Lifecycle Analysis

As a designer, considering about product's lifecycle is an crucial thing for all of us. After today's activity, I realized rather than sending them to a landfill, is much better to design the components reuse, and make it  as a valuable resource even after its ‘useful life time’. For example, make the product as light as possible. This is a simple way to reduce material, in order to reducing the waster and landfill. Besides, we need to choosing greener material as possible as we can, It is much better recycle as much reusable material as possible. Because products made from recycled materials are usually cheaper than those made from newly processed materials.  Recycling material means that we are using less of the worlds resources.

Accessible Packaging Week 3

Explanation

Lessons from listening to other tutors: Tom

According to the research, half of visually impaired people have other disability, such as arthritis. Therefore, I focus my package design on these two areas, but mainly visual impairment. First of all, Visual impaired people can only rely on their touching, hearing and maybe a little visual ability. Among the existing product package, there are not many products have a clear textured closure to guide them. Especially for a paper and plastic package, they cannot distinguish a package’s top and bottom sides; they always open the wrong side of the package. I did my research on the problem of visually impaired people facing when they are cooking, and I also found out The Blind Children's Learning Center in Santa Ana using pizza-making as a tactile learning activity. Then I found out flour package is always a problem for them. Flour is always packed by paper, this package is difficult for visually impaired people to open, as well as arthritis. Besides, the package is difficult to control the flour when consumers want to pour it out. Especially for the people cannot see, it will mess around. For my design, I tried to make a guide for visually impaired people, and easy to open, easy to hold for arthritis. I designed a large lid for the flour package, and you can just rotate the lid to open. Easy and simple. The lid helps to storage the flour, and you will have more control of flour when you pour it out. Besides, The body shape with different width, makes the flour would not coming out so quickly. The package is made by PP and cardboard, which are recyclable materials and they are easy to be produced. Considering about the transportation and delivery, I did not make the package with a fancy shape, because I think that is not suitable for large production. 

 Feedback from own tutor: Scott Feedback from Peer 1:Sherman Li
Feedback from Peer 2: Olivia Lin


Reflection and plan of action for this week:  There are not much detail of the work, so I need focus on the details of the product, such as, handle of the plastic, material, and manufacture process.Push more.

T2 video reflections

In the modern competitive business world it is absolutely essential that costs are managed effectively and efficiently in order to maximize return on all kinds of investments, and this cost reduction work would automaticly come down to our design stage, any of the savings made at this stage will be valid for the rest of the product lifecycle. This is also considered as the most important and difficult stage within the lifecycle. To accomplish this, for instance, we could design for ease of assembly and easy joining and fastening, or making it more durable or harder to break.Recycling materials such as steel, copper,  and other metals reduces pollution caused by the processing of new metals and it saves energy.


Sustainability is always a big concern when design new products. Materials that are abundant, non-toxic, have low embodied energy, and meet or exceed regulations would be most ideal materials. Materials selection is key to sustainable design strategies throughout the product lifecycle. Autodesk Eco Materials Advisertool is an amazing software on the website which I noticed extremly valueble for future designing work, it gives advices and helps you to make more informed material choices.

As a designer, I think, these are great videos that might help me in my study and career in the future.

Accessible Packaging Week 2

Feedback from own tutor: Scott 
Feedback from Peer 1: Aki Wei
Feedback from Peer 2: Emma Sun
Lessons from listening to other tutors: Mar


Reflection and plan of action for this week: 
My flour package is not actually solving the problem I found out from the research. And there are many problems about this design, how the flour can be replaced? how the closure works? For this week, I have lots things to do, an mockups. More research about the closure and handle, make them more suitable for vision impairment and arthritis. The most important is to solving the problem I found from my initial research. 

Accessible Packaging Week 1

Concept 1

Concept 2

Concept 3

 Feedback from own tutor: Scott Feedback from Peer 1: Min Stephanie, Cai
Feedback from Peer 2: Ting Ting, Wu
Lessons from listening to other tutors: Mar

Reflection and plan of action for this week: 
For the concept 1, there is be a problem of storage, because the cap is not fully close. Concept 2, Flour package is a problem, even though for normal people. But the shape  I designed is not strong enough to support vision impaired people. Concept 3, Butter package,   the solution I did is too complicate for a package, and people can not adjust the size of a butter. I think I also need to think about reuse, sustainability, delivery, save material and cost.  For this week, I should push the concepts further, and develop concept 2 and concept 3, make them more suitable for vision impairment and arthritis.