Irfaan Rashid Port V

IRFAAN RASHID

ADDRESS 48 Oakfield Road Balsall Heath Birmingham B12 9PL

UCAS ID: 1024976620 Product Design (BA) Preliminary Portfolio irfaan.rashid@outlook.com 07791698664

PRELIMINARY PORTFOLIO

Prior Creative Work

Product Inspirations

Salt & Pepper Grinders Duo is a set of salt and pepper grinders aimed towards a high quality retailer/restaurant. It was completed as part of university coursework to assess a students competancy in SolidWorks and ability to communicate and transfer a concept into a CAD model.

This project was compelted in a fortnight and provided a crucial amount experience with getting to grips with CAD. As a beginner in SolidWorks at the time, I wanted to ensure that my design proposal would translate exactly as anticipated without compromise in either form or function due to any inexperience with the software package.

Experimenting in SolidWorks

Developing ideas in 3D

...

I first spent an ample amount of time getting grips to SolidWorks by producing simple salt and pepper shakers and then slowly increasing the complexity of the shape as I became more familiar with the software package.

Creating an appropriate and iconic design for the client that will also prove to be equally challenging in reproducing digitally in three dimensions.

Creating and refining each of the individual components for the design proposal

Wireless Router EDGE is a high-end wireless router with USB data transfer capabilities, targeted towards users in the the business sector. It was completed as part of university coursework to explore and experiment in ways which design can influence in creating a bond between user and product.

Research Phase

...

Conceptualisation Phase

Model-Making

I produced several designs with unique features for the end user, before it became apparent to focus of the modern day knight: the worker.

I experimented on capturing the right forms by producing several models and exploring a variety of curves on Adobe Illustrator in order to best capture the likeness of my sketches when transitioning into three dimensions.

Having an opportunity to drastically rethink the ways in which users interact with routers was incredibly inspiring. I first looked into ways in which design, hardware and software to potentially benefit the end customer.

I produced many different kinds of concepts, before settling with the themes of empowerment, reliability, clear communication and productivity. I found the themes associated with King Arthur, Cardiff and a mountain against an azure sea to underpin the visual language of my design.

...

Cutting EDGE™ Technology EDGE features the latest in Wi-Fi technology and innovation to bring you up to date, safe and sophisticated networking to your home in addition to connectivity and convenience on the go.

Cut to the Action!

Enjoy the ease of internet and wireless connectivity thanks to EDGE routers proprietary software integrated into the EDGE sword™ wireless pen drive.

Emotional Functionality Make EDGE router a prominent part of your household with its unique, distinctive design and always be prepared for anything with the EDGE Sword 2GB internal memory and backup utility.

This project was very beneficial to providing me the necessary knowledge to carry out a self-directed project effectively, as it has also introduced me to recording thoughts, concepts and ideas recorded professionally into a logbook.

Irfaan N. Rashid

DAB Radio VECTORAYDIO was the first project in which a large amount of creative freedom was given to access how a student’s approach to self-directed research would eventually lead to. From this I learned how to how to research and design new methods of control, validating concepts for mechanisms by producing test rigs and carrying out primary research to receive data to implement into the design proposal.

The approach to ergonomics/anthropometrics and user-centered research and needs was highly interesting, enjoyable and valuable area of study for me.

Irfaan N. Rashid

Traffic Cone Wifi Router The ‘Cone’ Wi-fi router was completed as part of university coursework in conjunction to the EDGE router, exploring design and emotion. Many ideas were generated during this project as there were far and few constraints to work with from a technical perspective. This allowed me to experiment with alternative concepts, and continue working on them to evaluate the impact they would gain.

The objective was to find an appropriate way to visually convey the functions of a Wi-Fi router, using the form of a traffic cone to symbolise internet traffic. This theme additionally inspired the ways which the product functions, such as using a clearly understood and standardised method of communicating the status of the internet connection, using traffic light colours. The final outcome became more of a statement piece, and it is through this that the product provided me with interesting ways to generate fresh, novel and interesting designs.

Irfaan N. Rashid

Sketching Sketches of the initial design ideas and/or concepts with annotations or anything of which interests or strike me to inform the next sketch and/or stages in the project.

Irfaan N. Rashid

Model-Making The Citroen Picasso first aid box was completed as part of university coursework to grasp the understanding of a products and/or brands visual language/ identity and research, implement and envisage how the form of an unrelated product could be.

Citroen First Aid Kit

This was the first project I undertook at university. I leaned to adapt to new ways of working, such as sketching in perspective and learning alternative methods of model making, in particular sketch modelling techniques (using bluefoam and green-foam) to visualise in 3D. I additionally benefitted from understanding the theory behind the visual language of an object, which greatly informs my approach to designing.

Replicating the IRWIN Knife

A replica of ‘Irwin’s Stanley knife’ was produced as part of university coursework to substantially improve model making skills to mimic the appearance of the real product, using the variety of effective techniques, tools and machines used in the workshop environment.

This assignment was very useful for allowing me to work confidently within the workshop environment and learn new ways in approaching model making, specifically with learning how alternative processes and facilities in the workshop provided me with new and interesting ways of solving time-consuming tasks.

This model was considered to be one of he two best examples from eight of the other student who collaborated in this assignment.

...

Miscellaneous Models

Photo Manipulation Projects involving the use of photo manipulation by using a combination of hand-drawing/photos and importing them into Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to create an quick and impactful rendering.

Indigo Knights Poster

The ‘indigo knights’ poster was completed as part of university coursework to assess the relevance and effectiveness of the graphic style, layout, in addition to testing the technical capabilities of the students competency in Adobe Photoshop And Illustrator.

This project allowed me to establish my existing skill set in Photoshop by ensuring that I could match what I have creatively intended without compromise. Crucially, it had also introduced me to Illustrator, and the infinite possibilities of combining the two software packages.

Miscellaneous Photography Projects

Samosa/Deli Maker for Morphy Richards This project was recently completed as part of a live project for ‘Morphy Richards, during my second year at university. This project assesses the way in which student projects for a client in a professional manner, making a huge focus towards primary research, validation and competency in computer aided design.

Research Phase

...

At first I produced a variety of ‘exotic’ appliances in an attempt to discover a potential new and unserved segment of the market using secondary research.

Using this data, I then focused on existing problems there are with appliances that are still not solved.

Conceptualisation Phase

Testing Phase

My attention turned towards producing samosa’s. I discovered that the most popular takeway food in the UK was Indian. Samosa’s are traditionally made for social occasions, and members of the family usually participate because it’s fun. However, it is also dangerous process (especially for children) due to the frying process, not to mention unhealthy. It was then that I tailored my brief towards creating an appliance that would cater towards these two barriers.

After producing several concepts and prototypes, producing a one-of-a-kind samosa maker proved challenging, but by engrossing myself into the primary research by capturing ergonomic data and observing user behaviour, I discovered I was able to move this project into the realisation stages.

...

This project was incredibly beneficial for learning how to professionally approach work under genuine circumstances for a client and a brief. It involved heavy and in depth research in many areas of the design process, such as using participants to engage in concepts, tests and feedback to drive the project forward. It additionally involved heavy competency towards of understanding the methods and requirements of manufacturing for industry using CAD. Irfaan N. Rashid

TECHNOLOGY AND IT

COMMENT

TECHNOLOGY AND IT

COMMENT

All images this story courtesy Irfaan N Rashid

driver display

conundrum

Over the last two decades the roving spotlight of innovation has fixated itself firmly on the train cab interface, giving rise to the era of the so-called glass cockpit. Otherwise known as driver displays, some of these initiatives have invariably enhanced train driving while others have left much to be desired. Dr Anjum Naweed* and Irfaan Rashid* discuss the peculiarities of the rail industry’s approach to designing displays, and argue how they could be breeding more problems than solving them.

T

here was a time when train driving was an incredibly sophisticated task.

Train drivers computed incredibly complicated time-distance braking estimations, and channelled the motion dynamics of their train through finely tuned sensors on the seat of their pants. Today, the world of train driving has divided itself into to four principal categories:

• Those who drive the train with nothing but the speedometer.

• Those who drive with train with the speedometer and extra information to support their task but retain complete control of braking choices.

• Those who drive the train with the speedo and extra info to support their task but handover to independent and automatic systems that enforce braking curves.

• Those who let the train drive completely ‘unmanned’ (forgive our sexist faux pas).

This article is concerned with categories B and C, specifically with the nature of the speedo and extra info presented to the driver.

Many rail operations have opted for point B and retained that imperative for human time-distance braking and channelling of motion through derriere power. Others have shifted the time-distance stuff to computers under the assumption that they can do the job more reliably and efficiently than the human driver (though there is a side argument that this has redefined the job of the driver to that of a monitor).

In both cases, the rail operator relies on safe and efficient ways of communicating information to the driver, and enhanced information displays are used prevalently to overcome human processing limitations and augment reality. The question is, what are these things meant to look like? We argue there are three key problems.

The first problem is that most of the people who design these displays know little about user-centred design, so in an alarming number of scenarios, train drivers are not included in the process. Those who do adopt a systematic process of obtaining end-user input tend to know little about participative ergonomics, so even though they may obtain data from train drivers, there is no assurance that this information will have been effectively represented for the driving task, as opposed to simply gathering the opinions and nuances of a small sample of drivers. Train drivers can tell you a great deal of information about what they require, but industrial psychology is an exact science and needs to be interpreted with care.

The second problem is that of basic usability and ergonomics – designing displays that are congruent with the way train drivers see their world. Too often, systems

46

|

AUTUMN 2014

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU

“

In essence, there is a fundamental mismatch in the rate at which technology is maturing and speed with which it needs to be implemented.

or software engineers with very little insight into the practice of designing displays transpose information in the way that they think it should look like. We hate to break it to you folks but by and large, train drivers are not Engineers and do not see the world the same way. The scaling relationships of a 2-dimensional display may be a great lens for engineers to the view the world through, but these formalisms are incompatible with the endusers of these displays – the train drivers.

The third problem is that of legacy systems. We see more and more operators implementing (or testing the utility of) graphical user interfaces that were first conceived of in the late 1980s. The new versions of these displays are typically ‘modified’ or ‘adapted’

“

Unravelling the

bolt-on solutions to suit the rail network, though the nature of the underlying data that is used to inform what defines this suitability is anybody’s guess. Suffice it to say there is very little evidence that the design standards or specifications written for pre-existing displays are being followed correctly. Ideally, what we would want to see is a de novo approach that fashions these things from the ground up with fresh ideas.

Of course, there are many more issues that one might consider, but taken together, it is our view that these three are at the root of the driver display conundrum. The overarching problem was best summed-up

by Sam Neill in Jurassic Park before it all went pear-shaped, “the world has just

changed so radically, and we’re all running to catch up.” In essence, there is a fundamental mismatch in the rate at which technology is maturing and speed with which it needs to be implemented. Part of the problem may be that people just want to realise category D, and spend as little time in categories B and C as is humanly possible, n but that’s a whole other article …

For related information, see: Naweed, A. (2014).

Investigations into the skills of modern and traditional train driving. Applied Ergonomics, 45(3), 462-470.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

*Dr Anjum Naweed is a transport psychologist specialising in human factors, and a senior research fellow at the Appleton Institute for Behavioural Sciences at CQUniversity. He is also the deputy program leader for operations and safety at the CRC for Rail Innovation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

*Irfaan N Rashid is an industrial product designer and affiliate of Sheffield Hallam University.

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU

AUTUMN 2014

|

47

Schematic Displays For this project I collaborated with research fellows involving psychologists and engineers at the University of CQU, producing concepts and schematics as well as giving a designers perspective on train display interface and cockpit controls. The outcomes have been highly positive and my work has since been featured in prestigious publications such as Journal of Design Studies and Journal of Applied Ergonomics (some pending publication).

Conceptual Stages: Establishing a Visual Language Clear

Communicative

Legible

Bold

Contemporary

Focus

Journey

Perspective

Motion

Typography

Structure

Content First, I was given several examples of existing schematics. My first task was to create a new means of conveying the display data by creating and establishing an clear and consistent set of design principles throughout the 13 schematic designs.

My initial set of inspirations came from quite an obvious place, London Metro Underground and Microsoft’s ‘Modern’ UI across its existing platforms, which are also inspired by the visual language used at metro stations.

From there on, I produced the my first concept in colour in Adobe Illustrator, before moving to Photoshop for additional elements.

After this, I then ensured that the data on every display was still readable in black and white. I then repeated this process for every display.

This project proved to be challenging, but very rewarding. Communicating as a team and making confident design decisions and working in constant ‘iterations’ was a new learning experience for me, one that I would like to experience again and carry into my own project development.

Train Cabin Projects For this project I was given the opportunity to focus on the train cabin and cockpit design by making a stylish and conceptual representation for a railway design journal.

ACKNOWLEDGED CONTRIBUTIONS TO DESIGN PRACTICE AND ACADEMIC FIELD Naweed, A. & Ward, D. Under Review. Using transdisciplinarity to enhance simulator design practice: The case study of an eclectic rail simulator. Journal of Design Studies.

Naweed, A. & Rose, J. Under Review. Understanding the nature of resistance to technology in the rail domain. Journal of Applied Ergonomics.

Naweed, A. 2013. Investigations into the skills of modern and traditional train driving. Journal of Applied Ergonomics. Doi: http://dx.doi. org/10.1016/j.apergo.2013.06.006 Naweed, A. & Rose, J. 2013. Cease and resist! Exploring resistance to technology in the rail environment. Paper presented at the 10th World Congress on Railway Research (WCRR). NSW, Sydney, 25-28 November.

Naweed, A. & Rashid, I. N. (in press). Unraveling the Driver Display Conundrum. Rail Express, 1.

Naweed, A. & Rashid, I. N. (2014, March). Unraveling the Driver Display Conundrum. [Technology and IT].Rail Express, 1, 46-47. Circulation 60,000.

I created several concepts, again by focusing on the visual language established from the train display project to capture fluidity, motion and sharp, definite lines.

Areas of Interest for Graduate Project Given the opportunity, I would like to continue developing projects which explore the relationship between tangible and interactive design in order to forge a bond between user and product. I believe that this is exciting and fresh notion experimented today and will be important for the industry for the years to come.

Themes

Product Interaction Interface

Projects