Project 3: Treasuring Time

For this project I have designed something that would enable people to remember their time at live shows and concerts; and is more specifically aimed at fans of rock music.
The project initially started out as being a piece of jewellry that the user would add charms (or something similar) to to represent the different shows they had been to. This was quickly scraped in favor of something that fitted the target market better; an armband. The armband gives the object a military feel and makes the user feel like they are part of an 'elite' group of fans. Ideally, as the fans enter a venue, there would be a heat pressing machine where they could get their armband immediately heat stamped with the location and date of the show.
I chose numbers as a way of identification as it meant I didn't have to resort to creating something either band specific or too commercial in its appearance. The first 3 digits in the number shows the city/country code (specifically the airline flight code) that the gig was held in, with the next 6 digits being the date of the show. Another reason to imprint the country code was that fans could have something to talk about with each other while hanging around in the mosh before a show begins; as if someone sees a code that is not of their city, they would be interested to know where the other person has been to see a gig.
I feel I have done a reasonable job creating a product that could be easily marketed to its target market and captures the essence of time I was aiming for.

Task 5: Video Reflections (Designing Dream machines)

Although lengthy, this video has some useful information in it regarding the eventual outcome of a design. It outlines the importance of the design process overall and shows how each individual step in the process in integral to create a good design that meets the users and clients needs.
Consulting and referring with your target market and/or client is something that struck me as an important concept that designers don't always necessarily do often enough. By doing this more often we ensure that our designs stay focused on their intended uses and the clients needs, as apposed to something that the designer keeps adding to without actually creating a tangible object or product.

Task 4: Bad Design (Sports bag)

I have a sports bag that has attached to it a poorly designed shoulder strap. The issue with it is that the locking mechanism used to attach the strap to the bag itself cannot support a large amount of weight, cause the mechanism to break open when carrying the bag; this also causes unnecessary wear and tear on the bag as a whole as it is dropped. The mechanism used for the attachment is not up to holding weight and is better used simply as a buckle.

A simple solution to this would be to replace it with a more suitable mechanism for a shoulder strap that can support a larger amount of weight without popping or breaking open. Such an example is shown below, found on another sports bag I own.