The most critical skill in a user-centered design project–where the designer is solving a problem for a specific target audience–is empathy. Empathy enables an industrial designer to both identify a relevant problem, as well as explore and iterate solutions based on the needs of the user. The following projects utilize students’ empathic abilities in order to execute user-centered design projects.

MASTER’S DESIGN STUDIO I - GRADUATE WORK

In MD1, students took the concept of portmanteau, or word-combination, and applied it to objects. In this 5-week project, they randomly selected two basic designed objects and were challenged to find a meaningful intersection. Everything that is ever created is a kind of portmanteau. It is the combination of two or more things that have never been combined before. Sometimes it is a material with a new form. Sometimes it's an existing form placed within a new context. And sometimes it is simply mashing two objects together. Design is simply a remixing of what already exists. The underlying talent of a successful designer is finding the meaningful connections between disparate things.

Plateau
A picnic tote that creates a setting
Noah Wangerin

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.13.42 AM.png

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.12.21 AM.png

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.12.35 AM.png

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.12.48 AM.png

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.12.57 AM.png

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.13.13 AM.png

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.13.32 AM.png

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.13.56 AM.png

CLOUD
A touch-lamp for the table
Shinkyung Do

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.22.16 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.20.24 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.20.41 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.21.04 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.21.17 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.21.33 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.21.52 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.22.03 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.22.27 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.23.02 AM.jpg

BOOKSHADE
An adaptable bookcase shading system
Michael Maclean

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.26.34 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.25.36 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.25.47 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.25.59 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.26.19 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.26.46 AM.jpg

Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 10.27.06 AM.jpg

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN III - SOPHOMORE UNDERGRADUATE WORK

In ID3, students are first introduced to fundamental and critical skills within the field of industrial design through the eyes of one particular design method: user-centered design. User-centered design is the most common method used in contemporary industrial design practices. In a user-centered approach, all efforts are directed toward providing solutions to identified problems around the defined user, context, and activity(s). We look at what makes a good user-centered design project, learn its components, and carry out two distinct 8-week projects in order to absorb this process.

COALESCE
A modular storage locker system to improve design school culture at UIC
Ashley Villagrana, Eugene Gnatyuk, Peter Graff

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.06.32 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.04.34 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.05.04 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.05.19 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.05.32 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.05.45 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.05.55 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.06.09 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.06.23 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.07.02 AM.png

UNRAVEL TEA SET
Portable tea set integrated with a traditional Chinese pastime
David Vuong, Betuel Benitez

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.26.05 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.24.47 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.25.01 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.25.12 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.25.48 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.26.26 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.26.35 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.27.03 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.26.50 AM.png

3DEATE
A design conceptualization tool
Samuel Kramer, Ryan Sorrano

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.36.09 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.34.24 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.34.36 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.34.51 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.35.03 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.35.16 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.35.26 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.35.37 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.35.52 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.36.02 AM.png

ONE
Portable speaker designed to optimize creative productivity
Nick Savage, Daniel Asseo, Maribel Lopez

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.42.03 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.42.22 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.42.31 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.43.02 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.43.11 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.43.20 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.43.34 AM.png

EMBRACE
A curricular system to teach cultural acceptance
Evelyn Andrade, Jia Fan

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.53.36 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.52.10 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.52.17 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.52.58 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.53.08 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.53.18 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.53.27 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.53.57 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 11.54.30 AM.png

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN V - JUNIOR UNDERGRADUATE WORK

As structured by former UIC professors Bruce and Stephanie Tharp, the field of industrial design can be split into four categories: Commercial, Discursive, Experimental, and Responsible. The following 8-week projects focus on Responsible Design–specifically, designing for individuals with a physical disability. Not only can designing for the physically disabled result in innovation for the target group, but it can often lead to mainstream product breakthroughs; think Charles and Ray Eames with their leg splint, eyeglasses transforming into fashion, and haptic watches designed for the blind. The students were challenged with addressing a specific disability (eg. loss of sight, loss of hearing, paralysis, amputation….) and through primary research identify a problem or pain point, and ultimately address this problem through product.

DULCET
Baking tool set for the blind
Katie Tramel, DeeDee Leng

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 1.08.17 PM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 1.08.53 PM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 1.09.00 PM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 1.09.08 PM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 1.09.15 PM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 1.09.41 PM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 1.09.24 PM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 1.09.33 PM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 1.09.47 PM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 1.09.53 PM.png

Screen Shot 2019-07-17 at 11.02.59 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-07-17 at 11.03.11 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 1.10.38 PM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 1.10.28 PM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 1.10.05 PM.png

BEND
Mop designed for individuals in wheelchairs
Nina Robertson, Juan Salgado

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 2.54.01 PM.png