PROJECTS
Contents / Portraying Rest in Danang Furniture Design - Pair Project - 4 Weeks
/ Reducing Post-harvest Losses Industrial Goods Design - 8 Weeks
/ Community Gardening Tools Lifestyle Product Design - Graduation Project - 16 Weeks
/ Another Life UI/UX Project - Pet Project
/ Shell Express UI/UX Project - Pet Project
/ Industry Projects
Portraying Rest in Danang Furniture Design - Pair Project - 4 Weeks
brief. To understand the characteristics of straw mats that the locals produce and design a product that best represents Vietnamese Culture.
Insights After observing how people in Vietnam work, rest and play, we noticed something unique about the way they rest. They like to squeeze themselves into the small spaces available near them. The medium that they use to sit on is also interesting. They apparently use anything that is able to support their weight to sit. For example, cupboard boxes, mats, stack of papers and stools. Also their tables and chairs are short and small. They also use their furnitures in a multiple ways where a stool can be something to sit on or a mini table.
Exploration Using wires to shape out the form of the three different furnitures to get a better overview of the furnitures as a whole in order to continue to the actual scale of it. Exploring different forms and ways on how the furnitures can portray rest in Vietnam and coming into conclusion of this three mock-ups where the form of the final three furnitures will be. We also tried slotting metal wires into the straw mat which we then bent it into the shape. Exploring on this method to see if the wire is strong enough to support the whole structure and also if the wires blends in well with the straws.
Exploration Making 1:1 wire skeleton of the chairs and table furniture using the dimension of the furnitures as a guide.
‘Kiao-Ka’ Bed The first furniture is the ‘KiaoKa’ bed, which is inspired from the way Vietnamese rest. We noticed that they tend to lift their legs up onto something when they are sleeping or lying down. We did a form that resembles the way the Vietnamese lift their legs up. There are also three ways of using this furniture including ‘Kiao-Ka’-ing on the bed itself.
Bed with Pillow Secondly, it’s the Bed with Pillow where we were inspired by how shop owners rest in their store. They are seen to grab something they think is comfortable to rest their head on when they are sleeping, be it on the floor, under the table or on the table.
Chair & Table Last but not least, it’s the Chair & Table furniture which portrays the small stools and tables that the Vietnamese use frequently when they are eating, playing cards/chess or reading the newspapers etc. With this furniture, the user is able to sit facing either direction and use the table as a side table.
Combining all together Putting all three furnitures together it will then show the big picture of rest in Vietnam. It also portrays the cityscape of Vietnam itself.
Reducing Post-harvest Losses Lifestyle Product Design - 8 Weeks
brief. Future Systems - to research on an industry that is need of an overhaul (disruption). To understand the dynamics of the chosen industry, its drivers, potentials, strengths and limitations. Based on this thorough investigation, highlight key insights specific to this industry beyond the obvious.
Insights Around 25 - 50% of fruits do not make it to consumers which result in huge losses for farmers. This is due to careless handling and the tough conditions the fruits have to go through before reaching the consumers. Reduction in this wastage will be economically beneficial to farmers and consumers alike. Research shows that the highest level of damage to the fruits occurs during delivery. High temperature and damaging weather are factors leading to the loss of fruits as internal moisture is being dried out. Uneven terrain faced by delivery tucks causes vibration to the boxes, which causes fruits to rub against each other and the sides of the box as well. Bruising of the fruits will rapidly increase water loss, and skin breakage will provide entryways for infection by disease organisms causing decay.
Target Market Supermarkets that import fruits are my main target users.
Market Research Plastic & cardboard crates are the most commonly used crates when it comes to transporting fruits & vegetables.
Context & Environment Identified areas where the crate will be at are conveyor belts, sorting factories & finally arriving at the supermarket.
Mood Board A mood board is done to inspire me on the design of the rake to look like. Characteristics of having strong leading lines in the product can be seen reflected on my final design.
Concept Sketches
Final Design
Production A wooden mold is made to bend matte black acrylic into shape. Two halves were made and had the join lines at the corner as it will be less visible when joined. Internal ribs structure are lwand heated into the corners of the frame.
Manufacturing Abilities
Community Gardening Tools Lifestyle Product Design - Graduation Project - 16 Weeks
brief. With the aim of rekindling the lost kampung spirit of residential communities, design a product that helps build a community within the community garden.
Insights Community gardens are found in many Housing Development Board (HDB) estates, serving as one of several amenities in a neighbourhood that are intended for the collective use of residents. Through the sharing of this common space, the goal is that residents can meet through regular encounters & interaction, possibly resulting in the forging of relationships & a sense of community over time. In practice however, community gardens, are typically managed or controlled by a neighbourhood committee (known as a “Residents’ Committee�) and are often gated for pragmatic reasons, ie. to prevent theft or damage of plants & garden equipment. Because of the presence of physical barriers and the fact that these gardens are managed & maintained only by a certain group of people in the community, authentic inclusion of the larger segment of the community is not possible. Many in the community may therefore feel a excluded, which results in them not visiting the garden. Ultimately, these gardens become mere token communal spaces.
Target Market Through observation on the ground & interviews amongst members of the community, it is found that the primary user of these community gardens are the elderly residents aged 50 years & above. They are more likely to be tending to the plants in the community gardens - for varied reasons: some are longing for the “kampung spirit� of the yesteryears, while others simply need something to do in their abundant free time as retirees. As such, the elderly forms one of the primary target users for the designed product. The other group of target users are children aged 5 - 7 years old. In HDB estates, kindergartens are typically located at the lobbies of apartment blocks - often these kindergartens are allocated some outdoor, green space in the immediate vicinity. These spaces are often used as gardens which serve as catalysts to facilitate immersive learning & development of soft skills amongst the children.
Mood Board A mood board is done to inspire me on how the tools can be split and also noting the details of how two different materials can come together harmoniously.
Exploration Sketches & mock ups using blue foam were done to help make more informed design choices in terms of styling and ergonomics.
Exploration Shortlisted designs are developed as prototypes using blue foam, ensuring a wide range of design iterations. These are then rigorously tested and go through further rounds of iterations & modifications to ensure that they are ergonomically comfortable.
Production 3D print of the final model is first done to confirm the proportions and sizing of the gardening tool.
Wooden Handles are constructed via CNC, and sand to smoothen out the curves. Matte Lacquer Spray is used to finish it.
Tool Ends are printed in High Detailed Resin via Industrial SLA Process after which a layer of primer is used before spray painting it to the desired color.
Hooks (male) are 3D-printed & sand to achieve a smooth surface before primer and coloring. They are then attached to the steel rack. Loops (female) are produced via Laser-cutting of acrylic & then attached to the ends of the tool handles.
Final This set of gardening tools encourages people to pick up gardening skills. Equipped with a set of nesting tools, newbies to gardening are able to learn through mimicking the actions of gardeners. This in turn allows for communication & bonding to occur organically, paving the way towards the kampung spirit.
Manufacturing Abilities
Marketability Gardening tools in the market are meant for adults usage and are not safe for kids to use due to sharp edges and have a much larger handle. Gardening tools for kids however, are not designed for heavy gardening but more for playing. The community gardening tools are meant for everyone to use, and encourages interaction to happen between users due to it’s nesting tools.
Online Platform for Upcycling Web Design - Pet Project
introduction. During my course in internship at 2359 Media, I did a pet project which tackles furniture waste. Targeting IKEA furniture where parts of different furniture are actually interchange-able.
The Idea When a piece of furniture spoils, it is usually being thrown away rather than being repaired. This creates unnecessary waste and creates a huge environmental impact. The idea is to create a platform that teaches people to re-purpose their furniture, giving it a second life.
The Vision Achieving a platform that provides users with tutorials that teaches them to re-purpose their used/spoiled IKEA furniture.
The Goal To help users think twice before disposing of their old/ spoiled IKEA furniture and to give them another life.
User’s Goal To be able to find a way to repurpose their old/spoiled IKEA furniture easily.
Competitive Analysis ikeahackers.net instructables.com
Persona As it was a short project, I created a persona with information based on users that uses ikeahackers & instructables.
Demographics 28 - 40 years-old
Identifiers - Loves to do DIY projects - Not very good at fixing up furnitures - Low level hoarder
Persona: Jane, the Stay-at-Home mum
Context of Use A scenario of how a typical user like The Stay-at-Home Mums will experience when finding a way to re-purpose their IKEA furniture.
In-Car Petrol Payment Application App Design - Pet Project - Ongoing
introduction. I was topping up petrol and went to make payment at the cashier. At the queue, the lady in front of me kept looking back at her car. I then noticed that her baby was left unattended in the car, which can be quite dangerous due to a number of reasons.Â
Understanding the Challenge It is advised never to leave a child unattended in a car. A car temperature can go from ambient to 40 degrees Celsius in just seven to eight minutes, which is considered the risk point. Scenarios such as accidentally locking your child in a car and not being able to get back into the vehicle is another problem that is better to avoid.
However... Some parents would rather leave their child in the car than to bring them out to inhale the petrol fumes, while others just find themselves in scenarios where they just can’t possibly bring two or more kids to pay for petrol.
Research Methods / Survey / Personas / User Journey / User Flowchart / Sketches / Wireframes / Storyboard
Survey I prepared a Google Forms survey and distributed it among groups of people who drives on Facebook. The purpose was to determine the ‘pain-points’ of drivers when it comes to paying for petrol. Learning about the problems of potential users is a good way to be inspired. Using the information gathered from the survey will allow for a better chance to discover the problem and how to solve it.
Do you bring your kids along to the petrol station?
Do you leave your kids in the car while you leave to pay for petrol?
Yes
Yes
No
No
Why do you leave your kids in the car?
Why do you bring your kids along to pay?
It is a hassle to have them
Do not want to risk any
come along to the cashier
potential dangers (Car
There’s another adult in the
locked, kidnappers, etc)
car to supervise them
Do not find it safe to leave
Do not want them to inhale
kids in the car unsupervised
petrol fumes
Aware that temperature in the car rises very quickly
Do you wish there is a way to pay for petrol without leaving the car? Yes No
Personas
Vanessa Teoh Age: Occupation: Status:
45 Housewife Married
About Mother of one - Jamie. Vanessa is aware of the dangers of leaving her 6-year-old. How she tries to shorten the time where Jamie is left unattended in the car is to only top up petrol when there is not many cars around, however, there are still instances where Jamie is left in the car for more than 5mins.
Habits • Tops up petrol only when there is not many cars around • Waits in the car for lesser people at the cashier queue • Turns to check on Jamie from in the store to ensure his safety • Pays for most stuff using mobile payment (Apple Pay, Samsung Pay)
Pain Points • Does not want to bring her son along to pay for petrol • Does not like to leave her son alone unattended in the car • Hates carrying physical cards (membership cards)
Goals • Able to pay for petrol without leaving her son unattended
“I try my best to minimize the time where I leave my son unattended in the car.”
Using the results of the survey, I have identified several type of users with different needs. Through the consolidation of the different insights and patterns from the users’ answers helped me create two different personas. Eventually I focused on the more common persona. By focusing on a specific user, in this case the more common persona, will allow me to focus on what users want.
User Journey
Thinking
“I need to pop by the gas station but Jamie is with me.”
oing
Driving home but the fuel indicator light turns on.
FeelingD
I thought of a typical situation for my persona. This process helped with discovering the pain points users might have when topping up petrol.
Annoyed
“I should wait in the car till the queue is shorter”
Waiting for the queue at the cashier to be shorter.
Annoyed
“Got ready my membership card & phone to pay”
Prepares for payment to reduce the time Jamie is left unattended.
Hopeful, Anxious
“The guy infront of me is having issues with his payment!!”
Starts getting impatient with the delay caused.
Annoyed, Anxious
User Flowchart I then map out the basic flow of the application using postits before making it digitally. This help to figure the steps the user needs to take to achieve the desired solution.
Sketches Sketching helps me to visualize the application and the application’s outline.
Wireframes A simple wireframe is done to help me arrange the elements of the interface and also allow me to test out ideas without spending too much time on the aesthetics of the UI.
Mood Board A mood board is done to inspire me on how I would like the UI to look like. Wanting it to be simple, yet effective in allowing users to fufill the required actions quickly.
Final Design Getting Started This section starts with having users choose between getting started which will lead them to either paying for petrol or signing up. By allowing users to pay for petrol without signing up first, will give them first hand experience of how convenient the application is. Returning users, or existing members can simply login if they had logged out or redownloaded the application.
Onboarding The goal of the onboarding is to have users allow for permission of systems settings such as location services & notifications.
Paying for Petrol Keeping in mind the persona’s needs and habits when designing the flow of paying for petrol. Making the whole process seamless and as quickly as possible.
Conclusion It was clear from the beginning what the application is meant to do which helped in focusing on what is needed. What I have learned is how an application should be beneficial for both consumers and businesses. For the next phase of the project, I am planning to include a section for the latest news & events which will help draw in more customers.
Industry Projects / Coffeelenial Main role: UI Designer Supporting role: UX Designer
/ BuuChain Main role: UI Designer Supporting role: UX Designer
Coffeelenial Coffee delivery
Research Wireframe Prototype
Interaction Visual design High-fidelity mockup
BuuChain Cryptocurrency, Forum
Interaction Visual design High-fidelity mockup Front-end development
Content management system (CMS)