Collaborative Design Practice - Task 3: Produce Rapid Prototypes, Test & Iterative Designs

on
30/4/2023 - 12/5/2023 / Week 5 - Week 6
Lui Hsiao Hui (Tressa) / 0342003
Collaborative Design Practice / Design Extension
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Task 3: Produce Rapid Prototypes, Test & Iterative Designs

INSTRUCTIONS


PROCESS

Week 5

 

 
Fig. 1.1 - 1.4 Removing medicine from blister packs, Week 5 (30/4/2023)

On Sunday 30/4, we had a meet-up to begin our prototype creation of Idea 1.1 - Wave of Waste. We began by removing all the medication from the blister packs. 


Fig. 1.5 Drugs, Week 5 (30/4/2023)


 
Fig. 1.6 - 1.7 Folded fishes, Week 5 (30/4/2023)

Then we tested shaping them into fishes by folding the head and cutting the shape of the tail. 


 
Fig. 1.8 - 1.9 Devina's fishes, Week 5 (30/4/2023)

Devina tested out her idea of cutting the blister packs into pieces and glueing them into the form of a fish. Hers looked more neat and 3D, while ours were more 2D. We decided that for the prototype, we can go with the 2D fishes, while the final sculpture will have a mixture of both for better variety.


Fig. 1.10 Fishes and turtles, Week 5 (30/4/2023)


Fig. 1.11 Jellyfish, Week 5 (30/4/2023)

Jellyfish made out of tissue and inhaler. Once done, the fishes were strung up with a nylon string and taped to the cardboard.


Fig. 1.12 Using plastic gloves to create the wave, Week 5 (30/4/2023)

We tested out making the wave using plastic bags. Alternative materials for the wave were other plastic or mesh fabric types.


Fig. 1.13 Trial prototype, Week 5 (30/4/2023)


Fig. 1.14 Contaminated wave, Week 5 (30/4/2023)

Blister packs and plastic scraps were stuck onto the top part of the wave to create the contaminated part.

At the end of our meet-up, we decided to split the tasks for the prototype and complete it in the next session.

Tasks:
Small fishes: Shaocheng & Luisa
Big fishes: Devina
Wave & reef: Sea
Painting: Tressa


Fig. 1.15 Painted fishes, Week 5 (2/5/2023)

Painted with acrylic.


 
Fig. 1.16 Wave & reef, Week 5 (1/5/2023)

Sea updated us on her progress with the wave and coral reefs. The wave is made out of plastic bags and plastic bottles like the coral reefs.


Fig. 1.17 Feedbacks from GSK, Week 5 (4/5/2023)

On Wednesday 3/5 we received our feedback from GSK. However additional feedback was sent again on Friday 5/5.


Fig. 1.18 Discussion on revising our idea, Week 5 (4/5/2023)

After receiving the feedback we were really confused and stuck on what to do. The main concern was that we lacked focus on greenhouse gases contributed by the medication of the inhalers. We also decided to not do the 2nd prototype (the Stag) because of time constraints, and GSK liked our wave idea the most. I also found it odd that GSK mentioned Morozova's Stag which is from the lore of Shadow and Bone (a young adult book turned Netflix show). I see the relation since I read Shadow and Bone years ago, but it do be very far off from our concept, and I doubt onlookers from the everyday mall would immediately think of Morozova's Stag when they see the sculpture.


New Idea: Sun & Earth
Fig. 1.19 The Sun & Earth - rough sketch, Week 5 (4/5/2023)

The Earth is encaged by the Sun, to symbolise the trapped greenhouse gases. There are faces on both sides of the Earth, with the swirls around it representing air - the cycle of breathing.

Based on GSK’s feedback on incorporating greenhouse gases, we came up with a new backup idea.  However, we soon realised this idea was not viable as it doesn’t show the improper disposal of medical waste & the sculpture is 2 ft in depth.


Revised Wave of Waste
Fig. 1.20 Revised Wave of Waste, Week 5 (4/5/2023)

We kept brainstorming how to portray air and greenhouse gases in an impossible ocean concept. I kept thinking about air and what imagery to portray it and landed on the idea of a mangrove tree. I thought it could fit, as they grow in the water.

To portray the greenhouse gases, we decided to incorporate a mangrove tree as they fit into our ocean concept. Mangrove trees provide shelter for aquatic creatures. It fits the concept of medical waste contaminating the ocean & destroying marine habitats.

Initially, not all of us were on board with this idea of adding a tree into an ocean concept, but it was the most viable option as we were stuck and brain fried. We decided the best thing to do was to discuss it with Ms Lilian in our next class before proceeding to revise our prototype.

Week 6

We had our first face-to-face class this week and got to discuss with Ms Lilian how we should proceed with the feedback given from GSK. After this discussion and insightful feedback from Ms Lilian, we made new sketches of our Wave of Waste idea.


Fig. 2.1 Revised 1st sketch, Week 6 (8/5/2023)

Ms Lilian suggested that we focus on maximising the width, instead of focusing on height. In this sketch, we went with a centre alignment which emphasises the tree.



Fig. 2.2 & 2.3 Revised 2nd sketches, Week 6 (8/5/2023)

Decided to merge mangrove tree with bonsai tree for better rhythm of visual movement. We went with an asymmetrical alignment and composition like the golden ratio, creating better harmony between tree & ocean.


Fig. 2.4 Wire and paper roots, Week 6 (8/5/2023)

After revising the sketch, we remade our prototype. This time we made it smaller than our trial prototype because we only had 3 days left. Instead of PVC pipe, we used a plastic bottle as the trunk and base of the mangrove tree. Then we used wires wrapped in paper to create the roots.


 
Fig. 2.5 & 2.6 Creating the leaves, Week 6 (8/5/2023)

Initially, we tried to use bubble wrap, plastic and tissue as the base of the leaves, before covering it up with blister packs. But it didn't look good so we switched to making it entirely out of wire.


 
Fig. 2.7 & 2.8 Thickening the roots with paper, Week 6 (10/5/2023)


Fig. 2.9 Attaching tree leaves, Week 6 (10/5/2023)


Fig. 2.10 Dead, Week 6 (10/5/2023)

Camping outside the sauna (photography studio). It was hot, the air cons were busted, the heat was trapped, the smell was inhumane.


Fig. 2.11 Hot glueing the roots, Week 6 (10/5/2023)


 
Fig. 2.12 Attaching the wire sculpture to the plastic bottle, Week 6 (10/5/2023)


 
Fig. 2.13 & 2.14 Small scale fishes, Week 6 (11/5/2023)


 
Fig. 2.15 & 2.16 Coral reef, Week 6 (11/5/2023)


Fig. 2.17 Waves, Week 6 (11/5/2023)

On this day, we didn't bring enough variety of paint colours so we had to make do with these colours. We found that the colours make the fishes blend into the coral reefs, that was something to keep in mind when making the life-size sculpture.

Final Prototype

Fig. 3.1 Wave of Waste - front, Week 6 (11/5/2023)


Fig. 3.2 Wave of Waste - back, Week 6 (11/5/2023)


Fig. 3.3 Wave of Waste - front 3⁄4, Week 6 (11/5/2023)


Fig. 3.4 Wave of Waste - back 3⁄4, Week 6 (11/5/2023)


Fig. 3.5 Wave of Waste - top, Week 6 (11/5/2023)

Final prototype video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o6XuombcJDyuj-JJtCAlyzt0FqiDxcWX/view?usp=share_link


FEEDBACKS

Week 6:
  • We are looking at one component of the medical waste impact. Virtuous Cycle’s emphasis is not on medical waste.
  • Our Project Document shows poor understanding, no proper showcase of the ideation process. 
  • Import some other components from other ideas into Wave of Waste so the focus is not entirely on the sea.
  • The waveform we picked gave us a lot of options. Illustrate the wave turning into air at the top, or have 2 waves interlocking (clean & contaminated).
  • Have multiple poles and wrap the wave around them. The poles can be a part of the tree roots. Play with width because we have 10 feet. reorganise the Wave of Waste idea. The use of colour can be minimum to showcase the material and also suggest what the sculpture is about.
  • Sun & Earth: The first thing we see is the sun so it doesn’t really associate with medical waste, and we also have a 2 ft depth to work it, so it's very tricky. The message is not as clear as Wave of Waste. 
Week 7:
  • The 3D fishes are quite viable.
  • Need to consider how to use the materials for our life-size model. 
  • Our Task 3 showed that we understood the limitations of materials.
  • Consider a colour palette, more control is needed for a clearer message. 
  • The 2 waves don't convey the effect and cycle of the positive and the negative, control and direction need to be clearer. How does bad wave and good wave react to the environment?
  • The emphasis is too much on the tree, focus on the sea.
  • Scale down or emphasise certain things more. Consider what is the message.

NEXT COURSE OF ACTION

Week 5:
  1. Small fishes: Shaocheng & Luisa
  2. Big fishes: Devina
  3. Wave & reef: Sea
  4. Painting: Tressa
  5. Buy materials
  6. Make improvements based on GSK's feedbacks

Week 6: 
  1. Revise sketch and idea
  2. Recreate prototype
  3. Complete presentation slides - Tressa
  4. Record presentation

Week 7:
  1. Buy materials
  2. Finalise colour palette
  3. Construct the sculpture base

SUBMISSIONS

Fig. 4 Nutquacker Task 3, Week 6 (11/5/2023)


REFLECTION

Experience
Task 3 had more to do with experimentation and practical work instead of research. I expected it to be easier and more straightforward, but creating the prototype came with its own problems. It was a tiring, frustrating and annoying journey because of the constant changes and workarounds we had to do, plus the extreme time constraints. Task 3 also fell on mid-term week, which was annoyingly hard because I had no time to focus on my exams, as whatever ‘free time’ slots were taken up by this module. I’m glad we made it in time for the deadline, and that we eventually came up with a revised idea thanks to everyone’s help.

Observation & Findings
Often the materials would not work the way we expected them to, which caused us to brainstorm for alternatives, putting our problem-solving skills to use. We had to observe the shapes and sizes of the materials and see how we can work with them. Also cutting the blister packs into pieces and reshaping them into something else, was one way of implementing control over the materials.


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