This project was one of the first I was given when I started
my placement at Red Loop; I worked on this project in a design team of two with
my colleague Harry Bradshaw, starter of SHED Design Studio. The brief was to
make mobile computer monitor stands that could be put inline creating the
effect of one large screen. The project had been attempted by a placement
student last year but the design didn’t work. Part of what made this project so
difficult was that we were trying to work from someone else’s design without
having them there. For quite some time we tried to design parts or additions to
the old design to try and make it work. After a lot of work and setting up the
Powerwall we eventually gave up and started to redesign the monitor stand.
This
was when the project began to make a lot more sense. The original idea quite
obviously didn't work and we had wasted a lot of time, energy and money on
trying to fix it. It felt similar to trying to understand what was going on
inside of an artist’s brain when all you have to look at is one unfinished abstract
painting; without seeing the artist’s preliminary work you can’t begin to
understand his thoughts. This early stage of the project I found very
difficult.
We
started off, as any project should, by doing our own research into similar
products already out on the market. Some universities had done similar
projects, but their products were immobile. Our first design for the monitor
bracket was simple and effective. The design was made of two solid pieces of
material that would clamp to the pole and would screw into the fittings on the
back of the monitor. We ran into problems when it came to weight and to usage
of material. Having no experience in designing for manufacture we had to
consult a technician for advice. These conversations proved very helpful in
shaping our approach of the project.
It was
talking to the technicians that really helped me to see this project clearly.
It was comforting to be able to ask advice and work with an expert. Their
knowledge of manufacturing techniques really helped us lay constraints on our
design.
Then we
came to ordering material. Never before had I had to research my own material
sourcing to such a tight budget. The art of googling was something that we had
to firmly master in this section of the project. It turned out that the
previous design team on this project hadn't kept a record of what material
sources they used. Thus we had to start from scratch. In some luckier situations
we found old receipts filed away in obscure places.
I was
out of the country for the end assembly and delivery of the Powerwall: I knew
that it would be in safe hands with my colleague and the junior design team
that had been raised to help. The final erection of the project ran smoothly
much unlike our first attempts with the previous design. Despite this projects shaky
start it finished smoothly. With plenty of time for mistakes and delays in the
manufacture process the end product made it to the client in good time.
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