This project was created as a part of Carnegie Mellon's DIY Design and Manufacturing course in Spring 2023. The goal of the project was to test our ability to rapidly design, iterate, and manufacture a product that meet a theoretical clients needs. We were given 2 weeks to complete this project where we had to design and make a product for one of 3 different example companies each with their own design criteria and goals. The overarching theme was to create a reusable paper cup holder constructed from 1/8" thick acrylic. The example company I went with was "MYKEA" an IKEA inspired company. In addition to designing with IKEA’s style in mind I also had to minimize prototype material used. Additionally the product needed to be in at least two parts and assembled before use.
I started my design process by first drawing many sketches of many different designs for each of the different example companies.
I finally settled on designing for “MYKEA” and set about iterating on how to meet all the design criteria for my chosen company. Next, came the prototyping phase of the project. Since, one of the important considerations was to minimize prototyping material. I made sure to take detailed measurements of my cup and draw out dimensions for everything before creating my prototype.
With my measurements complete it was time to create my paper prototype. The important part here was to make sure that my assembly mechanism worked so I took extra time to make sure the joint section was well measured and constructed.
With my paper prototype complete I then created the design in CAD and laser cut it out of my acrylic. Using a heat gun and mold I then bent the acrylic into shape.
I had 3 key measures of success that my design had to fulfill for my selected company:
Aesthetic Consistency: Design with IKEA in mind.
Form: At least 2 pieces that must be assembled for the final usable product.
Market flux: Emphasize modeling and engineering design over extensive prototyping. Using as little prototype material as possible.
The easiest measure to meet was the form criteria. My design was in 2 parts that had to be assembled to function. Next, was minimizing my prototyping material. Since I took accurate measurements of all my important dimensions I only had to create 1 prototype. The only way to improve on this metric would have been to create no prototype at all. However that would have been unwise with needing to make sure that my measurements were correct and everything fit as it should. The last success criteria is harder to quantify since it is based on the aesthetic design matching that of IKEA. In the project assignment the words used for an IKEA design are “sleek and simple”. Keeping this in mind I used a neutral white color for my product to help it blend in with any color cup or surrounding. I also used gentle curves and sharp edges to emulate other actual IKEA products. Finally once I had my final product I showed it to 10 people and had them rate it on a scale of 1 to 5 of how “IKEA” the product was and got an average of 4.
In conclusion I was able to create a product that successfully met all 3 of the major design requirements. This product used a minimal amount of prototyping materials, had to be assembled, and followed IKEAs design philosophy. It was able to meet all these design goals while also being a functional piece.
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