first saw the design we were going to create I was pretty overwhelmed, but by the end of the process, I realized how easy it was to design and model on Fusion 360. Learning how to 3D model was one of my favorite parts of the class and it was great to see my design come to life both on the screen and then on the 3D printer itself. 3D printing still fascinates me and I am hopeful that I will continue to have access to 3D printers where I can keep on designing and creating.

https://digitalmaking.web.illinois.edu/spring2019/moving-forward/
https://digitalmaking.web.illinois.edu/spring2019/week-6-learning-the-ropes/

Learning to Make

The most important thing I learned this semester was how to make. I know that this sounds pretty straightforward and a little bit vague, but for me “making” is all about being creative and unafraid to try new things. In business, there is a lot of structure and preparation and there is usually a “right way” and a “wrong way” to do things. However, when it comes to “making” there are so many different ways to achieve your end goal and there is no structure because you are creating something that hasn’t been created before. While at first I was intimidated by this process, by the end I found myself enjoying the ambiguity and creativity needed to succeed. My time at the Fab Lab and prototyping on our project showed me that there are so many ways to be creative and build new things. I hope that when I graduate I can take this new mindset with me and continue to make and create!

https://digitalmaking.web.illinois.edu/spring2019/creation-station-week-7/
https://digitalmaking.web.illinois.edu/spring2019/return-to-the-fab-lab-week-8/
https://digitalmaking.web.illinois.edu/spring2019/watches-and-storyboarding-week-9/
https://digitalmaking.web.illinois.edu/spring2019/make-a-thon-recap-and-next-steps/

Key Takeaways from the Digital Making Seminar

  1. The University of Illinois has amazing resources
  2. The University of Illinois has amazing people
  3. Design thinking is all about what the user needs
  4. Failure is part of the innovation process
  5. 3D printing is changing the world
  6. Making things is fun!
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A Designed Journey

EXPECTATIONS.

In terms of expectations for the course, I thought that there would be a lot more tool training and 3D printing involved. Instead, our time was split evenly between team prototyping and tool training. While I knew about the prototyping project, it was both less structured than I expected and more involved than I thought it was going to be. On one hand, we were given the guiding information and assignments to go about prototyping our ideas, but on the other hand, a lot of the initiative was left to our own self to start conducting outside research and interviews, start tool practice and learning, and start networking and testing our prototype.  I had honestly expected the course to “hold our hands” a little bit more than they did, but I am very glad that it did not. In the end, I was able to learn more about the way that I tackle large projects without much guidance as well as learn more about design thinking and the prototyping process. Before, startups were a bit of a mystery to me, a buzzword many people use in business talks, but going through the prototyping process helped me truly understand what a startup does and how difficult that process is.

Another aspect I had not expected was how closely we worked with DRES. I had expected a course about digital making, especially a course housed within the Gies College of Business, to be more bottom line focused in their innovation themes, but the accessibility work and disabilities focus we had in class was a nice surprise. Having done some disabilities advocacy – albeit more on the mental health side rather than the physical disabilities side – before, being able to work in this field put me a little more at ease. It was incredible to see the real impact that our prototypes had on real people at the end of the course.

Group Interview at DRES with our mentors

To see a more in-depth break-down of what the first few weeks of class were like, read the following blog posts:

COMMUNITY + OPEN SOURCE RESOURCES.

It was really cool to be able to learn how to use a multitude of new programs within this class; the program I was most excited about learning was Autodesk’s Fusion 360. My brother took a 3D printing class our senior year of high school, and I was always fascinated by the projects he brought home to show our family. As a result, I was both anxiously anticipating and incredibly excited to work with 3D modelling for the first time during this seminar. Upon completing Lars Christensen’s Fusion 360 tutorial that we used to familiarize ourselves with the Fusion 360 program, I felt really accomplished and inspired to explore 3D modelling further.

Left: 3D printed phone holder, Right, from top to bottom: Fusion 360 file for phone holder, 3D printed box from Lars Christensen’s tutorial, 3D printing in process of Solestice logo

It was around the completion of our introduction to Fusion 360 that we were introduced to a community resource on campus: the Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab. For such a compact space, the amount of resources available there was incredible! I was so surprised that we had so many resources available to us as members of the Champaign-Urbana community, and yet, not many people knew of these resources. One of my goals after this class is definitely to let more people know about the plethora of resources we have available to us here in CU. During our three weeks at the CU Fab Lab, we completed a culmination project which taught us how to use Inkscape, an open source vector program similar to Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, to create laser engraving files; create code and build Arduino programs and other electrical configurations; and use a sewing machine on various types of textiles. Overall, it was a really cool experience that allowed me to familiarize myself with new tools and gain new ideas on what types of innovation could be used to help me create my prototype.

Upper row, from left to right: Sewn watch strap, laser cut & engraved watch face, in-progress watch assembling, Arduino electrical component; Lower row, from left to right: Arduino code, finished exercise watch

For more detail on what the tool training experience was like for me, feel free to reference the following blog posts:

PROTOTYPING.

As part of the prototyping process, we went through many different concepts related to design thinking. First, we learned about human centered design and empathetic design, which really appealed to me. Before, I thought that innovation and prototyping design was only for the random moments of inspiration where someone looks at a problem and is struck by the inspiration to find a solution to it in order to make money. However, we were taught that wording is another important aspect of designing and that we should think of our prototypes not as “solutions to problems” but “ideas for to fill an opportunity,” something that we can use to help people with. We also learned about diverging during the brainstorming process and then converging back upon a decided path to take a prototype idea. Through this process, I was confronted with my indecisive nature. Although I had subconsciously known this, I had not realized why I was so indecisive. Yet, during the prototyping process, I realized that I was indecisive because I feared the failure of arriving at the wrong answer. I disliked choosing a path, preferring inaction over actively choosing wrong. Taking this course has really helped me realize that about myself, and I now try to challenge myself in my daily living to make quicker decisions, to choose a path rather than being crippled into inaction. I am learning to trust my instincts and gut feelings a little more than I did before.

One example of this was the iterations that lead to the drastic changed between our (Team Solestice’s) low fidelity prototype, our Make-a-thon prototype, and our post-testing prototype. In the first prototype, we were thinking of using metal spikes as a source of traction, and we committed to the idea. However, upon further research, before we even got to the Make-a-thon event, we realized that it was not feasible, that it would be even more of a problem for a user to have to take the tread off and put it back on every time they switched between walking outdoors to indoors and vice versa. And here we thought we had the correct idea. Yet, after we tested our prototype with a prosthetic leg user, post-Make-a-thon, we realized once again an opportunity for change. We realized that the tread was too heavy and the Velcro too visible. So, we switched gears once again to look at being able to apply the tread directly to a shoe. So, it was through this course, our prototyping project specifically, that I understood an opportunity for myself to learn to face failure head on, to learn to be okay with the fear of failure, and to keep working, regardless.

Left: Post-Testing Prototype (3rd), Upper Right, Low Fidelity Prototype (1st), Lower Right: Make-a-thon Prototype (2nd)

For more details about the preparation I undertook with my team for the Make-a-thon event, take a look at the following blog posts:

This course has taught me so much, not only about the different innovation tools available in the market right now, but also about myself. I have grown not just in marketable skills, but also as a person, and for that, I am incredibly thankful that I took a chance, braced myself for failure, and applied to be a part of this course.

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Week 8 Reflection – Learning more tools and reflecting on the project

This week, we continued learning new tools and heard feedback from the Milestone Lab.

At the first half of the class, we focused on studying new skills. Similar to last week, the session was broken down into two groups, and we went to the section that we didn’t go to last time. In the beginning, we learned Inkscape, a software for creating and editing vector graphics. We studied how to create basic shapes and how to manipulate them to produce more shapes. We also practiced how to use existing pictures to transform into vector graphics. Then, we learned how to alter stroke and fill to differentiate the parts that we want to cut and the parts that we want to etch. After learning the skills, we applied them to design the customized watch. Because this watch would be for personal use to show caring and love, I chose to include a heart image to etch. In addition, since it would be relatively easy to confuse the top and the bottom, I decided to etch a letter B on the base. In my spare time, I went to the Fab lab and got the pieces laser cut.

Laser cutting
The watch

After the laser cutting lesson, we then worked on the sewing machine. This was the first time that I used a sewing machine, so the experience was new and unique for me. In the beginning, it was hard to even twine the thread following all the steps as well as threading. Gradually, after I practiced the basic one, I got more used to the speed of the sewing machine and the whole process. When I worked on the strip, I was able to finish it quickly.

The strip

In the future, I think the knowledge that I gained from those would be beneficial for our project since we are planning to do more prototyping to test the design. One useful resource I find online for more advanced skills for Inscape is at this link. It talks more about how to create different types of paths and how to alter paths. For instance, one can use “Ctrl + K” to combine paths to a compound. This technique can be useful if one wants to create holes in the design as well: by combining overlapping paths with fill, the overlapping area’s fill would disappear. I plan to explore more on this site to acquire more skills that are applicable to our project.

At the second half of the class, we presented to the Milestone Lab about our project progress and received insights from them. Up till now, we have decided on the area that we would like to focus on moving forward, but we were not sure how to approach the features that we wanted the product to be able to achieve. Thus, Milestone suggested us to consider the flexibility the users wanted and to consider the usage of the glove in the actual context. For instance, before the utensils get connected with the glove, where it needs to be placed so that the users can be able to put the glove on by themselves. Also, when the utensils get connected with the glove, how many degrees the users would want. All those are factors that we need to take into consideration in our design, and I think they are all excellent starting points.