Vision
As designers, we asked ourselves which tools would be necessary to enable designers and creative people to collect 3D forms, shapes, and textures and have this new information immediately available to design efficiently and seamlessly.
Outcome
After a qualitative and quantitative research, our team developed a HEX Tool Kit – IoT Ecosystem, being comprised by three devices: glass, thimble, and palette, who can be used individually and as a whole to empower the designers to create immediate layouts. Whether sitting with a client visualizing a remodel of a house or being able to implement new objectives in the design process, the underlying concept is to iterate and design efficiently and seamlessly formulate a design idea.
Process
Our team took an inspiration phase, creating mood boards and Sketchstorm to formulate feel of the IoT ecosystem devices. We analyzed and synthesized our research about IoT products and how an ecosystem of IoT products can connect as a system through Affinity mapping. Interviews with designers reinforced the direct findings: If design tools can interact seamlessly with other devices can increase productivity and creativity. Further, the Tool Kit can enable the designers to create and manage efficiently the design process. When our research was complete, our team synthesized through keywords to formulate the identity of the product ecosystem.
From the feedback period, our team discovered that designers expressed that the device shape does not communicate the purpose and function of the device. Once user realized the concept of the tool they envisioned and moved the tool, how they want to use the device.
Design
We generated form development and functions through sketches. Answering the question how the form can convey the function intuitively? We analyzed the ideas and synthesized some paper prototypes to make the design tangible. In our ideation process, we built paper prototypes to 3D plastic prototypes, which were tested with our audience.
Story narrative
How the Hex Tool Kit is used.
Petra Nichols 
