calum mills.
Product Design Portfolio
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hello. I’m a second-year product design student at Loughborough University, looking for a year’s work placement beginning in the summer of 2018.
contents. p4/
jd honey - injection mould tool.
p10/
fulcrum - design week.
p14/
kabi - iot cybersecurity system (wip).
p18/
ourenergy - smart city energy saving app.
p24/ p28/
ä?°â„ť /yutu
- supermarket baijiu. photography.
injection mould tool.
BRIEF: Design a plastic give - away ‘widget’, and an injection mould tool suitable to produce it. Then, produce a functioning mould tool and injection mould the widget. Individual + Group Project / 12 Weeks
design. The first four weeks of the project were spent on an individual design and portfolio, documenting development of my own widget design. Once this was complete, my group of six reviewed the widgets we had designed and selected a bee -shaped bottle stopper to promote Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Whiskey.
3D printed models of the widget were produced, allowing us to work out some minor design issues and changes that were identified. The widget was made thinner to allow a 2.5mm cutter to be used to machine the aluminium mould blocks, and the shape of the inner piece was subtly altered.
prototype. Two other team members and I created CNC toolpaths using Solidworks HSM - several tweaks and changes were made over the course of a week.
These toolpaths were then proved out in foam, in order to better visualise the mould and to check for any problems before cutting the blocks in aluminium.
3hrs was the time the machines took to cut both of the mould halves
After foam trials proved that both mould halves could be successfully manufactured, the process could be moved forwards to the aluminium mould blocks.
manufacture. The mould blocks were cut on a larger CNC milling machine. Engineering drawings were also produced for the twelve inserts needed to make the widget.
Inserts were made entirely by hand - using both the lathe and manual milling machines. They were then ground flat to ensure the best possible fit in the mould.
mould. 4.98
seconds per cycle for mass production of the widget with a redesigned mould layout, to produce
3m
widgets in thirteen weeks of production.
Once the parts for the mould were finished, the mould could be assembled and put into the injection moulding machine. After a few test injections with different settings the mould filled perfectly.
result.
design week.
BRIEF: Design a homeware product for student accomodation using a live hinge or hinges that must be capable of compact storage. Individual Project / 1 Week
scenario.
Fulcrum is a laptop stand that reduces musculoskeletal discomfort in students.
It folds flat to the size of a4 paper, and the height can be easily adjusted.
The fold-flat laptop support can be deployed with a gentle press.
45%
of young adults report neck, back or shoulder pain after using a laptop for an extended time. Once set up, the user simply places their laptop on the support
Fulcrum works best with peripherals, but retains access to the laptop’s controls.
modelling. 13
The nature of this project meant that I had to work quickly. After a couple of rapidly produced napkin sketches, I moved straight into card and foamboard, making small-scale models to test different stand, folding and flattening mechanisms.
iterations of the fold-flat laptop support were needed to find the best proportions.
This allowed me to test several designs extremely quickly, using a small-scale card laptop as a stand-in for the real thing.
After several initial ideas were explored and iterated on, this design was found to be most effective - taking inspiration from modern convertible tablets such as the Microsoft Surface or the Thinkpad X1 Tablet. Live hinges allow fulcrum to fold flat to the size of an a4 piece of paper - allowing easy storage and transport when not in use. Fulcrum‘s angle can be easily adjusted to suit different users and laptops.
result.
\fulcrum
iot cybersecurity system.
BRIEF: Design and model an ‘internet of things’ device dedicated to a clearly defined context. Individual Project / 11 Weeks
development. Kabi is a cybersecurity system designed to fit into the current internet of things environment. It acts as a wifi router in your home, providing an automatic VPN service and biometric authentication for adding new devices to your network. It also includes portable units for extra security when out, especially on unsecure wifi networks. I started by creating a quick formboard to help direct my design decisions, before producing sheets of concepts and mind maps to help flesh out the function of the product. Then, presentation sketches were produced of three likely designs. These were then modeled in foam, as seen on this page. After this stage though, I found I wasn’t happy with the current forms, but some aspects I still wanted to keep for the final product. Moving quickly straight into further foam modelling helped define the final form, which I was much happier with. A scenario board and a realistically detailed presentation model were then also created, and can be seen on subsequent pages.
scenario. 1
3
gbr public ip location
82.34.3.35
2 Kabi replaces a standard router, allowing it to secure your home network and all internet connected devices on it using an automatic VPN.
M Many networks k and d internet i connected d devices are not secure - and can be hacked or have data intercepted easily.
The touch-enabled e-ink display shows information such as IP location, web traffic and security alerts.
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Adding new devices to Kabi’s network requires both a password and biometric authentication - preventing unknown devices gaining access.
Kabi’s dongle acts as a 4G and unsecure wifi passthrough, connecting your portable devices and wearables securely when out and about.
result.
kabi
smart city energy saving app.
BRIEF: Design a smartphone app that enhances the experience of Smart City Living. In collaboration with O2. Individual + Group Project / 12 Weeks
user research. As a group, we decided to focus on energy use and sustainable living - specifically on factors that prevent young people from living as sustainably as they would like to.
Interviews and observations were carried out to find such factors - each group member conducted their own research before reconvening soon after for a rapid debrief.
As a group we collaborated to create a persona, representing our target user:
Meet Sam. Sam is a 21 year old Geography student at Exeter university. He wants to see solutions for how he can reduce his energy use, instead of simply being shown problems. He also wants his efforts to save energy to feel like part of a bigger movement, and to feel in control of both his energy use and personal data.
scenario. 2
1
The user signs up and syncs their smart home devices with OurEnergy.
They can add friends or housemates to work towards energy saving goals together.
3
OurEnergy then analyses their energy use and can show solutions for improvement.
5 4 Making your goals with or known to your friends makes them accountable, and can increase your chance of completing them by
up to 95% This app aims to use this fact to improve energy saving habits, by setting goals that groups of friends can work to together.
It can give suggestions like turning off lights, but also control smart appliances directly.
After a time the user and their friends reach their goal, and receive a small reward.
wireframing. After the group research stage ended, app designs were produced individually. I produced wireframes exploring ways of displaying energy information and solutions to the user clearly, as well as the initial visual design for the app.
The wireframes could then be shown to representative users - using the paper sheets, pop and a rapidly produced Xd screenflow. This helped a lot in refining the layout and interaction design of the app.
user testing.
Feedback included positive thoughts on the overall concept and layout, but a few UI changes were suggested to help make the app more visually consistent. This involved carrying the circular theme of the live smart meter through to other aspects of the app giving it a more consistent feel and a cleaner overall appearance. An ‘early win’ of points on sign up was also suggested, and the button allowing the user to act on the app’s suggestions was made clearer.
The wireframes were then edited, and new ones drawn to reflect feedback from user testing. Then, I began prototyping the app in Adobe Xd to produce a set of presentation visuals, before moving to Axure RP8 to create a true interactive prototype.
result.
bfy4lz.axshare.com
for an interactive prototype.
supermarket baijiu.
BRIEF: Design a new baijiu brand, aimed at new drinkers for supermarket sale to try and move baijiu into the mainstream UK market. Personal self- set Project / 2 Weeks
background. Baijiu accounts for
1/3rd
11bn
of alcoholic spirits consumed worldwide
litres sold in 2014 The 12 months I spent living in China in 2015-2016 introduced me to Baijiu - the most popular alcoholic drink in China. Buying it in the UK is difficult and expensive highlighting an opportunity to bring the world’s most popular spirit to the market in the UK. Mostly produced in Sichuan & Guizhou - see right - most Chinese baijius are strong, with unique, powerful scents. YuTu Baijiu aims to provide an authentic yet accessible taste, perfect for cocktails or drinking neat. Left: Hong -Kong Baijiu retails for £71.36 a litre, Kweichow Maotaizhen 3 Year for £190.90 a litre. As mostly only famous or expensive Baijius make it to the UK market, YuTu Baijiu is aimed at supermarket shoppers wanting to try something new yet affordable.
This project consists of a shelf-friendly baijiu bottle, as well as a companion app that helps new customers learn about the spirit and create cocktails to better enjoy baijiu.
development. The bottle, brand and app were then developed - the name ‘YuTu’ was chosen for its ease of pronunciation in English, as well as for a grounding in Chinese Folklore - 䍰 ℻ or Yù Tù - meaning ‘Jade Rabbit’, refers to a rabbit that lives on the moon, constantly making the elixir of life. The logo looks to ancient Chinese Seal Script, but with a modern and fun twist that will stand out on supermarket shelves.
A simple bottle was then designed to help reduce the cost of the brand, the label instead acting as the main point of interest. Although traditionally drunk neat, the app provides baijiu cocktail recipes, aimed at providing a more pleasant drinking experience for new customers.
result. Bottle + Lid + Label + App
photos. I first started taking photographs during my time in China - with so many new and interesting things around me it seemed foolish not to document it. These pages showcase some of my favourite work.
photos. See 500px.com/calum_crm for more.
calum mills.
calum.mills@gmail.com
experience.
education.
skills.
CRABBS BARN
LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSIT Y
PERSONAL
Staff Member 2017-Present Assisted with the running of wedding ceremonies and parties, running and restocking bars and preparing the venue for the next event.
BSc Product Design & Technology 2016-2020 Achieved a First (72.4%) in Year 1 Programme representative for Year 2 BSc Students UX optional module taken for Year 2
Presentation/Leadership/Teamwork/Organisation
COLCHESTER ROYAL GRAMMAR
WORKSHOP
PROJECT TRUST
2008-2015 A Grades in Product Design/Geography/Physics/Maths A* in General Studies GCSEs/iGCSEs 12 A*s & 2 As including English/Maths
Hand tools/CNC & Manual Machining/Foam Modelling/Prototyping/Electronics
awards.
MPLAB IDE/DesignSpark/CES Edupack
ONE AWARDS
about me.
Volunteer English Teacher 2015-2016 Taught English to classes of around 60 High School Students at Fukang No.1 Middle School in Xinjiang, China, for 12 months. Responsibilities included lesson planning, setting and marking assignments and exams.
MEGGIT T PLC Work Experience 2014 Designed and modelled an oleo strut type shock absorber for use on the undercarriage of a medium sized transport aircraft.
Level Three Foundation Year in Global Citizenship and Volunteering 2016
ARK WRIGHT SCHOLARSHIP Arkwright Engineering Scholarship/Meggitt PLC 2013
YET INITIATIVE UX ATHON Best Branding Award for client ‘MiCos’ 2017
CAD/PROTOT YPING Solidworks/HSM/Keyshot/Sketchbook Pro/Axure
ADOBE CC Illustrator/Lightroom/Photoshop/InDesign/Xd
EX TRAS
I was born in South Africa, and have lived and worked in China - I love to travel when I have the time! A few of my hobbies include playing Padel, building and tinkering with computers, model building and sim racing.
thank you.
Cocktail recipes and images from baijiuamerica All icons created by Adrien Coquet from the Noun Project