1. Redesigning Kettle
Most kettles in the market emphasise on performance, power and efficiency. Instead of a functional looking kettle, I wanted to find a new and acceptable character that was appropriate for an electric kettle. Out of this redesign, Floo was born!
A kettle that wants to be picked up
The process
Thousands of sketches, quick iterations, dirty prototyping and iterative design refinement.
To generate ideas while exploring and probing through uncertainties.
To translate lofty ideas and pretty sketches into real usable products.
The simple, childlike quality of Floo express the spirit of joy and captures the essence of a light-hearted, carefree kettle.
Floo hopes to bring a lightness to the space
In a context of a practical and monotonous kitchen, Floo hopes to add that touch of perky positive energy to a kitchen landscape.
Reflection
The project has laid a foundation in how I would approach a design process. I believe the first idea or the first sketch is never the solution. Every 1mm or 0.1mm makes the difference.
2. Invisible Homelessness
With home ownership rates of 90.3%, Singapore is the last place you would expect to find homeless people. Such ignorance impedes our ability to become an inclusive society.
FlipSide was designed to raise awareness on invisible homelessness in Singapore
Observations
We actively reached out to local communities that work with homeless people in Singapore. We've also directly approached the homeless, on the basis of listening to their stories and understanding their plight.
Final outcome
FlipSide is a durable mat suited for wear and tear lifestyle of city nomads while consumers enjoy a versatile bag.
Security straps and concealed pouch used to deter theft were masked as aesthetic features for the consumers.
This intentional way of incorporating dual functions seek to remind us that there is always more to a situation than meets the eye.
Reflection
This project made me realised that the role of a designer could be used as a powerful medium to solve real problems from a unique perspective. It also opened up my myopic view on marginalised communities around us.
How could I harness my power as a designer in this fallen society?
3. Objectifying Urine Bags
To objectify means to 'imbue immense attention and meaning, transforming ordinary products into emotional objects'.
In this project, I have chosen to objectify a urine bag.
I started with a question;
How does one reach full acceptance when their physical everyday environment do not accommodate for differences
Deep dive
Upon looking into how users live with a urine bag, I realised that the integration of urine bags into one’s environment is often overlooked and disconnected. Urine bags often appear to be an exposed and unresolved fit into surroundings.
To amplify the invasive nature of a urine bag, a furniture piece was designed to objectify the struggle of physical acceptance.
The process
This project involved quick iteration for forms generation as well as translating renderings into real production. I sourced for a steel company to manufacture the final outcome on a scale of 1:1
Final outcome
For this product, privacy was re-established by giving users the choice to switch between revealing and concealing of the bag through the simple 360º rotation of the table top.
Reflection
Through this project, I've learned to heighten my sensitivity towards users' interaction with everyday surroundings. It taught me to form meaningful connections between users and a solution.
A design process can start with a simple word—To objectify.