This week we had our first presentation to Philips and the MA product design students, to show our development of the product so far. The main comments after the presentation were:
- Vandalism: If the light is going to be next to the path, then this could present the issue of becoming easily damaged.
- Maintenance: How would the product be able to open up to access the lighting if replacement was required.
- Type of lighting : The lighting chosen (colour burst power ColorBurst gen 2) is a suitable one to use, but more understanding of the size and how the actual light will fit inside is needed.
- The shape of the light housing : It was clear as to why we chose the form, but the actual material it would be was unclear. The type of material could also impact the shape, with the example given of stainless steel – the sharp edges created may be a safety risk to pedestrians.
After considering the points made, we developed the design in the following ways:
- Vandalism : We decided to keep the light in the same location, as part of its use is as functional lighting for the edge of the path. To avoid vandalism, we decided the best solution would be to make it look sturdy enough to deter people from trying to damage it.
- Maintenance : As the product would be made of a series of panels, we considered the possibility of one of them being available to unscrew from the frame to gain access to the light fittings. The other option was to be able to lift the whole housing off, through unscrewing it from a base.
- Type of lighting : We had further discussions about how much space the main light would need in the housing, as well as the location of the other lighting elements.
- Shape of the light housing : We decided for the next model, we would try rounding off the sharp pointed edge on the model as a safety measure.
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