LOREN CHENlorenchen.me

lchen3@nd.edu 310.387.8465

LOREN CHEN | INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

I am a senior at the University of Notre Dame pursuing a BFA in Industrial Design. I’m a natural DIY-er with a passion for breadmaking, watercoloring, and the human-centered design process. Having immersed myself in the fine arts all my life and dabbling in multiple other interests, I realized design was the perfect fusion of the creative and the analytical. I’m passionate about food culture and you’ll see that reflected in many of the projects in my portfolio.

When I am not designing, you might find me baking (most likely bread) or watercoloring pictures of my friends eating my food creations.

CONTENTS

YIQI | Thesis | Cookware for the Family ..............................................................................................4

HOMEGROWN | Housewares | Home Composting..........................................................................16

SB SPARK | Community-based Research | City of South Bend ITRC ........................................26

SOMA | User Experience & Brand Extension | Tea Product Line................................................36

SLID | Ergonomic Packaging | Redesign the Coffee Cup..............................................................42

PODFLO | Educational Toy | Water-smart Gardening......................................................................46

ACP | Design for Fair Trade | Nepal Internship.................................................................................50

Awarded by

Student Design CompetitionHonorable Mention

cookware for the family

Macrotrends in today’s food culture:A culture of convenience

FUNCTIONALITY SPEED PORTABILITY

LOSS OF CULTURAL VALUES & TRADITIONS

Our relationship with food and cooking has changed. Increasing demand for functionality and efficiency in an increasingly hectic world have led to the loss of cultural values and traditions that are fundamental to our experiences of cooking and eating.

Cooking demands...

7659

%

%

Majority of American families report eating a single meal togetherless than 5 days a week

learn a lot from their kids when they share a meal together

say that family meals are the only time when they can really talk to each other

FAMILY STYLE: The value of sharing a meal

Eating together is fundamental to better relationships between members of the family. It is a value rooted in many Asian cultures, especially seen in the ‘family-style’ presentation of a meal - a spread of shared dishes eaten together as a group.

Sources: https://www.refrigeratedfrozenfood.com/articles/90952-study-shows-trends-in-family-mealtimes

Americans rarely eat together

For busy families, time is a major factor

What is the value?

OPPORTUNITIESDesign a kitchen experience that creates fluid transitions between cooking, serving, and eating by adapting principles of...

FLUIDITY &HARMONY

VERSATILITY &ADAPTABILITY

COMMUNALEXPERIENCES

Harmony creates a sense of fluidity in Asian cooking approaches, while there is often a rigidity to the way cooking is approached inAmerican households.

Asian cooking methods and tools are very versatile, whereas specialized, single-purpose appliances (e.g. panini grills) can often be found in American kitchens.

Both the process of cooking and serving are celebrated in Asian cooking and become part of a commual experience, while there is often a lack of transition between the act of cooking and eating in America.

ASIA

RETHINKING THE RELATIONSHIP

USA

How can we bring traditional values back into the kitchen lifestyles of American families by examining approaches to cooking through a unique cultural lens?

�eldwork destinations

NOVEL EXPERIENCES

TRADITION

ASIANIMMIGRANTS

ASIA

AMERICA

ADAPTING

NATURE

CELEBRATION

20 million

325 million

4.5 billion

influencing & constraining

globalizing & educating

CULT

URE PERCEPTIONSJAPAN

TAIWAN

SINGAPORE

NEPAL

How can we bring traditional values back into the kitchen lifestyles of American families by examining approaches to cooking through a unique cultural lens?

CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH

AESTHETICS LOCAL CULTURE SOCIAL/ COMMUNAL EFFICIENTSPACES

TRADITION

JAPA

N

SIN

GA

POR

E

NEP

AL

TAIW

AN

“”

Our most memorable meal in the kitchen was last year when our family meeting was here... It all took around 4 hours. She likes to cook all the time and can cook for 5 or 6 hours continuously.

PRAKASH & RADHA, NEPAL

“”

This is my happiness: after a long day of work, coming home and letting everyone eat together healthily and safely. WU, TAIWAN

HOST FAMILY - KITCHEN OBSERVATIONS

MULTIPLE IN-HOME OBSERVATIONS & INTERVIEWS

DIVERSE METHODS

IN-FIELD RESEARCH - ASIA

Both cooking and eating together creates a communal experience with foundations laid in traditional values and everyday aesthetics.

IN-FIELD RESEARCH - AMERICA

FLUIDAPPROACHES

FINDINGHARMONY

ADAPTINGTECHNIQUES

SHORTCUTS NOVELEXPERIENCES

RECIPES

ASIAN IMMIGRANTS AMERICAN FAMILIES

“”

My dream kitchen would be teppanyaki style. Ideally, people just sit there and you can just cook and serve food immediately.

TJ, CALIFORNIA (TAIWAN)

“”

My mom had her five perfected recipes. We’d eat that a lot, but then a lot of it was make it yourself, microwave, reheat. We were left to our own devices.

NADIA, INDIANA

Harmony creates a sense of fluidity in Asian cooking approaches, while there is often a rigidity to the way cooking is approached in American households.

Bridge the gap between...

COOKWARE SERVEWARE

COOK SERVE EAT

In American cooking culture, loss of time creates a disconnect between appreciation of the process of both cooking and eating. As appreciation for the serving and eating of food becomes less significant, the communal experience of sharing a meal with the family is lost.

SOUTH BEND, IN TAIPEI, TAIWAN

CREATE SEAMLESS TRANSITIONS

MATERIAL ANALYSISCOOKWARE GUIDE - POT PROFILES

LEADING BRANDS (sets)

Stainless steel

Easy cleanupThere are a huge variety of types of pots and pans for different uses. A wider pot diameter eliminates the need for a long handle.

Cooktopadaptability

Durability

Versatility Heat retention

Cast Iron

Ceramic

Non-stick (Teflon)

CopperCuisinart(Stainless Steel)

Sources: https://www.thespruce.com/best-cookware-sets-4077248; https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/kitchen-cookware/buying-guide

T-fal(Ceramic)

Lodge(Cast Iron)

MARKET RESEARCH: kitchen cookwareI identified the cookware market as a major opportunity space for re-design. When buying cookware, it is important to consider one’s personal cooking style and kitchen cooktop, for this influences the types of materials and forms of the cookset users need.

IDEATIONCOOK TO SERVE

TRANSITIONS

Fluid transition

Versatile use of the lid

Encourages family-style meals

My form sketches explored various pot profiles, envisioning the concept as a set of cookware of various forms and sizes, all integrating the same lid to hot pad function.

“Nested”Forms

ceramics 3d printing

form development & prototyping

STOVE TABLE

YUAN cookware is adaptable to any stovetop. The lid can be also be heated as a separate component to act as a food warmer

at the table.

Heat from the natural cooking process is retained in the lid, which holds the pot. The lid handles enable diners to pass the dish around the table for a family-

style meal.

MATERIALS

cast iron

ceramic

corklow heat conductivity prevents heat damage where lid meets table

natural heat absorption retains warmth of the dish

naturally nonstick and evenheating properties

cookware for the family

homegrown

A healthy compost pile starts indoors.

An indoor compost bin that helps gardeners monitor what they put in their compost pile.

Awarded by

M O D E L O N E A W A R D

2 0 1 7

It is important to maintain a proper balance of green and brown “ingredients.”

Some users choose to turn the pile to mix & aerate it to allow for quicker decomposition of waste

composting is the natural process of recycling decomposed organic materials into a rich soil known as compost.

WHO composts?

WHY do people compost?

HOW do you compost?

INDOOR OUTDOOR

Homeowners

Food waste is collected indoors then transported to a designated outdoor pile to break down.

Yard owners Environmentalists Gardeners DIY-ers

“I started composting the first time I realized a banana peel wasn’t ‘garbage’ to be buried in a landfill.”

Collect Transport Balance

TurnTransfer/Use

Clean

user interviews +observations

Composting at home is often trial and error. Users often rely on their intuition throughout the process. Composting systems can be inefficient, vague, and involve a lot of movement through environments.

Maureen

Wendy

Krista

INDOOR OUTDOOR

Open container under sinkStruggles with fruit flies & smell

Collects scraps on counterHas tried various indoor bins

Commercial bin under sinkCollects cheese & residual dairy

Large outdoor bin with leaf pileDoes not turn pile

Small bin on groundBin frequently spills during transport

2 units: In-ground & tumblerNo routine for turning

“I started composting 10 years ago to reduce landfill garbage.”

“It feels good to not throw food away.”

“Having the goal of creating less trash has always been a part of my life.”

market A market for two environmentsIndoor and outdoor receptacles work together in the system of composting. Collecting food waste indoors is reserved for “the collectors.” Bins and tumblers are two types of products that live in the outdoor environment.

“THE COLLECTORS” “THE CONTAINERS”

INDOOR OUTDOOR

affordabilitysize

Exaco Eco BinOxo TumblerFull Circle

aesthetic

easycleanup

pestcontrol pest

controlodor

control

accessibility

durability

affordability

So far, there are no bins on the market that are time-based or directly address the “transition” between environments.. It is important to be combining aesthetics with practicality since the bin will become integrated into the kitchen environment. For outdoor spaces, it is important to be combining durability with functionality since the bin will become the home for maintaining a compost environment.

balancing & turningcompost

People are not motivated to turn their compost piles.Turning is an extraneous task for many casual composters and some simply skip the step entirely. So, is turning your compost pile truly necessary?

soil

kitchen waste

soil/paper/leaves

soil/paper/leaves

soil/paper/leaves

garden/kitchen waste

garden/kitchen waste

finished compost

To turn or not to turn?

Can we eiiminate turning through layering?

Turn Layer

Turning No turning

aeration for microrganisms & deterring odor

aeration occurs with a carefully layered heap

self-aeration alone without turning is adequate and is a matter of what you put in & how you construct your pile

extra time & effort eliminates a step

streamlined process

efficient movement

clear feedbackX

concept & formdevelopment

How can we rethink the experience of a system?The simple interaction of collecting waste in the beginning of the system can alter the experience as a whole.

balance green & brown ingredients with indoor bin

‘hourglass’ forms

lid closures

outer sleeve for scooping

INDOOR OUTDOOR

homegrown

1 food waste is produced

2 collect ‘green’ waste in the green compartment

3 collect ‘brown’ waste in the brown compartment

4 transport

5 layer green waste in pile

6 layer brown waste in compost pile to cover

7 scoop stockpiled browns

8 spread layer of browns to cover the top layer

a story

1

2

3

4

5

6

7 8

homegrown Balancing Compost Ingredients

Composting Greens

Composting Browns

homegrown helps monitor what you are putting in your bin indoors to facilitate the construction of a healthy compost pile outdoors.

No turning, just layering.

fruit and vegetable wastetea bags & coffee filtersegg shellsgrass clippingsetc.

shredded paper/newspapercardboardnut shellswood chipsdry leavesetc.

Odor-deterring filter

Push-button release lid

Threaded fit

Silk-screen label

Directional scoop and handle

polyethylene injection-molded containers

FPVC injection rubber-molded grip

polyethylene injection-molded “scoop” body

Push release buttonbrushed aluminum

charcoal

polypropylene injection-molded

polyethylene injection-moldedLid for brown compartment

Silk-screen label

The durability of a high-density polyethylene is essential for protecting against external wear as the product is used outdoors.

materials & manufacturing

tea

BRAND EXTENSION:How can the SOMA brand be reimagined for a family of tea products that explore the movement of water through the tea-making process?

water

time temperature

tea

BRAND IDENTITY

brand extension: tea

What makes a perfect cup of tea?

Optimum extraction time and water temperature vary across types of tea leaves

“Soma is on a mission to improve life for everyone who drinks water, with sustainable, plant-based filters that make water healthy and delicious, beautiful carafes and pitchers.”

pure modern organic lifesustainable

Automatic steeping arm

Initially, I explored the concept of automated tea timing with an electronic prototype using an Arduino UNO that would respond to different light exposures corresponding to different colors based off of tea type.

1

2

31

2

3

Automatic tea timer with steeping arm and light sensor

Circuit built & code written for light-responsive timed steeping motion with Arduino powered by 9V battery

Photoresistor (light responsive sensor) placed beneath cup coaster to initiate timed steep

CONCEPT 1: WORKING ELECTRONIC PROTOTYPE

FLOW: optimal extraction rate mug

FINAL CONCEPTS: TEA & WATER MOVEMENT

Glass mugs with SOMA’s classic white oak accent that come with a rotating tea leaf dish & upper reservoir for water to flow through at optimal extraction rates based on tea leaf type

Glass pitchers make iced tea for multiple servings. Tea leaves sit in the dish beneath upper reservoir. Cold water drips slowly through filter to the pitcher below.

DRIP: cold drip tea pitcher

Teacup for one with color-coded steepers for various types of tea infusion

STEEP: perfectly steeped tea for one

bamboo lid

ceramic + aluminum infuser

white oak + bpa-free plastic handle

REDESIGNING THEDISPOSABLE HOT CUP LID

Loren Chen // Scott Shim

SLID is a disposable lid that improves the flow of hot drinks and offers ergonomic references to improve sanitation concerns.

Conventional flat top lids cause liquid to flow quickly from cup to mouth through the spout, burning the tongue.

Conventional lids don’t offer visual/physical references when securing lids on the cup which often leads to sanitation concerns.

We explored the potential of the coffee lid through rough mockups from existing cups, lids, and sleeves. IDEATION & DEVELOPMENT

ANGLED LID

ALTERNATE USES FOR LID FORM-DRIVEN FUNCTIONS

MOCKUP TESTING

IMPROVED DRINK FLOW

SANITARY LID

SPLASH PREVENTION

An angled lid allows hot liquid to be collected as the cup is tilted so that it flows more slowly through the lid.

The directional orientation of the spout offers physical references to avoid direct contact between the hand and the drinking spout.

The increased height, distinct angle, and rounded edges counter the sloshing motion of the liquid and the angles at which the cup is held, preventing splashes.

DESIGN BRIEF: Develop an educational toy for children ages 8-10

For older children, play should encourage active learning through experimentation, especially as they begin to concentrate their interests.

podflo encourages learning about water conservation by applying the use of water-smart irrigation planting methods to a DIY kit that children can build on their own.

diy drip-irrigation planting kit for children

podflo

MINIATURE IRRIGATION: self-watering planter

podflo applies the concept of drip irrigation and trickle-down watering methods to a fun educational kit for children. It uses a siphoning mechanism to draw water out of a reservoir through a tube, which contains holes that allows water to drip through at a slow & steady rate.

Reservoir

Siphon

Water discharge

Build & set up planter

Align holes with planters Draw water through tubing to drip

Set up water tower and tubing for siphon

Planter base Individual planter Water tower parts

Vertical orientation for ‘trickle-down’ watering

SUMMER 2017KATHMANDU, NEPAL

During the summer of 2017, I worked as a design intern for non-profit fair trade organization the Association for Craft Producers, located in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Providing design services to low-income Nepali artisans, I helpedproduce commercial lines that combine traditional craft with modern design to fit market trends.

Taking inspiration from the many flavors I was experiencing through my exploration of Nepali cuisine, I designed patterns for kitchen textiles, which were expertly produced by the artisans as silk screens and wood-carved block prints.TEXTILE DESIGNS

JIMBU - HIMALAYAN SPICE OKRA

I created several contemporary designs in ceramics, which were hand-thrown by potters at ACP. ACP provides a sustainable livelihood for the potters and their traditional stoneware craft. CERAMICS

Hanging Birdfeeder Planter Two-tiered hanging terracotta design with planter component on top and birdfeeder at bottom

Terracotta & Stoneware VasesCombination of ridged and bumpy textures

Tea set Minimalist tea set combining wood & ceramic material

LOREN CHENlorenchen.me

lchen3@nd.edu 310.387.8465