Hi, Im Mark...

Throughout my time at Northumbria University I have worked on a number of collaborative projects. These projects have helped me mature as a designer and realise the value of working in a team and on my own. My usual approach to design mainly consists of iterative sketch development through to CAD refinement with a strong emphasis on aesthetics. However, in my final year project seeking out a new material I had never worked with before took me out of my comfort zone and changed my whole outlook

You may contact me via:

[email protected] +44 (0)7813 074508

on the project. I came to understand the material in a way that CAD development couldnt.

MARK COULTHARD

PORTFOLIO 2013

Final Major Project An air purifier that breathes

With a staggering 21 million suffering from allergy in the UK alone, it is easy to see a need for a product that helps tackle this problem. This air purifier is projected for 2020, designed to tackle the problem of airborne allergens in the home. When it is active the unit sucks in air and begins to breathe as it does so. When the filter needs to be changed the unit will stop breathing and an indication will flash on the remote indicating the filter needs to be changed. The outer mesh is intended to be removable allowing access to change the filter, whilst still allowing air to flow through. My goal to create a visually engaging product meant that the interaction had to be expressed with the objects entire body as opposed to a small LED light point display.

Development Work

Mock-ups

Testing

How does lung work?

Vent Latex membrane Filter Outer mesh Fan
Stage 2

Solenoid valve

Above A cross section of the inner workings

Stage 1 The fan draws in air through the vent, allowing air to pass through the filter, trapping the allergens. The air pressure begins to increase in the latex membrane as more air is drawn in, forcing the membrane to expand. Stage 2 The two solenoid valves then release the clean air into the surrounding environment and the process repeats.

Stage 1

Living with lung

90
DAY

Clean the filter

At this stage lung will stop breathing and an indication will flash on the remote telling the user to change the filter. They then remove the filter and simply vacuum it clean.

DAY 90

DAY

Morning
First time setup consists of pushing down on the remote to turn the device on. Then set the time on the remote to configure the automatic fan. Twisting the remote clockwise will set the desired time period the device is on.

Nighttime
Since the time has been set, when the clock hits 10PM the fan inside lung will automatically be lowered to the slowest setting to eliminate noise throughout the night.

10PM

NHC Competition Inclusive Bathroom Design

This project was a competition brief all about inclusive design. We had to pick a problem area for the less-able in the home and develop a solution. I chose the bathroom. The final design was modelled in Solidworks and rendered in Keyshot.

Too many grab rails

Unattractive

Too clinical

1
I came up with 3 very different concepts looking at how the bathroom sink and toilet work together as a whole. Keeping in mind feasibility, cost effectiveness, and wheelchair users, I decided to develop concept number 2.

Initial Concepts

Looks Disabled

Cluttered

Not Inclusive!

A scale drawing showing the bathroom from a top, side and front view. Outlining all the major sizes in millimetres.

Scale Drawing

Toilet Benefits

Sink Benefits

Aids users with joint problems, meaning less torque is needed.

Long-Lever Flush

Doubles as a grab rail to assist the user getting off the toilet.

Towel Rail

Makes it easier for people with joint problems.

Long-Lever Tap

Allows users to get closer to the toilet, making it easier for them.

Angled Pan

A stainless steel toilet roll holder, doubles as a grab rail.

Toilet Roll Holder

Serves as a reminder of hot and cold for those with dementia.

Colour-Coded Taps

The front of the sink is at the right height for wheelchair users.

Angled Sink

Photoshop Examples

Radio Detailing

This project was solely focused on the finer detailing around a DAB radio. Graphite linework was used as a template to create a final Photoshop rendering.

Car Renders

These are renderings I have done in my spare time. I started from very rough initial sketches, which were then scanned and rendered in Photoshop.

Bowers & Wilkins Portable Speakers

Bowers & Wilkins customers mostly consist of established audiophiles due to their focus on achieving premium quality sound. They were however, unsure how to attract young audiophiles-to-be, which is why we were asked to design portable speakers for that market.

Concept 1 Diffusion
Diffusion gives the user the opportunity to experience music how it was meant to be heard through the use of the 360o sound feature. Alternatively they can broadcast their music in a linear direction if desired. Diffusion has no home and can be adapted to any environment, providing the user with a truly portable experience.

USB Input

USB input allows the user to plug their laptop in for premium quality sound.

6.5mm Guitar Input Fully Portable

The large bi-directional carry handle creates an easy method of transportation. It is designed to go anywhere and charges via mains or USB.

The 6.5mm input allows the speaker to act as an amp when a guitar is plugged in.

A 3.5mm auxiliary socket is compatible with any device with a headphone socket, alllowing the user to experience their music from wherever they may be.

3.5mm Auxiliary Input

Robust Manual Controls

All the necessary volume controls and main dial are all in one place at the top of the unit. The main dial allows the user to choose between, OFF, directional sound or 3600 sound.

Concept 2 Resonance
Resonance is a portable speaker with a difference. Sensors pick up ambient sounds and light and play music corresponding to its feedback. Mood lighting can also be manually adjusted to suit the user.

Auxiliary Input

A 3.5mm auxiliary socket is compatible with any device with a headphone socket, allowing for better quality sound.

Manual volume controls are easily accessible from the top of the of the speaker.

Volume Controls

Airplay on/off Wireless Streaming

Apple Airplay allows mp3 or radio to be streamed seamlessly from phone to speaker.

Users can either choose to play their music through a cable or Airplay for wireless streaming.

Toggle the mood light function on or off depending on the ambient environment.

Mood light on/off

Time-lapse Scenario
Morning Dinner Chilled Party Bedtime

iPhone App

Customise lighting playlists so Resonance adapts to your everyday lifestyle. Allowing you to choose light intensity, pulse speed and alternating colours.

Ambient Lighting

The in-built mood light automatically mimics the tempo and beat of the music being streamed, changing the ambience of the room for different types of music.

Bowers & Wilkins Packaging

Looking at the brand as a whole, it didnt have a definitive identity as such, therefore there was an opportunity to re-design the brands packaging and P.O.S. Not only did the packaging style differ from product to product within the range, the placement was often bottom shelf, with opposing products such as the Jambox, placed above it. There was also an opportunity to distinguish seperate ranges within the brand through the use of the packaging as this is what will be seen in storefront.

Portable

High End

Headphones
A Unified Range
The solution was to create unity within the brands packaging and also differentiate between different price points through simple colour usage. This will help customers to make quicker decisions at the Point of Sale.

RSA Competition Valuing Water

A competition brief issued from the RSA Student Design Awards. The brief was to design a means of better communicating and/ or revealing the inherent value of water so that people improve their understanding ofwater as a limited natural resource and a commodity.

Research

Ideation
Rapid Ideation
After the Opportunity Statements were generated we spent about 20-30 minutes on each statement trying to get as many ideas as possible, regardless of feasability. At the end of this rapid ideation we ended up with just under 400 ideas in total.

Grouping Similar Ideas

With 39 opportunity statements to ideate around it was inevitable that we would end up with ideas that were similar or exactly the same. This process involved discarding ideas that were exactly the same and grouping the ideas that worked well together.

Creating a Discussion Guide

I collaborated with Ryan Sanderson in a brainstorming session as to what content to put into the discussion guide. It took four inital drafts until the final structure was decided on. This was to act as a framework in order to ask questions and gain feedback.

In-Home Ethnographies

We then proceeded to perform in-home ethnographies with 11 participating households. The aim was to gain a sample of home-owners ranging from young professionals to families to the retired.

Customer Insights

Current vs Future Proposal

The concept taken forward was the target meter. This section compares Yorkshire Waters current system for taking readings vs my proposed solution. It also addresses the problem with the connection to the customer.

Yorkshire Water current system for obtaining meter readings...

Problem Areas

1
Limited Meter Readings

Meter

2
Huge Transportation Costs

Yorkshire Water Head Office

Within one year Yorkshire Water spends 1000s on transport and petrol to take readings only twice a year.

One Year Cycle

3
Yorkshire Water Head Office

Huge Carbon Footprint in Years to Come

4
Customers on Water Meters Likely to Double in a few years

Meter

Proposed system for obtaining meter readings...

Benefits Over Current System

1
Time Saving

Yorkshire Water Cloud Service

2
No Transportation Costs

3
Accurate Real-Time Meter Readings

4
Reduced Carbon Footprint in Years to Come

5
A Huge Insight Into Customers Water Habits
Meter

The Solution
The next few pages outline the details of the concept from how the in-home monitor would be implemented, to setup, to the finished article...

NEIL MCKENZIE YORKSHIRE WATER CUSTOMER

I check the water meter regularly and also use the water companys information. However, I would like a simpler, more versatile way to check how much we are using.

THANK YOU
MARK COULTHARD

+44 (0) 78130 74508

[email protected]