F://FLASH-FOREVER
Summary
Flash Forever is an product design / industrial design project that looked to solve a real world problem faced by a client with a certain product through both primary research and secondary research. The first issue that Flash Forever tackled was the problem of thumb drives (also known as flash drives and pen drives) being lost due to their discreteness and lack of tracking features. The second issue was not knowing when a thumb drive is going to die since there is no way for the drive to communicate its state to the end user unless the end user installs extra programs on their device and make it a habit of regularly using them to stay informed.
Reflection
This was one of my most well developed projects in product design and the experience showed me how far well-curated primary and secondary research can go. At the beginning of the project I was unsure how I was going to tackle my client's problems since prior to this project I had never executed the full process of industrial design before and was uncertain as to what features I could implement into a concept with my skillset. However, I pushed through and challenged myself to acquire as much research as possible and think more creatively about the problems of my client. Eventually the project began to materialize into something bigger than I had imagined as more communication and exploration happened. It helped me see the importance of thinking outside the box more often.
Process
The project started with me holding a meeting with my client and inquiring about what issues that they are facing with any product in their life. They relayed to me that they were frustrated with the design of flash drives and the target product was found. After the first meeting, I got to work sketching up some solutions to their problems after doing some research into the background of flash drives, how the technology inside them worked, and what they were capable of. More meetings were held throughout the design process as the product went from sketches on paper to a fully rendered product with detailed features in order to meet the needs of my client. Listening carefully, getting crucial feedback, and implementing innovative changes helped bolster this project.
