Charles Hamilton Portfolio

CHARLES HAMILTONDesign Portfolio

SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY BRUNEL UNIVERSITY, LONDON, U.K.

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[email protected] HAMILTON 209.210.8723

HELLO!

CHARLES HAMILTON

Product Designer

I am a recent graduate who is eager to enter the design industry. I consider myself a product designer, one who designs both physical and digital products. I’ve been able to utilize my industrial design background for work as a graphic designer during my internship with an online clothing store. I also spent a year studying abroad in London where my work was recognized by Samsung’s design team as one of the best in their competition.

As much as I enjoy the aesthetic side of design, my ultimate goal is to solve problems that improve the world and have social impact. This portfolio illustrates my unique design process and highlights my best projects while in school.

Physical Digital

Where I like to design.

Aesthetics

Problem Solving

GEAR FLOSSER

A bike cleaning tool addresses the need of cleaning grease and dirt stuck in between gears.

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IRRIO

An irrigation valve that waters lawns based on soil moisture content.

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XAVI

A lounge chair designed for bookworms who need storage for their books.

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FLECTERE

A modulating light fixture inspired by hyperbolic paraboloid shapes.

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IRRIO APP

This app accompanies Irrio, the smart irrigation valve. It displays how much water is being used, and offers landscaping suggestions.

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IRRIOSmart Irrigation Valve

This four month long project was a part of my final research design course. The first two months were spent researching a problem through literature, user interviews, surveys, and expert interviews. The final two months were spent developing a solution through sketching, prototyping and model making.

BRIEF

Design a solution that reduces outdoor water usage.

SKILLS

Literature ReviewUser ResearchInterviewingDesign AuditSketchingRapid PrototypingModel MakingArduinoAdobe Creative SuiteSolidworksKeyshot

PROJECT

PROCESS

Why is this a problem worth solving?

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GENESIS

IRRIO

PROJECT GENESIS

After returning home from a year in the UK, I was surprised to find that my parents removed the grass in the front lawn. In its place was a mixture of bark and drought-resistant plants. Watering and maintaining a luscious green lawn became too much of a hassle for them especially during a state-wide drought. I thought why don’t more people remove their lawns since they use up so much water. My research and development consisted of answering several questions that led me to my final solution.

Why don’t more people remove their lawns?

Why do people have grass lawns in the first place?Why is having a grass lawn bad?

What are the alternatives and why don’t people adopt these?

How can I design a solution for lawn owners to reduce water usage?

Will people adopt the solution?

PROCESS

LITERATURE REVIEW

USER RESEARCH

EXPERT INTERVIEWS

INTERVIEWS

SURVEYS

MARKET RESEARCH

CONCEPT IDEATION

VALIDATION

QUESTIONS

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Why do people have grass lawns and why is it so bad?

RESEARCH

IRRIO

LITERATURE REVIEW

There’s no doubt that Americans love their lawns. Since the end of WWII, suburbs have been popping up and with it acres of turf grass. Lawns are a significant part of American culture, as we have a history of taking over land and making it our own. Lawns were created in England and France in the 1500s. After the Civil War, the idea was brought to the U.S., becoming a popular feature of wealthy estates. Frederick Olmsted, known as the father of the American Lawn, designed a concept for Central Park which featured expansive grasslands throughout the park. This green idea took off and was used in public places. With the emergence of the suburbs and the middle class in the mid-century, lawns began to attract the interest of many Americans. Lawns were a symbol of status and a way to show the Joneses you were keeping up with them

PROBLEM

What is so bad about having a grass lawn?

4.5 BILLION GALLONS WASTEDEACH DAYWhile California is struggling with a massive drought, the EPA

estimates that 9 billion gallons of water is used every day just in watering lawns with 50% of that water wasted.

THE COST OF MAINTAINING NON-NATIVE GRASSES

PESTICIDES

FERTILIZERS

WATER

9 billion gallons a day

ENERGY POLLUTION

OIL

17 million gallons Spilled a year

ELECTRICITY

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IRRIO

Why don’t people remove their lawns?

RESEARCH

USER INTERVIEWS

I interviewed several homeowners that had lawns to find out why they wanted to have a grass lawn.

“I don’t want to give up my grass lawn because anything else won’t match my French style home”

Over watering and run-off is an all too common problem.

“We had to remove all the grass in the backyard because all the water fell down the slope”

USER SURVEY

I conducted a survey with homeowners. The survey had only 40 respondents so it may not be an accurate depiction of most homeowners.

82% HAVE GRASS LAWNS

68% HAVE SPRINKLERS

97% WATER MANUALLY OR WITH A TIMER

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IRRIO

Why don’t more people remove their lawns?

RESEARCH

“Sprinklers are one of the biggest water wasters. 90% of controllers have no understanding about the environment.”

EXPERT INTERVIEW

SUMMARY

Elizabeth DoughteryFounded Wholly H20, California’s Integrated Water Management Information Center

Chris KlienFounder Of Rachio, A Smart Sprinkling System

Julie Saare-EdmondsLandscape Irrigation SpecialistCalifornia Department Of Water Resources

“Green is the new green. Xeriscaping can be beautiful. You have to show people how beautiful and easy it is”

“The irrigation controllers that use moisture sensors can be helpful and more appropriate than using weather data. The problem with the sensors is that the controller can only turn all off or on.”

MIDDLE CLASS

UPPER-MIDDLE CLASS

CAN AFFORD THE COST

SUBURB CULTURE

UNIFORMITY

KIDS

CONCERNED WITH SAVING MONEY

CONCERNED WITH DROUGHT

PRODUCT OR SERVICE THAT

SAVES WATER AND MONEY

BUT WON’T STOP WATERING OR

GIVE UP THEIR LAWN

LAWNS ARE GREAT FOR

KIDS TO PLAY ON

HOME OWNERS ASSOCIATION

LAWN CAME WITH

THE HOUSE

LAWN OWNERS

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IRRIO

CONCEPT IDEATION

How do you design a solution to reduce outdoor water usage?

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IRRIO

CONCEPT IDEATION

How do you design a solution to reduce outdoor water usage?

OVER-WATERING

OVER-WATERING

INSTALLING

PLACE SENSORS

THROUGHOUT LAWN

DIGGING

TAKE OUT EXISTING SPRINKLERS

MOIST SOIL

SENSORS ACTIVATE SPRINKLER

INSTALLING

INSTALLING

TURN OFF

WATERING DIFFERENT AREAS

AND PLANTS

STORYBOARD: CONCEPT 1

Retrofit

STORYBOARD: CONCEPT 2

New Sprinkler System

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IRRIO

How do users responds the different concepts?

VALIDATION

USER INTERVIEWS AND SURVEY

The validation phase consisted of in person interviews and survey. The survey had only 20 respondents so it may not be an accurate depiction of most homeowners.

“I don’t want to have to rewire my entire sprinkler system or have a unit above ground. I’d much rather have something I can retrofit only if it was cost effective.”

78%

PREFERRED CONCEPT 1

22%

PREFERRED CONCEPT 2

EXISTING LAWN OWNERS

ADOPT RETROFITTED

SOLUTIONS (CONCEPT 1)

GRASS LAWNS ARE

REDUCED

DROUGHT BECOMES

WORSE

NATIVE PLANTS TAKE

OVER THE FRONT LAWN

NEW RESIDENTIAL

LANDSCAPES INSTALLED

WITH NEW SPRINKLER

SYSTEMS (CONCEPT 2)

TIMELINE

The drought is expected to continue according to one of the experts I interviewed. If that is the case then the ideal solution would be to remove grass lawns. Since most people won’t be willing to at first, the best solution now is to reduce water usage with more efficient systems that can be adapted to current sprinkler systems. For new homeowners you can build new watering systems that are even more efficient and gradually persuade them to reduce the size grass lawns.

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How do you develop a working prototype and an aesthetic model?

DEVELOPMENT

IRRIO

WATER VALVE

ARDUINO BOARD

MOISTURE SENSOR

PROTOTYPING

This prototype functions by communicating between a moisture sensor and a valve. The moisture sensor read the amount of moisture and sends the computer a value. The higher the value, the higher the moisture.

MODEL MAKING

PROJECT

PROCESS


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IRRIOSmart Irrigation ValveIrrio is a smart water valve for sprinklers that uses a moisture sensor to decide when to water. It gives sprinkler heads individual control over how much to water in it’s respective area. The gyro sensor determines if the sprinkler is on a slope. Irrio then can slow the flow of water to prevent water from running off. The flow sensor calculates the amount of water running through the valve.

MONOCRYSTALLINE SOLAR PANEL

MOISTURE SENSOR

WATER VALVE

MALE PIPE THREAD

INTERNALS

BATTERYFLOW SENSORMICROPROCESSORWIRELESS TRANSMITTER

PROJECT

PROCESS


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SOIL MOISTURE LEVEL

SLOPE ORIENTATION

RATE OF FLOW

OPEN/CLOSE VALVE

LANDSCAPING RECOMMENDATION

FLOW RATE

WATER USAGE

INPUT/OUTPUT

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PROJECT

PROCESS


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PROJECT

PROCESS



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The Irrio app was designed to accompany the Irrio Smart Valve. The user needs an intuitive interface to be able to control irrigation and to see how much water they are using.

BRIEF

Design an app that displays outdoor water usage and convinces users to relandscape with drought tolerant plants.

SKILLS

User ResearchDesign AuditUser FlowsWireframingSketchingPhotoshopSketch

IRRIO APPIrrigation Controller

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PROJECT

PROCESS


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PROJECT

PROCESS


The Irrio App monitors outdoor water usage, via Irrio, a smart irrigation valve. Irrio uses a moisture sensor to water grass efficiently and uses a flow sensor to calculate water usage.

IRRIO APPSmart Irrigation Monitor

LOGIN SCREEN

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PROJECT

PROCESS


Swipe to navigate through daily usage

Swipe to navigate through all the xeriscaping plants

The Irrio app quantifies the water usage of sprinkler systems on a daily basis. At the end of the month the user is prompted with a monthly report card showing the total monthly water usage compared to previous months. Through interviews and surveys I found that most people don’t know how much water they use.

The Irrio App will also provide landscaping suggestions that reduce water usage. The purpose of this feature is to persuade users to reduce the size of their grass lawns. Grass consumes a large amount water because they are not native to the climate. The app will suggest native or drought tolerant alternatives.

USAGE

XERISCAPING

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PROJECT

PROCESS


IRRIOSmart Irrigation Controller

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PROJECT

PROCESS


IRRIOSmart Irrigation Controller

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GEAR FLOSSERBike Cleaning Tool

Integrated Knowledge Brief was a four month project. The first few weeks started as a group project to develop a fictitious company and brand that would design a range of products. The group then collectively decided the values that the new products must abide by. The next several months were focused on user research and product development.

BRIEF

Design a tool that solves a problem for an enthusiast.

SKILLS

User Research/TestingTeam workingBrand DevelopmentSketchingRapid PrototypingAdobe Creative SuiteSolidworksKeyshot

ROLE

Industrial DesignerGraphic DesignerProject Manager

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PROJECT

PROCESS


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How do you create a brand for high end cycling tools?

GEAR FLOSSER

BRAND

BRAND DEVELOPMENT

Working with a team of six other designers, it was our task to create a fictional company, a brand, and a set of values that our products must follow.

Cadence (n): the number of revolutions of the crank per minute, this is the rate at which a cyclist is pedaling/turning the pedals.

The brand needed an identity that expressed a style that was relevant to cycling community. I designed several logos, which expressed youthful urban style.

MOOD BOARD

We looked at parallel brands such as Chrome Industries and Mission Workshop, both make high end cycling bags and apparel. Both brands express this urban street style, which some might call ‘Hipster,’ that is very minimal and utilitarian yet still aesthetically pleasing. I envision Cadence as an extension of these two brands but in relation to cycling tools.

C A D E N C E

C A D E N C E

MINIMAL

UTILITARIAN

URBAN CYCLING

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What problems do cyclists have?

GEAR FLOSSER

RESEARCH

USER RESEARCH

I interviewed several cyclists to find specific pain points. I asked about problems with riding, maintaining, storing, transporting, and repairing bikes. One of the cyclist had a specific problem with cleaning her bike.

PROBLEM

Cleaning is the first step of maintenance, but unfortunately there are not a lot of high quality products for cleaning bike gears. Current tools on the market are uncomfortable and don’t do an effective job. This leads to build up of grease and dirt in between bike gears. This cyclist end up using old toothbrushes that will eventually be disposed of.

“The brush tool I use is uncomfortable and it is hard to dig in between the gaps. I end up just using a toothbrush”

PIPE CLEANERMETAPHOR OF FLOSSING TEETH

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How do you redesign the method of cleaning bike gears?

CONCEPT IDEATION

GEAR FLOSSER

SKETCHING

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GEAR FLOSSER

PROTOTYPING & TESTING

Which tool is easier to use and cleans better?

FINGER GRIPS

I hypothesized that a better brush would be one that clean at 360 degrees with bristles at every directions as opposed to a one directional brush. By pulling the pipe cleaner back and forth through the gears, I was easily able to pick up most of the dirt and grease. It was difficult to use both hands and to maneuver around the bike frame.

HACK A HACK SAW

This one handed design freed up the other hand to move the gears. It was also much easier to get in between all the parts of the bike. The hack saw worked perfectly as the pipe cleaner flowed right through the gears picking up all the dirty and grease.

REFINED HANDLE

The next prototype was focused on the form and design of the handle. The design that worked the best was the one with the shorter arc because it was easily able to fit around all the parts of the bike.

BEFORE AFTER

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PROJECT

PROCESS

Why is this a problem worth solving?G E A R F LO S S E RBike Cleaning Tool

PICK FOR CLUMPS OF DIRT

REMOVABLE WIRE

Gear Flosser is a tool designed to clean in-between bike gears. The current solution on the market is an uncomfortable brush that still leaves a residue of oil and dirt. Gears need to be flossed, not brushed, because, like teeth, they have small gaps that are hard to reach.

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PROJECT

PROCESS


SPIRAL NYLON BRUSH

The brush will be made of two materials nylon fibers and stainless steel wire. Nylon is perfect for cleaning because of its flexibility. Stainless steel is used for the wire for resisting corrosion.

RUBBER GRIP

The grip will be made of a soft touch, low gloss silicone rubber similar to the grips on OXO products.

BODY

In order to resist corrosion, I chose anodized aluminum for the body of the product. Since it is a cleaning product it will come in contact with water and needs to be rust resistant.

190mm

30mm

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PROJECT

PROCESS


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PROJECT

PROCESS


GEAR FLOSSER

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The purpose of the lighting project was to test my rapid prototyping skills. I was tasked to design a modulating light fixture that integrated three rapid prototyping technologies; 3-D printing, CNC milling, and laser cutting.

BRIEF

Design a modulating light fixture that integrate three rapid prototyping techniques.

SKILLS

SketchingDesign AuditRapid PrototypingCNC MillLaser Cutter3-D PrinterAdobe Creative SuiteSolidworksKeyshot

FLECTERELight Fixture

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PROJECT

PROCESS


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How do you design a light fixture that modulates light?

FLECTERE

DEFINING THE SCOPE

LIMITATIONS

The design must integrate three rapid prototyping technologies.

CNC MILL LASER CUTTER 3D PRINTER

METALLICHYPERBOLIC PARABOLOID

INSPIRATION

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FLECTERE

How do you combine hyperbolic paraboloid and metallic elements into a lighting design?

CONCEPT IDEATION

SKETCHES

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FLECTERE

PROTOTYPING

How do you rapidly prototype a modulating light fixture?

3D PRINTER CNC MILL LASER CUTTER

ASSEMBLY

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FLECTERE

PROTOTYPING

How do you rapidly prototype a modulating light fixture?

FINAL PROTOTYPE

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UP UP+DOWNDOWN

The light is modulated by directing light up or down. By pivoting the two shades, the amount of light directed is changed in either direction.

F L E C T E R EModulating Light Fixture

PROJECT

PROCESS


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PROJECT

PROCESS


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PROJECT

PROCESS


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XAVILounge Chair

This five week project was a part of a rapid prototyping design course. In groups of two, we were tasked to create a persona with a realistic problem and to design a seating solution for them. The purpose was to get familiar with the Partworks and Shopbot software as well as running a CNC mill.

BRIEF

Design a seating solution for a persona with a realistic problem.

SKILLS

Team working PersonasSketchingRapid PrototypingUpholsteryAdobe Creative SuiteSolidworksKeyshot

ROLE

Lead designerProject Manager

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PROJECT

PROCESS


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XAVI

PROBLEM

What types of problems do bibliophiles have and what do want in a chair?

BIBLIOPHILE

AESTHETIC

PERSONA

LIMITATIONS

How can the final design integrate plywood and usage of a CNC mill?

(2) 4’X8’ PLYWOOD CNC MILL THREE DESIGNERS

PROBLEM

TO READ

SIDE PANELS TO

BLOCK SURROUNDINGS

WANTS

COMFORTABLE LOUNGE CHAIR

LACKS SPACE FOR BOOKS

NEEDS A CHAIR AND STORAGE

MID-CENTURY MODERN

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CONCEPT IDEATION

XAVI

SKETCHES

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How do you rapidly prototype and build a chair?

PROTOTYPING

XAVI

CNC MILLING

ASSEMBLY

UPHOLSTERY

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How do you rapidly prototype and build a chair?

PROTOTYPING

XAVI

FINAL PROTOTYPE

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PROJECT

PROCESS


INSPIRED BY MID-CENTURY

MODERN DESIGN

SIDE PANELS

OTTOMAN

SPACE SAVING DESIGN

40”

31”

14”

HIDDEN BOOK SHELF

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THANK YOU!


PROJECT

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Documents

Charles Hamilton Portfolio