Duration: 14 weeks (6/17/19 - 9/20/19)
Problem Statement
FX Luminaire needs a new slim light fixture that relieves the issue of using an in-wall back box to house wiring components for retrofit applications.
San Marcos, CA Product Design Engineer
What I did
I prototyped and iterated through several designs to create Hunter's slimmest light fixture.
My project can be broken down into the 5 steps of design thinking:
1. Empathize: Identify user needs and research competitor products
2. Define: Define the problem statement
3. Ideate: Identify several innovative solutions to the problem statement
4. Prototype: Create physical prototypes of ideas
5. Test: Prototype, test, and repeat.
1. EMPATHIZE
I ordered several competing light products and disassembled them to see how they were built, and how I can improve upon them. I also helped draft the new product proposal which identified the key needs:
Market Attractiveness
Smaller, more flat and angular style fixtures are being demanded by the market. A long problem has been the installation and size of the electronics box that almost entirely prohibits installation into pre-existing infrastructures after construction. The Flat LED Wall light will add retrofit or new installation to places that were not possible with the current box option.
Customer Application
The Flat LED Wall Light will be used primarily in hardscape in places such as stairs and walls. Wall Lights are usually mounted low to the ground to illuminate walkways, walls and stairs
Highest Potential Customers - Residential Design Build Contractors
Commercial installations have long used wall lights to illuminate stairs and walkways. This trend will continue with the Flat LED Wall Light.
Medium Potential - Commercial and Municipal Installers/Maintenance
Lowest Potential - Lighting Designers
Lighting Designers do not tend to put a large focus on wall lights favoring accent lighting.
2. DEFINE
Defined the product specifications and requirements. Pictured below is a snapshot of a few of the specifications:
3. IDEATE
Produced several hand-drawn sketches and CAD designs.
4. PROTOTYPE
Printed a variety of low-mid fidelity prototypes using SLA, FDM, and polyJET printers. Acrylic sheets, Lazercam, urethane potting, and silicone seals were involved in creating high-fidelity prototypes.
5. TEST
Testing was iterative process. Some tests that were conducted: FEA Analysis, Water-jet testing, Photopia Light simulations, mock-installations, drop-tests, humidity chamber tests (varying humidity, pressure, temperature), mock-assembly, IP tests.
