Prototyping

The prototyping began by looking at existing package designs for inspiration and sketching initial ideas down.  In particular I looked at existing direct mail designs as some of the design restriction faced apply to my design e.g. size restriction.

When sketching initial designs for the pack I had to bear in mind that there are restriction to consider when designing.  These restrictions greatly affect the shape and size of the pack.

Design Restrictions

1. the pack must not exceed the height of a letter box.
2. the pack must be big enough to comfortable fit and hold the recording device.
3. the pack is used by two different users therefore it must be able to display instructions for both parties.
4. the pack must be robust as it is dropped from a height
5. the pack must fit on to A2 size card for printing

These design restrictions have been considered throughout the prototyping stage.

Why I chose the box design
The box design was one of the first ideas I had and the most successful in meeting all the criteria.  I liked this design because it was a simple template, which could be easily reproduced.

First Prototype
After finalising a design on paper I felt it was important to physical represent the idea through a prototype. I did not want to waste time making a polished prototype just to discover the design was not appropriate so I decided to make a quick paper prototype instead.  This allowed me to physical feel the shape of the pack and visualise how each user would use it. The main purpose of this prototype was to establish an appropriate size for the pack.

This prototype proved to be too small to fit the recording device in comfortably.  The overall size of the pack made it feel precious and not very substantial.  I wanted the user to feel that using the pack was important and worthwhile.  I felt one way in which this could be achieved was by increasing the size of the pack.

Second Prototype
Following on from the results of the first prototype I enlarged the size of the pack and made it more robust.  The main purpose of this prototype was to establish whether card would be appropriate for the weight of the recording device.  The increased size of the prototype improved the overall feel of the pack.  In addition it easily fitted the recording device in and allowed it to be attached with room to spare.

Third prototype
I thought when making this prototype that this would be my finally one.  However some problems occurred. When I put the recording device in I decided that the speaker and recorder would be raised from the top.  This meant that when folding the flaps across they became curved. Ideally I would like them to be flat so that the pack is compact.

Other problems encountered were mainly to do with the play and record buttons.  When sticking them to the pack I did not think that they would be too difficult to press. However not only are they difficult to press they also do not feel securely fastened to the pack.  These issues will have to be addressed for the final pack.

One positive from this prototype is that it is robust and will be able to withstand falling from a height.  This is particular pleasing as I had envisioned making the pack from a thicker material however card seems to work particularly well.

Through prototyping I have discovered that there may be problems when printing.  The flaps on either side of the box will need to be printed on which often causes problems.  Also the thickness of the card might be an issue as I may not be able to print on it.  One solution may be to print the graphics on glossy paper and sick them to the pack, however this may look slightly cheap which is not the look I am wanting for my pack.

Portfolio Prototype Pack

For the portfolio element of the project hand in I decided to make a slightly more detailed prototype.  This prototype enabled me to experiment with different materials and printing methods. 

I chose one of the graphic ideas to implement on the prototype. I have only put some of the graphical elements on the prototype The main feature of this design was the red band that wrapped around the front of the pack.  To make this I used tracing paper, which I then printed on.  This worked particularly well and looked very crisp and professional.  The texture and colour of the tracing paper worked well with the grey of the card.  I feel that these materials have worked well together and I hope to use them in my final design.

Using the grey card for the prototype means that it is flexible enough to assemble.  However it is very hard to stick the pack together so that it looks neat.  This is something that I will have to improve upon for the degree show.  This also applies to the holes for the buttons and speakers.  As they are very difficult to cut out it has meant that the prototype does not look as polished.