The journey of an air traveler

Arjun SharanPortfolio

Who am I?

Why product design?

PlayerDesigner

Traveler

Since a very young age, I have

loved sketching and working

with physical materials to make objects. I dove into activities such as

sketching, clay modeling and

embroidery when all my friends

were outside playing sports. I just

loved creating things. As I got better

with time, I decided I want to make

my career out of creative art.

I am a very competetive person and work very

well under pressure. This attribute made me

develop a love for sports and games my

entire life. Whether it was Robotics

competitions, board games,

cricket; or my most recent

passion; frisbee, I am

always involved with

some kind of competetive

activity. Product design is the amalgamation of

form and functionality which come together

to create art. It is the most complex, yet the

most simple art form.

While I was interested in pursuing a creative

field, I did not want to create abstract art.

I wanted to create something that people

could touch, hold and use. At the same

time, I did not want to pursue some

thing too technical like engineering.

Product design seemed like the

perfect choice. However, to be

sure, I attended a precollege

course at Parsons, which

cemented my decision.

During my childhood, I was given

a lot more exposure than my peers.

The first time I traveled internationally,

I was 8, and yearly trips became a

part of my life, where I explored most

of Europe, America, Canada, Asia

and parts of UAE. At the same time

I used to go for summer camps

where I learned outdoor survival,

kayaking, rock climbing, river

crossing, and also social

skills. Thus, the outdoors

hold a special place

in my heart.

Arjun

Sharan Resume

Personal Info

arjunsharan@hotmail.comshara451@newschool.edu Permanent Address 287 Narmada Apartments, Alaknanda, New Delhi 110019 +91 9818698847 Current Address 518 W 136th Street, Apartment 19, New York, NY, 10031+1 646 399 2836

Education

1999-2008 : The Indian School, New Delhi

2008-2010 : Delhi Public School, RKP, New Delhi

2010-2011 : Delhi School of Photography, New Delhi

2011-2015 : Parsons, The New School, New York

2013-2014 : Central Saint Martins, London

Work Experience

Skills

2010 Worked as an interior design intern for a hotel chain project

2014 Worked as a product designer and played a pivotal

role in major projects

2014 Worked as a shop technician in the product design workshop.

2013 Worked as a Product Design trainee and did factory visits toMoradabad, Jodhpur and Saharanpur.

Photography

Graphic Layout

Prototyping & Model Making

Excellent Verbal &-Written English

Dedicated Worker & Team Player

Adobe Creative Suite

Microsoft Office

Rhinoceros

Keyshot

Dessault Solid Works

Designer’s

Statement

I want to design products that change the world. If I can design something as simple as a a toothpick that makes the

process of cleaning teeth easier, while being able to be manufactured easily, that to me is revolutionary. I believe in process

based products which are born out of observation and analysis. Any designed product should be the most advanced it can

be while still being recognizable and acceptable.

Designer’s

Statement

Product Design is an art, but it is

also a science. There is a lot to consider.

What makes a

good product?

Although most projects have their own

variables and attributes, one must

follow a basicPROCESS

Research

Design

Development

Each project has its own set of variables, and there is always some kind

of primary and secondary research involved. Although most of this is behind the scenes work,

it sets the stage for the rest of the design journey.

I strongly believe in iterating as much as possible. The more concepts, the more

refined the final product will be. This stage is not about being

a perfectionist, its aboutexploring possibilities.

Once the basic design is in place, there is always room to take it one

step further. That one extra hole in thespeaker, and that softened fillet might go a

long way. This stage is about being a perfectionist.

It must be ecologically resposible.

The way it is to be manufactured shouldbe kept in mind while

designing it. It must be viable.

It has to look good, work well,

be economical; and most importantly, be user centric.

Phase 1

2009-2011

For the year before college and foundation year, I was beginning to

get the hang of product design and started with some basic

projects, and was doingother things like photography and robotics

at the time.

Robotics

I have always been a fan of lego. It was one of my favorite hobbies as I

grew up. Thereafter, I discovered ro-botics and got busy spending days on

end coming up with designs, and enter-ing competitions such as IRO and WRO.

Besides Improving my spatial senses tre-mendously, I

believe this also gave me a basic idea of programming.

Year: 2009-2010

Photography

Year: 2010-15

I always had a fascination for cameras

as I grew up. I Enjoydoing product, wildlife

and landscape photography.Chandratal Lake, India

Banff, Canada New Delhi, India

New York, NY, USA

The Isolation Umbrella (Below)

was a concept for an umbrella that would cover the user from the sides instead of from the top like a traditional one. Although this was just an ex-cercise to work with wood, I took it one step further to develop a special mechanism for it to work.

Year: 2011

Ecovative Birdhouse (Above)

was a part of a project to test out a new material

called ecovative which is a type of mushroom that could be grown inside a mould. I came up

with a design for a birdhouse.

Year: 2011

Phase 2

2011- 2014

This section consists of the work I did during college and includes various

products, most in the concept stage, as well as some software, and

business projects I did over the course of my education.

The Module

is a concept for a bookshelf made of wood designed to be used in a large bed-

room or living room, or even be used as a divider. It has a simple shape which provides

stability and strength for the frame. It can ac-commodate books of all sizes.

Year : 2012

IS SCELES

Isosceles

is a night lamp designed to emit varying amounts of light

based on the application. It isconstructed out of plexiglass.

Year: 2012

Arjun SharanManuela Velez Myungwhan ChoiSeungchae KangPUPD -4567Research Design DevelopmentInstructor Erika DoeringParsons The New SchoolProduct Design

AQUABLEA flotation device for children with special needs

Aquable was a project that I worked

on in a group of 3 people

to create a flotation

device for children with

Cerebral Palsy.

Year: 2013

Rube Goldberg Machine

This was a very interesting group project as it involved thinking outside the box and problem solving. We came up with a painting machine

which painted abstract art on a piece of paper after a series of actions.

Year: 2012

Festool Radio

Festool Radio came out of a branding project in which

we had to come up with a radio, as if it were designed

by festool. I decided to incor-porate festool products into

the headphones to make it a workshop-friendly product.

Year: 2013 Central St Martins

London

Rainbow Chair

is a lounge chair that I designed to be assembled without the use of any glue, andchange color depending on where it is seen from

Year: 2012

Bud

is a concept for a ‘living’ planter as a part of a project to design an object for the future

workplace. It involved projectinginto the future to anticipate the kind of

technology which will be around, and what the work-place will be like. Bud is a table planter which works

on the same principle as a tamagotchi, except the planter reflects emotions based

on the plants health.

Year : 2013

Good

Quality

Furniture

Moving

ServicesInstallation

Services

Maintainence

Services

SMART

Smart

Curve

Smart curve makes it possible for

consumers to buy quality

furniture and get it delivered and

serviced at no extra cost.

Arjun Sharan

Fall 2014

Buying furniture is not like buying clothes. They take up

a lot of space, are heavy, and inevitably require

extra services to finally be put in use. Smart curve

realises this and offers all these services, such as

transportation and installation, as well as maintainence

built into the cost of the products. This solution will be

implemented by employing special moving services

and man power to carry out delivery, installation and

maintainence. This solution, while costing money, will

build a certain place in the market and become the

name of dependability and convenience at a reasonable

price.Smart curve will also make use of reposessed material

and other environment friendly materials to make their

product. This solution is better than the alternatives since

the user knows that by buying a Smart curve product,

they are also buying the ultimate consumer experience.

Competitors - Complimentors MapBy Creating axes of moderity and price, Smart Curve is closest

to Ikea and Stickley. Although it will be slightly more expensive

than ikea, It will be more modern.

Concept Generation MatrixThe attributes most important to Smart Curve is accessability,

design and Eco-friendliness which were all accommodated.

User Journey MapThe user journey usually involved in purchasing furniture is much

longer, involving more money and hiring moving services.

Semantic ProfileBy Studying how much each aspect of the experience of buying

furniture is important to different types of customers, Smart

Curve offers the most important aspects.

Strategies RoadmapAs a startup, Smart Curve will need a bit of setting up initially,

but as time progresses and funds become more readily available,

it could really transform into a high income generating model.

Profit Model

Customer Engagement

BrandChannelServiceProduct System

Product Performance

ProcessStructureNetwork

All Services which are otherwise charged directly to the user as a part of purchasing furniture is now built into the price of the furniture,However lower profitmargins mean an overalllower price.

Smart Curve will let local designers submit designsfor furniture, make a selection and pay the designers on a % basis. It will also give the designerthe details of the factoryso that they can discusstechnicalities.

Smart Curve will purchasea 3D printer and CNC router to quickly mock updesigns and speeden up the design process. All designs will be focussed on the conversation between designand manufacture. This info will be made availableto the customer too.

Smart Curve will offer products that are verysmartly designed and canbe used in a variety of different configurationsand easily packed. They will be lightweight and made out of high qualitymaterials for a more durable product.

All products will be available as singles, but a lot of products will bemodular and/or a partof a set.

Smart Curve will be known for its smart manufacturing,quality and durability. It willbe associated with the youth. The contemporary designs and technologies will be usedtastefully and delivered at a reasonable price.

Smart Curve has studiedthe entire process of aquisition of furniture and built in all the actionsrequired to put theproduct into use intothe price of the productmaking it a convenientexercise.

Smart Curve will offer freelocal deliveries and installation. It will alsooffer free maintainence on all its products for a limited amount of time. Furniture can also betried out before purchase,even on delivery.

Designer

Customer

Factory

Furniture

MovingServices

$

$

$

$

ManufacturesDesigns

Service

Service

Service

Chooses

Bought by

Service

Moves

Discusses with

SMART

Traditional

Modern

Low price High Price

SMART

SMART

Measuring

Space

Online Research

Going to local

Market

Comparing Prices

Testing Furniture

in store/ Gallery

Reading online

reviews

Purchasing

Transporting

in rental truck

/private van

Waiting for

product to arrive

Installation

Price Point

Eco- Friendly

Accessability

Transportation

Design Manufacture

Cardboard Furniture.Using textile waste aspadding.

Having online forum for customer reviews

Furiture can be tried out before purchase.

Light Furniture,Use of less material.Modular furniture.

No wastage design.Flat packable to save shipping space.

Hiring a car and makingruns once a day makingmultiple deliveries.

Offering load into car/local delivery servicefor free.

Direct transportationfrom the factory toshopkeepers, and offeringpick up option for lower price.

Adding a pamphletexplaining where and how it was manufactured.

Deisgn

Acquiring

Resources

Hiring

Computers

and software

Rhino

SolidworksAdobe

Engineers

Designers

Factories

and suppliers

Wood

Metals

Plastics

Reposessed/Recycled

Collection

Ideation

Manufacture

ShippingMoving

Packaging

Marketing Advertising

Opening a store

Opening

Multiple Stores

Networking

Multiplying

Price

Not ImportantImportant

Proximity

Convenience

Character

Offering

Quality

Experience

Neighborhoodie Specialty Seeker Desperate shopperNew in Town

Phase 3

2014

This section consists of the work I did while working with a product design firm called Desmania in New Delhi.

Although there were engineersand other designers involved

in most projects, here aresome products that were

my responsibility.

Livguard Batteries

One of the most challenging projectsI worked on was an assignment

to design batteries alongwith engineers. These are a few iterations

I came up with.

Year: 2014

POS Design

During my work with Desmania, I was asked to help design a POS for

an Indian hair removal company. This one made me broaden my horizons. This was a

challenge because it was absolutely opposite of my design aesthetic, but

actually ended up getting chosen by the client.

Year: 2014

Packaging Design

I never realised how much thought actually goes into the part of a product considered secondary

by the user, and how much this design can actually affect the consumer until I was given a few packaging projects

by Desmania. These are a few renderings from that project.

Year: 2014

Phase 4

2014

The Process is the most important part of any design endeavor and drives

innovation. Here are a few pagesstraight out of my presentation

from a project I did in myfinal year. It was a journeyof learning and evolving,

as design should be.

Research- How people interact with luggage

The Crusher - This type of user looks to their suitcase/backpack as a seating solution

The Backtracker- this type of user faces opposite the direction they are moving.

The Push-Puller- this type of user pulls one bag behind them and pushes one ahead of them.

The Nester- This type of user attaches a smaller bag to the larger bag.

The double bagger- this type of user pulls along 2 large bags.

The roller- this type of user uses a bag with wheels and is on wheels themselves.

The hopeless- this type of user has more bags than dignity.

Suitcase Multipurposing Arjun Sharan Fall 2014

Design Statement For this project, I am investigating the minimal means necessary to carry multiple pieces of luggage at the same time. The design will change the way people travel with heavy luggage by letting them carry multiple pieces at once.

The Trolley-bagger - This type of user uses their bag as a trolley for their other bags

Types of Travelers

Leisure&

Students

BUSINESS

FAMILIES

Short trip

Long trip/Moving

Short trip

Long trip

Kids below 10

Kids above 10

2 pcs ~ 50 lb

3-4 pcs ~ 110 lb

2 pcs ~ 50 lb

3-4 pcs ~ 90 lb

4-5 pcs ~ 110 lb

5-7 pcs ~ 140 lb

The journey of an air traveler

Traveller With all luggage

With just handbagsAirport Employee

Airport departure terminal

Would you pay $6 to move your bags 30 yards? NO.A trip to the airport proved that unless people were desperate, they would not spend $6, even if they had 2+ large pieces of luggage.

Design- 1st Iteration 2nd Iteration

3rd Iteration 4th Iteration

Typical Luggage carrying Devices

How small and light could this become while still serving the same purpose?

Space for HAndbags

Space for Luggage

MODELS

INTUITIVEAESTHETIC

STABLE PORTABLE

FUNCTIONAL

Material Research

Steel

Since Aluminum is the most affordable and lightest material. while being considerable strong, Aluminum is the best choice for this product.

$ 18.74/sq ft $ 10.56/sq ft $ 80.14/sq ft

370 MPa483 MPa530 MPa

8 gm/cm cube 2.8 gm/cm cube 4.5 gm/cm cube

Price

Durability

TENSILE Strength

Weight

Aluminum ALLOY Titanium

14.5

60°

2.2

5

1.05

B

B

0.4

1.3 6.1

0.9

4.5

3.1

0.0

6

0.15

2.8

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Q.A

MFG

APPV'D

CHK'D

DRAWN

Arjun Sharan

arjunsharan@hotmail.com

+1 646 606 4646