This was a pretty fun and kick-ass project that had us go some 1328m below ground in Renström mine, with New Boliden, a few hours north of Umeå. (I posted the video a classmate made on this a little while ago, as that was quick and easy to post, and interesting too).
The challenge - based on field studies, participatory observations, interviews, creative exercises and additional research, to identify and choose a significant and relevant problem or design opportunity to work with, within the overall theme of this project title (The Mining Project) and People Centred Design. You are then expected to analyse and solve this specific problem or design opportunity with a product
solution.
Here a quick and brief overview, which will possibly also help me evaluate putting together the final report for this project (yet to be completed), as well as what I may include in my portfolio, which I should also be working on, again, very soon.
-gratuitous close up of brainstorm session results - these all from a brainstorm session I held, coaxing classmates to attend with cookies for ideas
-initial ideation sketch - one of the first (loose and fairly quick) sketches that really started to drive the direction of the project for me
-initial ideation sketch, part 2 - this was a version of the same sketch intended to show how a variant for low mines might look
-concept direction sketch - an evolution of earlier ideas combined in a more defined direction
-'user testing' - or passenger volume evaluation
-concept direction sketch - with a 3D underlay and Photoshop colouring in
-laser cut samples - super intricate levels of detail possible on 3mm thick PMMA
-the laser cutter at work on a full run of parts
-a small snapshot of the model components in progress
-1:20 scale model in progress
-post presentation feedback - all of us presented our projects first, one after the other, and feedback followed in one session after all presentations
-me getting feedback on my presentation, concept, and design - attending were representatives from Atlas Copco (one of the leading companies in the field of mining machines - Swedish based), and New Boliden (the mining company which we visited for our initial research, and one of Atlas Copco's main clients), who were both collaborators on the project, and gave feedback at earlier stages of the project as well
-final model pre presentation - I took that piece of white tape off the day of, but here it's holding the last bit of glueing in place
This project was long and challenging enough, and in the end, we again celebrated by holding a pub. No pictures of that one to post though unfortunately.
