Bachelor of Industrial Design: Thesis Project
For the final year of Industrial Design, we were tasked with using the design process, which we mastered over the four years, to creatively solve a real world problem. My project, called Annex, is an autonomous mobile workspace solution to the business on the go problem. In this project, you will see the entire design process from research and ideation to a final cohesive design.
Enhancing the business on the go experience
Annex focuses on the future of work and how current and forthcoming work / technology trends could change the way business people work. Already some technology companies have changed what people consider to be the office space environment by introducing new takes on seating, work hours, group work, relaxation, and inspirational work environments. This trend continues to grow into many different types of businesses and industries. At the same time, a new technology is becoming more realistic and likely, this being autonomous vehicles. Although they are still years away, the possibilities that these types of vehicles hold is creating new ideas of how the travel experience can change. This thesis project explores the possibility of both of these trends merging to create a brand new and exciting business on the go experience.
Why?
Stats show the growing popularity in the new work trends like unique work hours, teamwork and collaborating with others, and working in spaces other than cubicles. There are also many stats showing the concerns of these new autonomous vehicles as well as the negative impacts that travelling to and from work and have on the environment.
How?
Many of these trends offer great opportunities and ideas for improving these issues. However, this project explores the idea of merging the contemporary work space with autonomous vehicles to create a new experience that enhances and inspires work ethic and collaboration while removing any doubts or worries about driverless travel.
Inspiration
These three areas guided the ideation and development of the overall design.
Ideation
During the ideation stage of the project, as many exterior and interior ideas were explored as possible. At this point, details weren’t as important and the focus was on the overall form and feeling of the idea.
Sketch Model
After the early ideation sketches, a 1:10 scale sketch model of the entire design was built using foam core. Even though this model wasn’t highly detailed or developed, it gave important insight into how the design looks and works in 3d. Some things work well in sketches but not in 3d and with a design that involves a focus on ergonomics, understanding the design in 3d was extremely important.
Concept Development and CAD
The design continued to develop through 3d Cad, with small adjusts to form being made as well as to the details. The sketch model and further detail sketches helped guide the form and detail development of this design. Understanding the interior space in 3d helped to better understand the exterior shape and size of the cad model. This digital model was also great for realizing proportion which was constantly tweaked.
Final Design Concept Render
Final in-situ render of the design shows the concept in its environment of use.
Features and Benefits
The features of this concept not only make this design unique, they also help enhance the user experience while reducing its impact on the surrounding environment.
Connect Feature
This vehicle opens up and connects with the user’s home, bridging the gap between the user’s home office and professional workspace. Once parked, the vehicle becomes an extension of the user’s home, while on the move, it becomes a functional mobile workspace where the user can complete tasks, work with colleagues, and present to clients.
Final Model
One of the final parts of the thesis project was to build a scaled model of the final design. This model is a 1:10 scale representation of my final interior thesis design. The main frame, roof light, and seating frames were made from plasma cut and formed aluminum, the small detail pieces as well as the seating cushions were hand built out of styrene plastic, the wooden wall and the shelf frame was constructed from balsa wood, with the final detail pieces being 3d printed. Finally the pieces were painted to match the digital renders as closely as possible.
Banner
One of the other final submissions for the thesis project was to design a banner that summarizes the project in a quick and clear way. This banner was to be printed and displayed beside our final model.