The Task
The third step of the design process focused on evaluating designs and researching production methods. At this point, we've finished all the market and function research necessary, and now the project is slowly becoming more tangible. A lot of the work in this design focused on the actual creation of the product and the best way to be efficient about it. We were also introduced to Onshape, an accessible 3D modelling website that we will use for the remainder of the project. COVID-19 still remains a challenge as of right now, but my team has gotten use to the at-home work.
Evaluation of Alternative Concepts
In the last design step, my team had to create three possible designs for our product and sketch them out. This assignment involved rating the designs' abilities to accomplish the functions. We weighted the four functions, then gave the ability a value from 0 to 10, with 10 being the best way to accomplish the function. Some math was done and we determined that design 2 was the best concept overall. Therefore, our main design will be based on concept 2. As a reminder, this is a description of design 2:
Design 2: Volume fader, tilt EQ, cylinder shape, XLR connector
The tilt EQ, XLR connector, and cylindrical shape are extremely close to our desired product. This design appeals to the amateur musician for its simplicity. However, the volume fader isn't the best choice because it won't fit on a cylinder and is awkward to control.
Design 2: Volume fader, tilt EQ, cylinder shape, XLR connector
The tilt EQ, XLR connector, and cylindrical shape are extremely close to our desired product. This design appeals to the amateur musician for its simplicity. However, the volume fader isn't the best choice because it won't fit on a cylinder and is awkward to control.
Product Life Cycle
The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a "cradle-to-grave" analysis of a product. The LCA researches a product's life, from its creation in the factory, to maintenance, to disposal. The point of an LCA is to get a better understanding of the production and function of a product. We created an LCA for our product. Although a lot of the research is hypothetical, we knew that the creation of circuits and XLR cables would be critical to understand. Thus, we researched circuits and a few other components and materials for the LCA.
Canva: The LCA Infographic
The infographic is a way to visualize the life cycle of a product. The top is our team's logo, and the next six boxes represent a different part of the life cycle. The last box is just credits. This was created using Canva, a free graphic design website. I have experience in this website from robotics and the GSA.
The colors were based off of the logo. We decided to keep the "colder" feel of the colors and reduce the pop. |
Onshape: 3D Modelling Tutorials
Onshape is a free 3D modelling website that will allow us to create models that we will need for the product. These three models are my replicas of the tutorial video models. The first one is a general shape that taught us how to use the software. The second one is the replica of a swimming pool hand railing using the sweep feature. The third one is my attempt at using the loft feature. Fortunately, I already had experience with Onshape because of my participation in the robotics club, and STEM allowed me to further refine these skills.
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Reflection
The workload eased a little bit in the third design step. With the sketching course finished, the main challenges of this step were the LCA and the Onshape tutorials. STEM is about developing one's technical and soft skills, and I was able to refine both. One of my strengths was my usage of previous knowledge. In other clubs, I have used both Onshape and Canva for business purposes. At times, I wondered when these websites would be useful to know for school. Now, my hard work has paid off. I was able to use both websites efficiently, which resulted in great benefit for the group. I am proud of my graphic and 3D designs and plan to use the websites more in my future. Another strength I had was researching the manufacturing process. The process of creating a PCB is very complex and involves the use of complicated materials. I had to be careful with my research and used multiple sources to gather the most reliable information. Our product cannot function without a circuit, which needs a PCB. Dissecting the process was difficult, but rewarding.
I think one of my clear weaknesses during this portion of the project was my participation in the evaluation of alternative concepts. I misinterpreted the evaluation and based the function accomplishment on efficiency alone without considering our target audience. What this means is that, normally, tilt EQ would be ranked higher than parametric EQ because it focuses more on amateur musicians, despite parametic EQ satisfying the function more easily. I did not take this into account, and as a result, my matrix was skewed. My other weakness was my contribution to the LCA paper. While I did a lot of writing for the manufacturing process, I failed to make any lasting contributions to other sections of the formatting. If I participated more, the research would've gone faster. I hope to fix this in the future.
This design step was fun because I got to use websites that I am familiar with for the project. I hope that I can continue applying my experience with other clubs to this project.
I think one of my clear weaknesses during this portion of the project was my participation in the evaluation of alternative concepts. I misinterpreted the evaluation and based the function accomplishment on efficiency alone without considering our target audience. What this means is that, normally, tilt EQ would be ranked higher than parametric EQ because it focuses more on amateur musicians, despite parametic EQ satisfying the function more easily. I did not take this into account, and as a result, my matrix was skewed. My other weakness was my contribution to the LCA paper. While I did a lot of writing for the manufacturing process, I failed to make any lasting contributions to other sections of the formatting. If I participated more, the research would've gone faster. I hope to fix this in the future.
This design step was fun because I got to use websites that I am familiar with for the project. I hope that I can continue applying my experience with other clubs to this project.