2015 SAHIL MAKHANI Product Design Unitedworld Institute of Design
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SAHIL MAKHANI
Product Design Student Having interests in different design fields along with product design, I have developed skills to handle a wide range of materials. Exploring different places and cultures excites and inspires me. At this stage I wish to explore the versatility in product design by working on varied products.
Education
Experience
Skills
2012 - Present
Magppie International Pvt. Ltd.
Digital
Bachelor in Product Design Unitedworld Institute of Design
Design Intern
1999 - 2012
High School Shiv Ashish High School, Bopal
Selected Participant : Smart Textiles
Adobe Photoshop Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Adobe Premier Pro Rhino Solidworks Keyshot
January 2015
Hand
Chokdi
Marker Rendering Sketching Model Making
June 2015 - August 2015
MIT Media labs - Design Innovation workshop
A brand experience with friends
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CONTENTS
CO-DE COCONUT DE-HUSKER
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GLASS TABLE TOP ACCESSORIES
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LOW COST HOUSING
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A VALUE ENGINEERED COFFEE TABLE
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CHIK-CHOK A SPINNING TOP COVER
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MIT MEDIA LABS WORKSHOP 2015
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INTERACTION DESIGN
TABLE TOP ACCESSORIES
CRUZAR
DISPLAY AND CONTROL
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SMART TEXTILES
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CO-DE COCONUT DE-HUSKER
Course
Simple Product Design Project
Culinary Duration
04 weeks
BRIEF : Design a device to dehusk a dry coconut with less effort for domestic use. The tool should not involve any complex mechanisms.
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The tool has to be sufficient enough for household use, should be portable, compared to the existing solutions,should require less force. the de-husking should be possible in a comfortable posture. The major limitation in this coarse was not to use any mechanism. The solution has to be a tool.
CURRENT PROCESS
PIERCE
FORM THE GRIP
HOLD
PULL
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EXISTING SOLUTIONS AND PROBLEMS WITH THEM They require instant thrust for piercing which is dangerous and causes injuries. Do not jell-in with the modern domestic housing environment. Requires a difficult posture for dehusking. Causes issues of body pain in the long run. Occupies a larger area for dehusking. Looks too crude(like an industrial tool) to be used by house wifes.
APPROACH In order to design a coconut dehusking tool targeting the domestic market, it needs to satisfy these criteria.
REDUCE FORCE
REDUCE TIME
COMFORTABLE POSTURE
SIMPLE TOOL
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CONCEPT GENERATION
CONCEPT 1 Nails to loosen the coir and the hook for the grip. Trying a curve, opposite to the profile of the coconut for reduction in force while pulling.
CONCEPT 2 Sharp flat edge and pointed end for Piercing. Trying a slightly curved head for a rotating moment.
CONCEPT 3 Converted the solid curve from concept 1 into a sheet form. Trying to pierce the coir with sharpened teeth on the head
CONCEPT 4 A combination of concept 2 and 3. Trying a different curve profile for piercing and rotating 7
CONCEPT DETAILING
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FINAL CONCEPT Sharp Teeth for piercing and holding the coir
Curve for both pulling and rotating motions
Rubber cap for protection while not in use
Soft spring for automatic leg widening
Rubber grip for comfort while applying force
Angle worked out for a larger head opening even with a smaller leg widening.
Curve for mechanical strength. Ring for packing when not in use
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ASSEMBLY Rivet (Chrome finished forged Steel)
Grip (molded soft touch rubber)
Rubber Cap (Molded)
Matt Painted Leg (Forged and Riveted)
Soft Spring (Steel)
Curve Ring
(Chrome finished Curved Steel strip Forged and Welded to the leg)
(Chrome finished Forged Steel)
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Base for the coconut. To lock it while dehusking so that it does not toddle. This also saves the amount of effort do done and force applied to keep the coconut erect while dehusking. The base helps in dehusking the coconut in standing posture.
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SPLASH TABLE LIGHTING
Course
Glass Project
Table top accessories Duration
01 week
BRIEF : To understand the nuances of hand glass blowing and develop products based on lightings and table top accessories
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MOOD BOARD Splashing is a playful action, and the intriguing and unpredictable forms were my inspiration for this product.
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Splash is a table lighting inspired by the dynamic forms generated by water splashes. It is filled with coffee to trigger curiosity, making the piece interactive. Video : https://vimeo.com/145559257 15
The base has an angular top to show the flow of the liquid inside. It holds a spot light inside to bring out beautiful shades of coffee through glass
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STAIN This coffee stain is made with borosilicate glass rod, to be used as a paper weight.
MOOD BOARD 17
The bottom surface is textured to provide enough friction, preventing it from slipping. Mixing some coffee with the paint, I tried to simulate the aromatic essence of coffee in the product.
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The illusion of a stain acting as a paper weight itself fascinated me a lot. This product was made taking advantage of the transparency and weight of a solid glass rod. I tried mixing coffee with the paint to simulate the aromatic essence of coffee in the product.
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TRIPARTITE Tripartite is a table top accessory, inspired by an hour glass, with the sand flowing in three directions, making it unusual and interactive. My fascination for hour glasses and curiosity to try out a new form for the same led to the making of Tripartite.
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I was always curious about the making of an hour glass. This curiosity led to the concept of designing a three way hour glass enhancing the magical essence of an hour glass. The product does not act as an actual hour glass but gives a similar experience with a playful twist.
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HOUSING FOR CONSTRUCTION LABOR Course
Systems Design Project
Housing Duration
08 weeks BRIEF : The objective of this self initiated project was to develop a more user centric housing for construction labor, keeping in mind the ethnography, psychology and demography of Ahmedabad. The aim to is to develop a design that can be adopted by the stakeholders in near future.
Team project - 2 members
SCOPE OF THE PROJECT This is a two month project and we are half way through. Time is a major constraint here, and as product designers, we aim at coming up with a proposal, offering the most optimum use of materials. We are working on developing modular structures, with flexible joineries that are durable, cost efficient and save time during assembling and dismantling. We would like to mention that during the project, we were inspired by the works of Paul Polak, David Berman and Rob Bye. 23
RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
To understand the system and gain knowledge about the interest of construction companies in better designed homes for their labor, we met the director of HN Safal Pvt. Ltd., a big construction house in Ahmedabad. They were more than willing to provide us with the necessary support. Hence, considering their basic criteria for these houses and taking into account the data provided by them, we chose one of their labor colonies as our base site.
*We have not asked for any sponsorships so far. 24
ENVIRONMENT The colonies are usually located on the roadside. There is no proper system for waste disposal, leading to a large amount of garbage near their houses.
Roadside Roadside location location
Inside of a temporary bathroom
LIFESTYLE The houses lack natural light and ventilation. The labor work from 9am to 6 pm, on the site, while their children are looked after in a school cum daycare center run by Maya Foundation. Warped and broken GI sheets due to improper use
Storing inside houses
STRUCTURE The structures use supports of wooden logs (Nilgiri), mild steel pipes and rods and split bamboo, which are then tied using jute rope, metal wires or elastic. The material is used randomly in a crude manner. School cum daycare for children
Common bathing and washing space
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SYSTEM ANALYSIS This is the current system followed by construction companies.
Material procured by construction company
Material transported to location of the labor colony
Houses rebuilt at new location.
Houses built by workers 60 percent material is damaged and sold as scrap after the first site
Material transported to new location
The houses are dismantled (After an average of 2 years) 26
FOCUS POINTS Aiming to focus on providing these basic features in the houses. We hope to achieve a decent level of improvement in these aspects, from what exists.
Weather resistant structures
Appropriate space for cooking in all weathers
Appropriate ventilation
Low maintenance
Reusable for a minimum of 4 years. (Shifting once after 2 years)
Modular structures for varying family sizes.
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MODEL 1
Wing nut
Nut & bolt
Allen key
In this first model, we worked out the structure using parts available in the market. The epoxy paint reduces the amount of heat which gets trapped in the house J - clamps
L sections (Mild Steel)
Tap screws
Epoxy painted GI sheets
Pipes (Mild Steel)
FASTENERS As part of market research, we studied and shortlisted a few fasteners, relevant to our requirement. So far, we have chosen a wing nut for fastening GI sheets with the supports.
Nut & bolt
Tarpaulin cloth
Cotton rope
C-clamps (Mild Steel) 28
A plinth of PCC (Plain Cement Concrete) 1ft high is suggested, in order to prevent water logging, insects etc. Most of the parts are mild steel, that increases the cost of material as well as the overhead charges such as transportation.
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MODEL 2 Taking bamboo as our supports, we proceeded with this model and explored different types of knots. The knotting looks crude and may not always be reliable, considering the labor skills. Also, it consumes a lot of time.
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JOINERY EXPLORATIONS Scaled low fidelity explorations for trying out different materials and mechanisms.
NEED FOR A JOINERY Tyeing does not satisfy the criteria of modularity, re-usability, easy assembly, etc that is mentioned in our brief. All the other existing joineries for bamboo involve cutting,drilling and other operations which increases the time and effort of the labor. No other holes can be done on the sheets for maintaining its structural strength.
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WHY BAMBOO? Low cost, no termite issues, structural strength both in vertical and horizontal direction, strong, water resistant and easy availability are some of the advantages of using bamboo for our structure. Using bamboo involves a certain complexity due to variations in its sizes and also its internal structure
This kind of locking is used at the end of the cooking gas lines in houses which gives us the flexibility to lock varying diameters of bamboo with one another. 32
DISPLAY AND CONTROL Course
Display and control Design Project
Interaction Design Duration
04 weeks
BRIEF : Redesign the display and control of the current LG 30 L Microwave Oven MC8084AB, in order to make it more user-centric through ease of understanding and proper execution of commands for domestic users.
Team project - 2 members 33
Quick time input with numbers
Tedious time, weight and temperature settings
Symbols can be misinterpreted
MARKET RESEARCH Different panels in the market were analysed in terms of their user centricity.
Ambiguous hierarchy of keys
Illegible text
Clear communication with text Dual display creates ambiguity
Quick. easy settings with knob
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CURRENT PANEL Analysis of the chosen panel
Hierarchy is not well thought
Recipe buttons are not used very often
Mode in progress
Next step guides
Inconspicuous symbol for render
Symbols Inconspicuous Appear in different places on the panel, owing to the seven segment screen constraint 35
MAKING A CAKE Studying the process in existing panel.
Press mode
Rotate to select convection at 180
Press “Enter” to confirm selection
After pre-heating, the microwave beeps thrice.
Press “Start”!
Rotate the knob to set time for baking.
Open the door, place the batter inside.
Press “Start” to begin pre-heating 36
CONCEPT GENERATION A number of low fidelity models were made for carrying out the cycle of user testing, feedback and refinement. 37
FINAL CONCEPT Clear, noticeable symbols for indicating the mode in progress. Definite instructions for next steps with text and symbols. Color differentiation: Everything in red indicates the ongoing process.
The selected mode is also clearly indicated in this back lit panel. Direct access to modes, reduces number of steps.
Four buttons added for direct access to frequently used functions 38
MODEL MAKING For final presentation and feedback, this final model with the whole microwave oven was made. The presence of a model helped a lot in visualizing the features of the new designed panel.
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NEW PROCESS OF MAKING A CAKE
Back lit panel, indicating the mode in progress. Reduced number steps. Combination of text and symbols for clear instructions.
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CRUZAR
Course
Value Engineering Project
Furniture Design Duration
03 weeks BRIEF : To select a piece of furniture from a showroom, constrained by its scope of value engineering framework, evaluate it in order to determine the criticality based upon the type, quality and quantity of material used, skill of labor etc. Redesign it in order to increase the ratio of Value/ Cost, keeping in mind the design language, target audience, market positioning. Team project - 2 members 41
CHOSEN TABLE This coffee table was chosen from a showroom named WOODEN. The joineries of the chosen table are messy and complicated, trapping a lot of dust. Too many pieces of wood are used to create literal crosses on three sides, making the design dull. The beauty of Ghana teak, its grains, are suppressed by the dark polish. 42
BILL OF MATERIAL Items
Measurement
Quantity
Unit Price
Final Cost
Glass
24” X 36” (8mm)
1
120/- (per sq. ft.)
720/-
Polish
1200/-
Labor
500/-
Studs
1” diameter
4
10/-
40/-
Buffers
1” Diameter
4
2/-
8/-
Overheads Ghana teak
Total
100/16 logs
1500/(Per cubic ft.)
630/-
3198/-
Selling Price: Rs. 9500/43
CONSTRAINTS Production facility constraints such as raw material, workshop set-up and labor skills were taken into account while developing new design concepts.
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IDEATION Taking the element of CROSS to define the design language, we started developing our concepts and made low fidelity models to understand and test structural strength.
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THE FINAL PIECE We froze our concept and got it made by a carpenter, keeping in mind the value engineering constraints of cost, workshop set-up, labor skills and raw materials available. The production cost of the new table is Rs.3500, which is not much higher than the cost of our chosen table, while the aesthetic value increased exponentially, without compromising its functionality and durability. 46
MAKING The half-lap joints were used for fixing the cross elements and the legs. To enhance and flaunt the beautiful grains of Ghana teak, the legs were only coated with lacquer and the crossed legs were given a grungy texture, highlight the element of cross, when viewed from different angles. Video : https://vimeo.com/145590919 47
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CHIK-CHOK A SPINNING TOP COVER
Course
Packaging Design Project
Toy and Games Duration
03 days
BRIEF : A quick creative project where we had to find a smart solution for packaging of a low cost product concentrating on the form and not on the surface graphics. The packaging needs to be playful, minimalistic and eye catching so as to attract children
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LOW FIDELITY CONCEPTS The major issue in packaging is the pointed nail. Current display in empty chocolate boxes not showing all the available sizes and colors.
Creating low fidelity concepts out of paper and other materials and testing them in order to see how does a top respond to different materials and forms.
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Holes for passing the string of the top
FINAL CONCEPT
This concept is inspired by the origami toy called “cootie catcher “ or “fortune teller”. The major attraction of the packaging is that it matches the spinning phenomenon of the top when hung from the ceiling. 52
MULTI PACK
in the same concept occupying ten spinning tops at one time. The curves inside need not be all perfect but should just be smaller then a certain limit so as to oppositely compliment the curves of the top.
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MIT MEDIA LAB DESIGN INNOVATION WORKSHOP 2015 Course
Design Workshop Project
Innovation Duration
01 week BRIEF : This workshop was aimed at bridging the gap between engineers, programmers and designers on the path of innovation. I Worked with a team consisting of an electronic engineer, programmer and a textiles person and developed a “story telling rug�.
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Conductive thread and ink
Testing
Aurdino
Team
Stitched Conductive thread
Circuit Building
Thermo-sensitive ink
Aurdino and mp3 chip
Enhancing a child’s experience using sound and light using conductive threads and fabric to form capacitive and touch sensors.
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Debugging the circuit
On the last day of the workshop,there was an exhibition of our work where we had an experience of pitching our idea to all the on lookers.
Final Painted Rug
Backside of the rug
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THANK YOU
C o n ta c t 18, Parkland Society , Sarkhej road , Ahmedabad 380055 , Gujarat , India. t: 91- 9879794433 e: makhanisahil0@gmail.com www.facebook.com/sahil.makhani.77 in.linkedin.com/in/sahil-makhani-1a415b10a