Stratus
A portable ironing solution for professionals
Company/ Client
UC Berkeley
Role
Project Lead Project Manager
Skills
Mechanical Design Industrial Design Rapid Prototyping
Tools
SolidWorks Blender
Duration
2023-2024
Stage 2. Approach
After analyzing the social trends, economic factors, and technological advancements, many iterations of product opportunity gaps (POGs) were explored to clarify a niche market potential idea. User research through interviews and ethnographic studies helped the project realize a focus on answering :
Stage 4. Research Synthesis
culminating the data from the user research phase to build personas and journey maps that will help contextualize issues and clarify spaces for innovation and meeting user needs.
Stage 5. Competitor Analysis
analyzing existing solution space to understand areas of value that the product can bring to users
Stage 6. Product Requirements
defining features, attributes, and functionalities that the product must have to meet user needs and fit user behavior. For instance, using personas to identify that busy working mother will only use a heated product if it has safety features to protect their children, thus our product must have an emergency stop
Stage 7. Concept Generation Cycles
using diverging and converging techniques to increase volume, quality, and creativity of concepts. Brain mapping, LLMs, 5-3-5, reverse engineering, and crazy eights
Stage 8. Prototyping
designing, rendering, and iteratively testing rough cardboard models and refined product concepts to define final main attributes of a portable iron for young working professionals
This product is a two part system. One part has a heated surface which sits on the outer side of clothing and connects to the other, which sits on the inside of clothing when worn, with a set of magnets. This design takes inspiration from the method of washing fish tanks - by dragging a set of magnets carrying a heated element the product is able to iron clothing on the go.
The extra cloud part serves as a barrier between the heated parts and the body - alluding the safety features incorporated into the design. There is intended to be an LED that allows light to pass through the silicone shell alerting users when the machine is hot. The cloud shape is from its name “stratus” which refers to stratus clouds. The shape allows for ridges that complement the human grip and allow for greater ease of use which was determined to be an important product attribute in after user research and competitor analysis.