These projects were an examination in how human proportions, intended use, and overall feeling can all influence a product's form in variety of ways. The first project was to use primitive forms (cylinders, prisms, and ellipsoids) to each fit the same gesture, seeing how the form of the shape affects the affordances and limitations of the design. The next project focused on a specific interaction and designed two models around it: one focusing on how the product would work and the other focusing on how the product would look. Lastly, the third and final project was to create a water vessel taking human proportions into account while also incorporating three descriptive words to influence its design; in this case, light, soft, and dynamic.

In making a product, there can be many different factors to consider in informing the form, like the intended purpose, mood, or human interaction. In order for a product to be successful, it must strike a balance between the proper considerations, but that balance will be different for each individual.

This project came in the form of three separate stages, each with its own considerations and focus points to consider. The first project resulted in three distinct forms that all fit the same gesture but each have their own strengths and weaknesses as a result of their primitive shape. The second project involved a more complex interaction that would engage the user, developing one model for how the interaction would work and another for how the model would look. The third and final project was to take everything learned in the previous projects and apply it to create a water vessel that was light, soft, and dynamic.

What emerged from doing these various projects was primarily a greater understanding of human considerations in form, in addition to a technical skill set. The several drafts and models provided essential craft practices in creating three-dimensional forms from two-dimensional drawings, while the thought processes that influenced those drawings emphasized the various aspects of design that have to be considered when a product is created. These models reflect a building block of the design process, assigning forms to specific interactions, moods, or contexts.

Ellipsoid proportion process (left), cylinder proportion process (center), and prism proportion process (right)

Final clay ellipsoid (left), final foam cylinder (center), and final paper prism (right)

Hand interaction model sketches (left), Illustrator scale drawings of foam model (right)

Detailing iterations of water vessel (left) and drawing of demonstrated use (right)

Final water vessel