Project 1

 

Within this project we had to design for energy saving. The goal of the project was to make home owners aware of the current energy use in their house and give them the ability to easily adjust their energy use. The product, SEM, gives feedback as you leave a specific room by lighting a colored led strip, in which green means; low level of energy use, orange; medium level of energy use and red; high level of energy use. In this way you are noted that devices, heat or lights are still turned on in your room. The product also gives feedback as you leave the room by a tablet device. This tablet devices shows the rooms in your house, and with colors, the level of energy use. With an easy click you can change all the energy use in a specific room or all the rooms at once.

Project 1 was the first real project I did as an industrial design student. Within this project I was introduced to the design process. I learned how to execute this process and experienced the steps you have to take as a designer.

I learned a lot about collaborating, also when group members have different interests. This experience has helped in later group projects to be able to adapt a suitable role for myself and to take action. Also I used skills learned at ‘Creative Electronics’ and ‘Creative Programming’x within this project.

Also in my first year I started to develop my professional identity and vision. Due to this project and other experiences from my past I learned that I am very interested in the user and society. In ‘Project 1’ I learned that a user focused design process is important to me because this will help me to design for a useful product.  While examining the customer needs during the first project, I learned that customers and fellow students perceptions would vary from time to time. It helped me to see the design challenge from various angles and that more nuances were present than my own a perception.