Development Portfolio by Viktoria Angelova

Human factors For a product to be successful in the market it has to be appealing to the consumers. In order to make a desirable product I concentrated on improving its ergonomics and appearance. I reduced the size of my product by half and included curves on the back of it to improve its dexterity. It also made the product look more natural and gracious. 4,5 cm 2,3 cm All moving parts have curves improving the grip making the product easier to use. To reduce the cognitive load the places where the consumer interacts with the product are painted in contrast color.

For the product to be more appealing I made it with no sharp edges and added a print on it to look more stylish. On this picture it’s a printing of a flower but there could be variations like animals, symbols or other plants. Offering different patterns the costumers would have an opportunity to choose the one that suits them the most.

The product is to be used both in and outdoors. The charger must be able to work in room and outside in the open air. It has to work in high and low temperatures and levels of humidity. The solar panel and all other parts are design to improve the dexterity and make the interaction with the product easier and enjoyable.

Task analysis Open the solar panel Open the phone stand Place your mobile on the stand Unfold the plug Place the device in the socket Open the solar panel Open the phone stand Place your mobile on the stand Solar powered charging When using the solar cell to gain energy the device need more time to recharge a mobile. In this mode it can be used outdoors. AC powered charging Using the energy from the electrical system allows the charger to perform better and faster.

Item Potential failure mode potential effects of failure S (severity rating) Potential cause(s) O (occurre nce rating) D (detectio n rating) RPN (risk priority number) phone stand does not open the phone does not stay in place but still will be able to recharge 2 broken part, stuck 316 solar panel does not open the device will not be able to use solar energy, works only with plug 3stuck216 fall off the device will not be able to use solar energy, works only with plug 6broken2112 solar cell does not transform solar energy the device will not be able to use solar energy, works only with plug 7broken2456 plug does not unfold the device will not be able to be powered 7 broken folding mechanis m 2456 wireless charger does not recharge a mobile phone the device will not be able to recharge a mobile phone 8broken1648

Potential failures The solar panel does not open The phone stand does not open The plug cannot be unfold The battery does not charge fully The wireless charger (part of the device) stop working None of those failures is dangerous for the consumers health. They can be avoided by simply improving the mechanisms. However if wireless charger fail to recharge a mobile the product becomes useless. So in order to avoid this specific failure the only thing that can be done is ensure the quality of the electronics by conducting thorough testing.

Reverse engineering Taking apart a travel charger helped me understand how small the electronics bits can be and what the battery capacity is. It was also really useful to see how the whole charger was put together.

When I was disassembling the solar charger I wanted to find out if there are any specific electronic parts that are used only in solar powered devices. Turns out the electronics were no different than those in the simple travel charger.

Prototyping Going thorough the development process I have encountered a lot of problems. Mainly ones associated with the electronic part of my product. Fewer problems were connected to its appearance and size. At this page I have given more information about the problems and the solutions I came up with. Some of the solutions were very simple like changing the size. Others were more complicated such as changing the shape considering the ergonomics.

One of the problems I had while developing my design is how to incorporate the plug in my device. The UK plugs are big and bulky whereas my product have to take as little space as possible. So I have made a little research would it be possible to one that is smaller in size. The best solution for this problem was to make the plug so it folds in to the device.

Packaging Since I am a sustainable designer I should also consider the packaging and the materials it is made from. Recently I bought a new phone and it gave me an idea of what the packaging of my product would look like. Here is how the packaging of my phone looks like.

Foreword After researching the market I have found a product opportunity for a more sustainable mobile phone charger. To answer the needs of this niche market I designed a mobile phone charger that is partly charged by solar power. Introduction This PDS is made with the objective to give full details about my product. From its design and materials used, through the manufacturing process to its usage and disposal. Scope This document consists of the specification for manufacturing the portable charger I design during the Ideation module. It includes performance manufacturing operation disposal and acceptance requirements for the product to be launched in the market. Product design specifications

Performance Requirements  This product is a device for charging mobile phones (Note 1)  Used both indoors and outdoors  Output DC 5.5 W/h  Input DC 5 W/h  Lithium-ion battery  Battery Capacity 4400mA/h  Solar panels 0.5 W  Using solar energy the device can charge a phone for 5h.  When plugged it charge a mobile phone for 2 - 2:30h.  To able to operate outdoors the device has to:  Withstand 85% humidity of air  Able to work in temperature range 5ºC - 25ºC  The device has a plug incorporated inside  The plug slides in and out of the device  Size should be no more than 120/60/30mm  Weight no more than 400g  The colors used should be neutral like white, black, silver  For using it the consumer should go through no more than 4 steps  Smooth surface  No sharp edges  The bottom part should have curves fitting the hand  All moving parts must be easy to open  Target production cost is £30-35

Manufacture requirements  The product must be made from ABS  Local materials must be used  No potentially toxic materials  Easily assembled and disassembled  No screws  No adhesives  The packaging of must be made from recycled carton and plastic.  All the labels must be printed with soya ink  The packaging should protect the product from water and stress.  The product should stay in production for at least 3 years Operation requirements  The product is easy to repair  All the part could be changed/replaced  The user will be able to buy the parts to repair it  The plug incorporated in the design should be fused  This charger is made so it would be compatible with smart phones the only requirement is that the phone is able to be charged without a wire. Most new phones have this option build in. For those which don’t, the costumer have to attach a wireless receiver.

Disposal requirements  Most of the parts in the product must be recyclable  The user can take it apart and recycle the parts separately  By taking it apart the consumer will also be able to upcycle the product.  The packaging must be recyclable Acceptance standards The product must answer the British Standards for:  Household and similar electrical appliances. Safety Particular requirements for battery chargers  13 A plugs, socket-outlets, adaptors and connection units Specification for rewirable and non-rewirable 13 A fused plugs  Solar cells  Reliability of systems equipment and components

Weeks Sketching PDS 3D Modeling Initial Prototype Final Prototype Feedback GANTT Chart Milestones 27 January Feedback on the Ideation model 30 January Conduct a research on materials to use 1 February Research 4 February Create a new design for my product 7 February Model 10 February Feedback on the new model 14 February Calculations 20 February Materials 3 March Reverse engineering 20 March Finished Prototype

Development Portfolio made by Viktoria Angelova Course: Sustainable Product Design Module: Product Development 1