Design & Art Samples



3D: Human Factors
Alarm Clock
Wireless Headsets
NEEMO

3D: Random Products
Travel Soapdish
See Shelf

2D: HCI
LESTER Web Portal
HSIS Web Application
EMR Form

2D: Random
Personal Logo
Figure Drawings
Napkin Sketches


Alarm clock redesign
This was a class project I did early on at Rice to redesign an existing product. I chose my alarm clock radio, for which I felt the basic shape and placement of the controls could be improved. I presented my sketches to the class along with a basic task analysis and typical usage scenarios.
Original Alarm | Final Concepts




LESTER portal
The LESTER portal was a web usability project that grew out of an HCI Methods course. After extensive user research (interviews, questionnaires, user tests), I developed some prototype designs for a new version of the existing website. For the developer I developed the style sheet, graphics, logo, and basic layout of the interface. Many of the layout suggestions were later constrained, however, due to the decision to use an existing portal software (reduced developer time). While I was unhappy with the outcome, it was a good lesson in real-world usability constraints.
website




Travel Soapdish
This was a quick concept for a travel soap dish (ABS) I came up with in a product design elective at Rice. After speaking with fabricators and discovering the cost of injection molding (necessary due to the tolerances on the interlocking pieces), it was left as a concept.
Front | Profile




See Shelf
See Shelf was my final project for the product design elective I took at Rice. I had originally decided to create a bent acrylic/aluminum standing DVD tower, after seeing my roommates sprawling DVD collection. However, again due to production costs, I was forced to miniaturize the project, which brought me to the final See Shelf design. In its final form, I found that it could be used best as a desktop shelf/bookend for organizing small books and stationary items, as well as CDs and DVDs. You can also see an early mockup on this webpage, which I sent out a link for to various friends and family and asked for feedback. The second preproduction prototype I handcrafted can be best seen here.
Sketches | Final Product (Lifestyle) | Final Product 2




NEEMO Habitat Design
This was primarily a research project, but there was a habitat design component in our final report. Based on a video analysis of crew activity in the small habitat, I came up with an improved habitat design. Specifically, the redesign was guided by frequency of use for each area of the habitat a la link analysis.




HSIS Web Application
As described on my research page, I designed the interface for the Human-Systems Integration Standards (HSIS) web application for NASA. Working together with the developer, I created all of the graphics to be used on the pages and determined the page layouts and information architecture based on data collected in user tests and interviews. My deliverables to the developer included page templates in HTML, image files, and a style sheet.
Sample Layout




Wireless Headsets
As described on the research page, the focus of this project was to determine human factors requirements for a wireless headset upgrade to the ISS crew communications system. After conducting user tests with commercial off-the-shelf headsets, I determined the requirements for a wireless headset. Early concepts sketches were provided in my report to the design group at NASA.
Sketches | More to be posted




EMR Forms
I am evaluating EMR data entry forms at Baylor College of Medicine Family Medicine Clinic. As part of the work described on the research page, I will develop a new form in Microsoft Access. The form design will be guided by data collected with the existing form, usability principles, and findings from our lab and will be compared to the original through user testing.
Sketches to be posted




Personal Logo
Nearing graduation, I developed a personal logo for self-promotion and practice. I considered a graphical logo, originally, but settled on a logotype because I am not a company/business, and I mostly wanted recognition of my name from the logo. What I settled on represents interaction between human (serif) and technology (modern font), with an artistic flair (brushstroke). The blue color of the brushstroke represents my academic heritage (Rice and UConn). Exaggerated ascenders were used to improve legibility at small sizes. I created the font working from pencil overlays and finally tweaking it in Illustrator.
Sketches | Final logo




Figure Drawing
Mixed media (acrylic and charcoal) nude figure drawings done in summer 2006.
Female | Man Reading | Female Profile | Female Torso | Older Woman | Blocked Out




Napkin Sketches
Quick sketches of people done on napkins while studying at a local bookstore. They were done during my first year at Rice (2001). I like them because they so aptly represent my life then.
Woman | Man




Other design and fine art done prior to my years at Rice are in storage out of state and may be posted at a later date.