PILLight: Attachable Bag Light
Product Design (MEAM 415)
Project Timeline: March - April 2019 (1.5 months)
Project Objectives
The final project for my Product Design course challenged us to complete the full product design process, from concept generation to manufacturing a fully functional minimal viable product, in addition to a marketing plan and a cost generation model. Using human-centered design principles, we were tasked with creating a product to help a typical college student. The high-level need that my team chose was improved organization and accessibility. We then narrowed the need to accessibility in backpacks. Multiple iterations of concept generation to narrow the scope of our need and potential design concepts followed. We completed primary research by interviewing a wide variety of students on campus to understand their accessibility needs and gather input on our initial product ideas. This led to our final product idea; a rechargeable light that attaches to the inside of a backpack to easily access lost or cluttered items. After multiple rounds of designing, testing, and refining the product, we were ready to begin manufacturing.
As the sole mechanical engineer on the team, I led the physical design and manufacturing of the product. I created the CAD for the multiple rounds of design iteration, and 3D printed the product components. Our final design consisted of:
a 3D printed PLA body that came in multiple colors (white, black, grey, orange & purple) to suit user preference
a clear 3D printed top
a high powered, solar-charged LED, and a high strength magnet that could attach through multiple surfaces
After multiple design iterations, we found the best design to be a flat back to easily attach to any surface, with a cylindrical top to optimize the light coverage. Throughout the project, we completed multiple sessions of user testing and feedback to continually improve the concept and design. The project included a marketing and pricing strategy for the product and presentation at a public user design showcase. At the showcase, our product was voted into the top fifteen out of 53 products.
