KEF Speaker Project

Jake Botham

Decoding

Manufacture

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Development

Initial Designs

Research

Manufacture

Evaluation

Improvements

Who are KEF? KEF are one of the most prestigious audio companies in the UK and have produced a range of innovative designs, ideas and features that have set KEF’s speakers above the rest for the past 50 years.  

“Innovators in sound” – www.KEF.co.uk (Brand promise)

So that I had a good idea of the company that I was designing a product for I had to first look into the companies history, product and customer base as well as their price range. To locate this information I first went onto the KEF website at www.KEF.co.uk. I found there website very easy to use and was able to view may of their products and innovative ideas that the company promises to deliver in their products.

At the task bar at the top of the page I was able to view KEF’s latest products that were available to buy.

The pop out titled ‘KEF innovation’ was also featured on the task bar. Here I was able to see some of KEF’s latest features to their speakers that set them apart from other companies in the market today.

The price range of KEF’s products was another important piece of knowledge I thought would valuable during the designing and development process of my project. This is because it would give me a good idea of what materials I could use as well as the customers I would ideally be aiming my product at.

www.KEF.co.uk

After looking at a number of KEF’s products that were available to the general public I found that a rough price range for their products was £225 to £14,000 (the range between their cheapest and most expensive product.) This would suggest that the quality of the products that KEF manufacture is very high and have customers who have a reasonable amount of wealth.

Decoding Manufacture

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KEF Brand Decoding

The K1 slimline series was the first loud speaker designed and produced by KEF. It was unvalued in 1961 and featured a midrange speaker and, with the addition of it’s slim shape, allowing easy use for customers for who space was a premium.

Model 105/3 was the first reference series loudspeaker to incorporate Uni-Q technology. It was a four-way system, employing six drive units, with very high sensitivity, high output capability and outstanding power handling capacity

Following on from the success of the KHT2005 system, the new KEF 75mm (3”) Uni-Q array was used as the basis for a smaller and more affordable system, the KHT1005. It was based on the same tried and tested formula: Uni-Q technology for even sound distribution in the listening room

The Celeste III and Concord III were distinctive for their industrial design. Concord III was one of the first ‘two and a half way’ designs which incorporated two 8” bass drivers being operated vertically in line at low frequencies which improves power handling and reduces distortion at low frequencies. Celeste III was an 8” two way closed box design with newly developed drivers and a sophisticated crossover network.

The Blade is one of KEF’s latest successes being the world’s first single apparent loud speaker. As well as winning product of the year 2012 in a number of counties, Japan and America being just two. The Blade is a true reflection of KEF’s 50 years of innovative thinking.

K-Series featured a three entry-level conventional loudspeaker as well as the Q-Series, a more upmarket range of three Uni-Q based models. The K-Series represented KEF’s continuing commitment to provide quality loudspeakers at the lower price points

Decoding Manufacture

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KEF Brand Decoding

Decoding Manufacture

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KEF Brand DecodingAfter looking at KEF as a professional company, including their website and other websites that sold their products, I have come to conclusions about aspects of their company, including good and bad points. The good aspects that I liked will be ones that I will remember and continue throughout the designing process of my product.

Negatives-

• What I found with some of the newest designs by KEF was that they weren’t readily available to the public to buy. In my opinion, this would be very damaging to a company. Although I can understand that due to the high price of some of the newest produces they may not want to display the prices on their website, however there was no contact information about buying speakers such as the Blade, one of their newest products that had won a number of awards. For my speaker I would make the design or at least the innovative idea I intend my product having to be incorporated into a speaker that is readily available to the public.

• Although they modernist style to KEFs latest products was very appealing, I found it slightly repetitive and even boring. For my product I hope to create a design and shape to my product that is different to the products KEF design, as the majority of their speaker are in a solid block form.

Positives-

• The first thing that I found attractive about KEF as a company was its sleek, modern appearance to it’s produces as well as it’s website. I hope to continue this aspect of their company as a base for the design of my products as I think a modern and current market would find this outlook very appealing.

• After doing some researching into the company I found their brand promise ‘innovators in sound’. I found this very interesting, possibly not so much as a customer, but more so as a fellow designer. This would because I came to the conclusion that the innovative features that KEF produces display are why they are so popular and well respected. I hope to come up with an original, innovative feature for my products as I believe it will make my product unique to others available on the market.

Uni-Q technology- one of the many innovative ideas that KEF has pioneered. This new technology in speakers allowed sound to be heard at the same level wherever someone is stood in a room.

LS50- one of the latest speaker sets by KEF. Although I like the orange speakers with the black casing, the shape is no different to many speakers on the market.

To ensure that my product would be designed for a purpose and that I will stick to the aims for my product, I have written a brief. This explains what I hope to achieve with my product and features that are important to remember during the research and designing processes of my project.

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Brief

The R-Series is one of KEF’s most hi-tech audio systems and features their original Uni-Q technology. Despite this, I found no originality to the design of the speakers and at first glance wouldn’t have looked twice at this speaker series in a sample of other speakers on the market.

Whereas these Swedish speakers have taken inspiration from Japanese sculpture work and possibly other cultural aspects of Japanese history, I will be using nature to create an original speaker design.

Organic designs have allowed designers to create original and new designs and products, such as this staircase that can be closely related to a snails shell.

I will design and manufacture a audio system that is innovative in the design rather than the technology function that KEF focus on, although the sound quality of my product will be of a high standard. The system will either be a loud speaker, docking station or a pair of headphones. The product I design will be created for the audio company KEF as a potential addition to their product base. This will involve me using materials that are commonly found in KEF products as well as inventing a product with an ‘innovative feature’, a concept that KEF pride their products having. This will ensure that my product is unique in the large market of audio systems available to the general public. As I have previously explained in the decoding section, I was hoping for my product to have a look that was typical of products that represent the design branch of modernism, like many of KEF’s newer products. However, I was less impressed with a majority of KEF products that feature the typical cubed shape of many speakers that are currently on the market. I want my product to have a unique and original shape and design to it, which will set my product apart from other available audio systems. These unique qualities will be embodied in the aesthetics, size and function of my product. I will take inspiration from the natural world to achieve an organic and original design to my product.

The Muon is the latest speaker from KEF and has a subtle organic shape to it. Like the Muon I would like my product to be similar, but have a different shape to the conventional block shape like the overwhelming majority of speakers on the market.

From looking at the kind of products that KEF sell as well as its history as a company I am now able to form a realistic judgment of KEF’s main customer base including who their customers are and what kind of lifestyle they live. This can also help provide me with an estimate for the price range and quality of products KEF sell. I thought it would be important to state my aims for my project to ensure that focus isn’t lost during the design, development and manufacturing processes.

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Task Analysis

Task Analysis

Environment

As I can assume my product would be used in a home I can’t predict certain features about the environment such as colour of surroundings, materials in area and other objects. However, I will have to consider spacing as this could be limited, which would affect the size of my product.

Safety My product must be durable. This will ensure my product is safe and unlikely to break. No sharp edges will be included on my product as well. I will also consider the materials I will use to make my product and ensure non toxic paints are used.

Cost

The durability of my product will ensure few refunds or returns will occur if my product was to be sold on a mass scale. The cost to manufacture the product will affect the total cost and includes cost of labour and cost of materials and processes involved.

User An initial question to ask would be ‘what has the customer gained from my product?’ Although an age range hasn’t been given to my target audience at this point, I can’t give exact figure on ergonomic and anthropometric considerations, but I will be including them in my design.

Customer Although the customer base for my product is still open, it can be narrowed down to people who would have a reasonable amount of wealth. This could include business men and women, bankers, company owners, investors etc. Other customers could include music or even audio product fans.

Aesthetics

For the aesthetics of my product I will have to consider a number of factors including colour, shape, the layout of components and possibly any logos or images I will be including on my product. These aspects may all be considered through the design of my speakers if I decided to use a design theme.

Function

The ultimate objective of my product is to play music. However, I hope to include an idea that would make my product unique, such as a unusual shape, speakers placed at 360 degrees so sound can be heard at different positions to the speaker etc.

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Initial SpecificationsAesthetics- from looking at speakers and audio systems that KEF have designed I have found that they produce a range of different looking speakers. However, the most recent, including the muon and the blade, feature very plain designs. They display colours such as black, grey and white and have a smooth, curved shape to them. These are common features of the design theme known as modernism. Because of this I will use this design theme to base the design and look of my product on. However, I didn’t like the blocked shapes of their products as they were very similar to other audio products on the market. The design for my product will be organic, as I will take inspiration from nature to create a unique and different design to my product. Cost- after finding out a rough estimate for KEF’s price range on their products that are available to the general public I concluded that my product should be of a high quality. This will involve using expensive materials that would increase the cost of the product overall. An estimate for the price of my product would be in the region of £3000-£5000. My products would be sold over the internet or at a high end store, unlike some of KEF’s most recent products that aren’t readily available to the general public.Customer- because of the high value that I intend on my speakers to cost the target audience can been narrowed down to people with a reasonable amount of wealth. Although it could also been aimed at music fans and even musicians as I intend the quality of sound that my speakers to produce to be of a high quality. However, I would assume that due to the intended modernist design I have in mind for my product wealthy members of the public would be a larger market.Environment- like many of KEF’s products I will be designing my product for an indoor environment. As my ideal customer would be using the speakers for domestic, personal use I can narrow the environment down to predominately a house/flat/apartment etc. Because of this I will have to think about the aesthetics of my product as they would possibly have to suit the design theme and colours used in the house for my product to be more attractive for the customer. This may involve my product being available in a number of colours. Safety- as my product will have a modernist design theme to it, curved edge and corners will be used, which would reduce the risk of possible injury caused by my speaker to the user. Another risk could be the sound level that my speakers produce, as at a high volume the sound could be damaging to the users hearing. Although I would be less inclined to reduce to volume of the speaker, warning information could be included in the packaging of the speaker or possibility on the speaker itself.Size- due to the high pricing estimate I have put on my product I would assume that the speaker I will be producing would be a main feature in the environment it would be placed. Because of this the possibility of the size of the speaker being to big is minimal. Like many of KEF’s speaker I hope to design a speaker that would be placed on the floor, suggesting that it would have to be of a reasonably large size for the sound to be projected appropriately.Function- the quality of sound that my speakers produces must be of a high quality, as the customer would be expecting it to be with the price range I have estimated for my product. Like many of KEF’s more recent products I hope to come up with an idea that is innovative and original, which could be reflected in the function of the speaker.Material- as my product will be for indoor uses the range of materials that I can use for my product become greater. I will definitely be using materials of a high quality due to the pricing, which would include hardwoods such as oak and pine, some metals and possibly ceramics.

Sound waves are waves that must pass through a medium. Echoes are reflections of sounds. Because of this sound can’t travel through a vacuum as it needs a medium, this can include particles in the air. Sound waves can only travel through a solid, liquid or gas. Vibrations that produce sound occur in the same direction as the direction of travel. When an object or substance vibrates, it produces sound:1. the greater the amplitude, the louder the sound2. the greater the frequency, the higher the pitch.

These diagrams show snapshots from oscilloscope traces of three sounds

For sounds 1 and 2:the sound waves have the same frequency, so the sounds have the same pitchsound 2 has a greater amplitude than sound 1, so sound 2 is louder.For sounds 2 and 3:the sound waves have the same amplitude, so the sounds have the same loudnesssound 3 has a greater frequency than sound 2, so sound 3 is higher pitched.

The range of human hearing is between about 20 Hz and 20 kHz, but the range becomes less as we get older. Sounds with frequencies above about 20 kHz are called ultrasound.

So that I would gain a better understanding of how sound works I visited the website www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/GCSE to gain a basic understanding of the topic. I feel that this is important to the designing and developing aspect of my project so it will help me to come up with an innovative idea for my product that so many of KEF’s products feature.

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Audio Product Decoding

Decoding Manufacture

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Audio Product DecodingAs I will either be designing a pair of headphones or loud speakers I thought it would be a good idea to looking into the construction and components that go into making each one. First I have looked at loud speakers. So that I gained first hand experience of the layout of a loud speaker I found a small bass amp in my room that I took the back. Inside the speaker I was able to see all of the components and wiring. As I was unable to take the actual speaker apart I found an image on www.google.co.uk/images that has given me a clear understanding of how a speaker is put together.

The speaker is the first component in the make up of an amplifier. For my product I will uses an existing speaker as this will save time during manufacture and allow me to ensure the overall appearance of the product is to a high standard.

This component can be known as the cross over box. Here sound is converted into electrical energy, making it very important in the make up of a speaker.

Cross over box The final component is the plug socket, which allows the speaker to be powered. As I found this cable quite substantial I will think about using a more subtle one for my product.After looking at the

make up of a speaker from the image on the right I think that if I was to use an innovative idea that involved the actual sound I would have to use a KEF speaker that already incorporates the technology, as the layout of speaker components seems to complex to learn and manufacture.

The working system contains a circuit board where the wires for the speaker are soldered on. This component allows the power to be distributed appropriately. As I am unfamiliar with this kind of electrical work I will need to do some research into it and possibly get some professional help.

Finally the wires from speaker mechanism to wires from head band are soldered together so that the sound is produced at the same quality in both headphone.

First plastic covers that formed the main part of the casing for the headphone are injection mould

Copper wire is then rapped hundreds of times around a metal tube using CNC (Computer Numerical Control), until it forms a soil coil. These coils are then magnetised which allows the headphones to produces sound.

A plastic housing is then produced with the injection moulder which is joined to a magnet.

The coil is glued to the rubber diaphragm that will help to produce the sound

The second component to the headphones, the head band, is then assembled by joining the two wires that run through the head band with a copper plate. This allows an audio signal to pass from the left to the right headphone.

To secure the speaker mechanism into plastic housing screws are added manually.

Final Product

So that I had a good idea of how I would actually manufacture my product I looked at how headphones are designed. This would give me a better understanding of how long the manufacturing process would take as well as how realistic some ideas would be when I get to the designing process of my project. To find this information I used the website www.youtube.com where I found a video explaining the process that is involved.

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Audio Product Decoding

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Define Target Audience

However, looking at the KEF website I found that none of their products would appeal to just one age range. After considering this I concluded that by doing that it would but of other ages that could be an acceptation to the stereotypes that producers most consider in order for their product to appeal to a general audience. Because of this I will not be focusing on a specific age range, but instead a number of groups of people.

However, looking at KEF’s flagship hi-fi speakers I found the LS50 speakers that were quite obviously aimed at a more musical audience. We can see from this advertisement image that this speaker was created and marketed to possibly producers, musicians and artists. However, I found that these speakers were available to the general public and prided themselves on the quality of sound, which everyone can benefit from, suggesting that although KEF have created a specific audience, the way the product is marketed is to the general public.

The defined target audience section of my project will help me to focus on my specific target audience who are most likely to buy my product. I have used previous sections of my product such as brand decoding and initial specifications to come to a conclusion on who my target audience is. In this section I will take a look into the target audience I have narrowed now previously and look deeper into their life so that I can design my product to best suit them later on in my project.

The KHT 3000 series uses a black and silver design theme, fitting with KEF usual modernist design. These colours, although plain, don’t suit a particular group of people unlike other colours (e.g. Blue for boys and pink for girls.)

After concluding that the defining factor of the target audience was a considerable amount of wealth due to the high pricing of my product, I started my research into my customer base by looking into the best paid jobs in the UK, which I found a list for from ‘The Guardian’. I found that the highest paid job was head of a company, with workers from the financial sector and medical practitioners also in the top ten. After further research I found that typically these people would be male in their 40’s and 50’s. This was interesting as I would have assumed that my product could be aimed at a younger audience, however I now realise the price would be too expensive for a teenager or young adult.

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LINKFXDuring this part of the initial stage of my product I will be thinking into how audio products are used. This will involve me thinking about unconventional way speakers are used, which will allow me to state a number of further feature I will and won’t include on my product. This will help me achieve an original and unique product, which I believe is key to the success of any product.

•Logical:

The ultimate goal of audio products is for people to listen and share music. Because of this I am more inclined to design a loud speaker to a pair of headphone/earphones or a docking station. I have noticed, from personal experience and from friends and family, that many speakers, as well as docking stations, are rarely used to play music, but are kept as objects to look at and fill space, like ornaments. Because of this I will take time designing the products aesthetical features and form to create a speaker that, although is primarily used for playing and sharing music it is also very attractive and will be a main feature in the environment it is bought for.

•Illogical:

From personal experience I have found speaker that have a set number of volumes very illogical as I find the first volume level is to loud for certain times of the day. My product will have a volume control that will cover a range of different volumes to allow my product to be versatile in the amount of sound it produces and allow the volume to be control at levels the user wishes. Another illogical use for loud speaker that I have found is very common is a speaker being used to stand/sit on as well as being used like a table/shelf where objects are placed on top of the speaker. As I hope to design an organic shape for my speaker and move away from the convention cubed shape of the majority of speakers on the market, I will be able to avoid my product being used as a table or seat.

•Needs:

Ultimately my product needs to be able to play music. As I am designing my speaker for KEF, a high end manufacturing company, the sound produced needs to be of a high quality. Although it isn’t completely necessary I think my product needs to be able to play music at a range of volumes to make the product more versatile to the user. As my product will be aimed at a high end, wealthy audience the materials I uses will need to be of a good quality with the manufacturing process to be efficient so my product will be as durable as possibly. Lastly, the design needs to be original and innovative, so that it conforms to the products range of KEF, but will stand out from other speakers on the market. I hope to achieve this original design by taking inspiration from the natural world.

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LINKFX•Keep:

As I am designing a loud speaker it is important to consider the anthropometrics of the product as the environment of the product could be varied. The size, height and width of the product is a concern as I will design my product to be placed on the floor rather than a table or shelf. Because of this I need to consider if the users will be seated or standing as well as where the speaker is placed as these factors can all have an effect on the sound quality heard by the users. Another idea that I plan on using for my product is for music to be played through a number of music devices, such as an IPod/IPhone as well as a TV and MP3/4 player. Because of this I will include an auxiliary cable to my product that will allow a number of device to use my speaker.

•Scrap:

Whereas I am keeping some anthropometric considerations I will not be focusing as much on the ergonomics of my product. This is because the user is unlikely to be interacting as my with the speaker, but more with the device the music is being played from. An additional reason for the lack of ergonomics on my product is that I hope for it to have an ornamental look to it, which would involve a shape that would be more aesthetically pleasing, but less user friendly. Additional features I plan on scraping include the traditional cubed shape of most speakers and set volume control for reasons I have previously mentioned.

•Form VS. Function:

Due to the decision to make my speaker like an ornament as much as a audio device my product will heavily be focused on form. Although KEF as a company is very much about the function of their products, from what I have concluded about their company is that their products are original and innovative due to the revolutionary technology they develop for their speakers. However, what I want for my product is for it to be innovative and original because of the design rather than the technology. This will allow my product to stand out within the general market for speakers at this time. However, as my product is still very much a high end speaker with a wealthy audience the sound quality will have to be very high.

•XFactor:

The unique selling point for my product, which I have made clear thought out this initial stage of my project, is the design and aesthetics my product will feature. As I plan for my product to conform to the design theme of modernism, but also be one of an organic design, I hope for my product to achieve an individual look that will stand out in the presents of other audio products, but also suit the product range of KEF.

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Gantt Chart

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Research PlanPrimary Research-

First-hand existing design-To gain a better understanding of existing products and to understand why they are or aren’t successful products, I will go to shops like John Lewis, HMV and Amazon to get pictures of audio products. This will also give me an idea about an average price range and common materials that are used for speakers. I will then annotate each picture of seating with ACCESSFM. This will included discussing topics like aesthetics, customer and function.

Person and Product Interaction-So that I am aware of an faults with how speakers are used that I may have missed on my initial brainstorm I noted down during the LINKFX section of my project I will carry out a ten minute observation. To carry out this piece of research I will observe a friend interacting with audio products that they own. So that this research won’t be staged or biased I will be taking notes of the persons interactions rather than a video so that my observations can be recorded in a more subtle way.

Product Disassembly- So that I will have a clear idea of how my product will be put together I will disassembly existing products. I will be using old speakers and headphones that myself and friends no longer use. This piece of research will give me a better knowledge of how seating is put together and made, which will help me when I get to the manufacturing process of my product. However, the products may use joining, forming and moulding processes that aren’t accessible to me, for example injection moulding, which is very common for speaker casing, but as mine will be made as a one-off or batch product these processes will be extremely expensive.

Questionnaire-So that I get a more rounded and in-depth view of my customers I will carry out a questionnaire to members of the public the fit the initial profile I have created. During this questionnaire I will ask questions involving aesthetics, behaviours of the customers and features that they would find useful and make my speakers more attractive to the public. As I will try to make my questionnaire unbiased I will ask all members of the general public to fill in my questionnaire, which will allow me to recognise that the target audience I have selected is most likely to buy my product.

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Research PlanEnvironmental Snap Shot-As my product has no specific environment I will take a number of shots from different rooms that my product would most commonly be used in. This section of my research will allow me to analyse features in each environment that might have an affect on the design of my seat. I will also be able to analysis problems with the environment and also look at the behaviours of the users that would use my product. However, the picture will only highlight behaviours of the customer at that second and may leave out issues that are very important and would affect the design of product.

Secondary Research-

Mood Board-For my mood board I will find pictures of a range of topics and objects that will relate to my product, such as colours, materials, textures and existing designs. I will also find pictures that relate to the environment where I will design my speaker for. I will gather these pictures together from the internet. The mood board will give me a clearer idea of what I want my product to feature.

Product Profiling-To gain a better understanding of where my product would fit into the mass market I will product profile my product with existing designs. This will involve me comparing and analysing current products with my speaker. During this I will be comparing my product to high and low priced seating and mass, batch and one-off speakers. This will give me a clearer view of how well my product fits into the general market.

Brand Profiling-This section of my research will be similar to my product profiling in the layout of the page. I will be looking at high and low end brands will be one axis with the other being the success of the company on the other, which will be determined by the annual profit. This will help me to understand if designing my product for a high end brand will increase the money made from my product or if I would be better off designing a cheaper speaker system of less quality. I will also include KEF into the brand profiling to gain an understanding of where KEF sit in the field of audio companies.

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QuestionnaireTo start of my research I thought it would be important to gain an understanding of what the public want from a speaker. As I will be basing the questions I ask on ACCESSFM I believe that I will be able to develop points formed from this questionnaire further through my research.For my questionnaire I have planned out two pages of 10 questions to ask to members of the public. I will be asking people at Westfield shopping centre in Shepherds Bush, London, as this area is popular with wealthy, trendy members of the public that would possibly be customers of my product. I will be asking 30 members of the public to fill in my questionnaire. I will then display the results on pie charts and analysis and evaluate the results and consider what changes I should consider during the designing part of my product.

Here is the set of questions that I will be handing out to members of the public. I hope that these questions will give me an initial idea of what my customers will want in an audio product.

Headphones

Docking Station

Amplifier

Loud speaker

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Questionnaire

Wood

Concrete

Plastic

Other

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Yes

No (no reason given)

No (couldn't space out as much with someelse sitting there)

No (other reason given)

Yes

No

Pop Art

Modernism

Bauhaus

Art Deco

Ipod

TV

Radio

Other

Yes

No

On your own

In a group

These are the results of my questionnaire. I have displayed each question as a pie chart so that I can easily and clearly see which of the options were the most and least popular. Although I included areas of my questionnaire where written answers were needed I haven’t included them into the results. This is because it would make the results harder the read, so I will included some of the answers in my evaluation of the results if I feel that they are of relevance or importance to the design of my product.

What material would best suit the design theme of a room in your house?

What design theme do you find the most attractive?

Do you own more than one audio device? If so please list below the type and function of each device.

Do you tend to buy products on the aesthetics rather than the function?

Which of these tendencies do you use a speaker for?

Out of the four speaker systems below, which would you most likely to buy? In the text box below describe what you find most attractive about the product you have chosen.

Would you be more willing to buy a speaker system with a unique feature to it (e.g. an original shape, a 360 degree speaker)?

Do you normally listen to music on your own or in a group?

What type of audio product do you use most often?

From the option you have chosen above, what device do you use to play music through this audio product?

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Questionnaire1. What material would best suit the design theme of a room in your house?

I found out from my first question that wood was the most common material found in peoples homes. This is very important as wood doesn’t always fit into the design theme modernism. However, it is important to include this material into my product so that it would appeal to a wider audience. I believe that including wood into a modernist design will be possibly, but I will have to consider the other material and colours I use which could include using a limited number of materials.

2. What design theme do you find the most attractive?From this question I have concluded my original thoughts that modernism was the most popular design theme for members of the general public at this moment in time. Because of this I will be sticking to this design theme for my product to ensure it appeals to the largest audience possibly. I will processed to do further research into the design theme modernism and customers opinions on it to improve the aesthetics and shape of my product.

3. Do you own more than one audio device? If so please list below the type and function of each device.As I assumed a large majority of people own more than one audio product. A possible unique feature would be a speaker or speaker set that allows a number of devices to play music through less speakers. Although this idea wouldn’t fit into my brief it would be something to consider during the development process of my project. What I found from the written boxes was that

4. Do you tend to buy products from the aesthetics rather than the function?I have concluded from this result that the aesthetics are vital to my products commercial success. I will be focusing on aesthetics throughout the development and manufacturing process of my speaker. I think that this question has shown that there is a possibility for a speaker that focuses on the appearance rather than the function.

5. Which of these tendencies do you use a speaker for?These results were not what I originally expected. What I was hoping for was that a speaker being used for an ornament would be most popular. However, I believe that these results were due to the way headphones are used these days at high volumes. As I have already decided to design a loud speaker these results will not affect decisions I make further on in my project.

6. Out of the four speaker systems below, which would you most likely to buy? In the text box below describe what you find most attractive about the product you have chosen. Despite the first option being a reasonably priced product in comparison to the general market it was the most popular. In my opinion, this is because of the unique and interesting shape, whilst maintaining its simplicity. I hope my product to have similar properties to this design.

7. Would you be more willing to buy a speaker system with a unique feature to it (e.g. an original shape, a 360 degree speaker)? As I original thought a unique feature would be desirable. As I already intended to include a unique design to my product, I must now consider the fact I may need an innovative function to my product. However, as I have already concluded in question four, may people will buy a product on the aesthetics along, so maybe the function is less important.

8. Do you normally listen to music on your own or in a group? This question was important to me in understanding one of the initial decisions of what audio product to manufacture i.e. is a majority of people listen to music on their own then I would design a pair of head/earphones. However, I found that a clear majority were more likely to listen to music in a group, suggesting there is a larger market for speakers/docking stations/amplifiers etc.

9. What type of audio product do you use most often? Despite my findings in the previous question I found that headphones are the most used audio product. This may be down to the fact that many of the people that filled in my questionnaire were commuters who were using headphones at the time of filling in this questionnaire. Another factor to consider is the way in which headphones and speakers are manufactured i.e. headphones are produced in mass quantities whereas speakers are more likely to be batch produced, suggesting the cost is more. This would convey that a larger profit would still be gained from selling one speaker to a greater number of headphones.

10. From the option you have chosen above, what device do you use to play music through this audio product? It is clear from the results of this question that Apple products (e.g. IPod, IPhone, IPad etc.) were the most popular music source. Because of this I believe I may have to make it possible for music from an IPod to be played through my speaker, which may involve me including an auxiliary cable for Apple products to be connected to my speaker.

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Product Profiling

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My Product

To expand on ideas that developed during the questionnaire I have looked at current products. I have placed a text box where I think my product would sit to gain an understanding of what current speakers my product would be similar to. I have found out that my product will be a modern and reasonably expensive design. What has given me comfort is finding that many of the products that are expensive are either contemporary or modernist in their design, which is what I had hoped my product would be based on my findings in the questionnaire.

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Brand Profiling

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Similar to the product profiling in the layout, I have decided to look into the brand of these products to find if the products are reflective to the brand in the profit and aesthetics. My main finding from this piece of research was that Apple products were very similar to how the brand is portrayed, i.e. the modernist design is reflected in Apples logo and products. This would suggest that as well as keeping in mine the needs of the customers, my product must represent the way KEF is portrayed as a brand.

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Mood BoardNow that I have an idea of the company and products that are existing, as well as having an idea of the customer base I think it would be important to bring all of my ideas together into a mood board. This piece of research would also help me develop my understanding of the customer. I have included images of potential environments, similar products to mine and brand that the customer would be interested in. From this piece of research I now have an idea of my customers lifestyle. I hope to develop this information into more specific research that would allow me to adjust my product to suit the users lifestyle.

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Environmental Snapshot

This product is being used illogically as a CD stand that stops them from falling over. It also seems like this product is being used more as a charger for IPod's rather than a speaker. To ensure my product is used for its prime function, as a speaker, I won’t be including a charger. This will also allow my speaker to be more versatile as this speaker will only work for Apple products.

Although having a radio be played through my speakers. I think a more logical solution would be for a music device such as an IPhone have to software for radio to be used. However, this audio device seems to be used more as an ornament due to the attractive and sleek design as well as the fact that there are numerous other audio devices available in this environment. I hope to overcome both these issues by addressing them in the design and function of my product.

As I would imagine most bedrooms would feature a laptop or computer. Although I have said how I hope to include a jack that would allow an IPod to play music through my speaker, I must also consider this being possible for a computer. This is because many IPod users won’t be able to sync all of their music onto an IPod. Whereas a computer will hold all of their music on ITunes.

As further research into the customer I will be conducting an evaluation of potential environments my product would be found in, based on my findings summarised in my mood board. This will also allow me to assess any faults in the way speakers are being used that would allow me to consider ideas that would avoid any misuses.

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Environmental Snapshot

As you can see from this picture, there is little space in an environment such as this from the sofas and TV. This could effect the size of my product considerably. I may have to consider changing the size and shape of my product to fit onto a shelf or table.

For a product like this TV where the speakers are built into the back, arguably my speaker wouldn’t be needed. However, if the customer wanted a better sound quality my speakers could be used instead of the TV speakers. Fortunately, most TV’s will have a 3.5mm jack that will allow an auxiliary cable to be plugged in. allowing my speakers to be used.

An additional product that would get in the way of my speaker if it were to be placed on the floor is gaming consoles like an Xbox. However , I must consider that my customer base is for reasonably wealth members of the public who would have large houses with more space. A possibly option is to design a floor speaker, but design a speaker series that would consist of a number of speakers of different sizes.

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Person and Product Interaction

Immediately this user was listening to music on his IPhone when entering the room. This was fine for listening with the phone in hand, however, the sound was too quite to be listened to at a great distance. This would be an illogical fault in the function of the product.

The IPhone was then placed onto an Apple product specific docking station. This would be fine, however I hope for my product to be more versatile in the range of audio products that can play music through my speakers.

With music still playing from the docking station, the user then played a game on the computer with the sound on from a separate set of speakers. This is also an illogical use of speakers as the user then had to switch the computer speakers off to listen to the music from the docking station.

After finishing on the computer the user switched on the TV with the music from the docking station still playing. This illogical use seemed to be a repetitive occurrence that my product could overcome by allowing numerous audio products to use my single speaker.

These are the initial notes I made on my phone that allowed me to be subtle in my observations and not influence the movements of the user.

To justify any potential illogical uses of speakers that I suggested in my environmental snapshot I have conducted a person and product interaction. This consisted of a 10 minute observation of a potential customer of my product using a number of speakers in his room. A next step would be to looking further into the speakers to find a way to comeback this misuses.

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First Hand Existing Design Analysis

Aesthetics- The design of this docking station is very simple, but modern. It has a very smooth look to it. The black and grey colour scheme works well with the IPod being used as a music source. The shape of the product is very modernist with the sharp lines and smooth curves. Although I like the modernist design I don’t think there is anything that would make this product stand out when surrounded by other audio products. Customer- In my opinion, the simplicity of this product allow a more general audience to be attracted to it. However, you could assume that a younger audience would want a product with more colour and a different shape to make it more interactive and fun. Cost- I would estimate the cost of this docking station at around £80. Although it is a very simple design, the well known brand would be enough for many customers to buy the product as they would expect the speakers to be of a high quality. As my product won’t have a specific brand I will have to rely on innovative features and an eye catching design for members of the public to buy my product.Environment- This product would probably be used domestically in a bedroom or even a living or dinning room. In my opinion, most of the aesthetic considerations have been based on the audio source rather than the environment. For the research I conducted in my questionnaire I hope for my product to be better suited to the environment than this product.Safety- In my opinion, this product is very safe as there are no visible sharp edges or corners. The only problem seems to be the height at which it could be placed at e.g. on a shelf as it could fall off. My product being floor standing would avoid this problem.Size- The size has clearly been designed so that the product is reasonably easy to moveand can be placed on a shelf or table. As it is a loud speaker the size of the speakers would have had to been considered.Function- I believe that this product has been designed primarily to for fill it’s function as the aesthetics are very simplistic. As I am designing my product for a company that prides itself on being individual and at the cutting edge of speaker technology I will have to design an original and unique product that will for fill its function and more.Material- This is product has been made from materials such as plastic primarily, which as a self-colouring material allows the product to come in many colours. However, for a fairly expensive product better materials would be expected to have been used. I will be using good quality materials as my product will be for a high end market.

After finding numerous way in which people use speakers illogically, I thought it would be important to develop my understanding of speakers to see how they could possibly accommodate these tendencies users have developed.

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Aesthetics- The design of this product is very industrial looking from the simple block shape of the product. Although I want my product to move away from this shape I will have to consider where the wires and speakers will go, as it seems the shape of this product is down to the size of the speaker. The black and gold colour scheme does however give the product a high end quality to it.Customer- Although As a guitar amplifier it is clear that this product would be aimed at musicians in particular guitarists. As Marshall is a well established brand little has to been done to aim their products at customers now a days. However, the shapes and volumes of their products vary. I hope to design a speaker series, although I will only manufacture one speaker, to demonstrate the range that the products I will design would be available to come in. Cost- I This particular product is averaged to cost between £500-£600. This is due to the volume of sound that the speaker can produce as well as the numerous adjustments that can be made to the sound quality. Although my speaker won’t need to produce as high volumes of sound, the possibility of changing the tone of the sound could be a feature I include.Environment- This amplifier would be unlikely to be used in someone's house due to the size. A more likely environment would be a studio or bar/restaurant. Although my product won’t be used in an environment were a large number of people are listening to the sound being produces, I will ensure that the volume can be adjusted appropriately to suit a range of environments. Safety- In my opinion, this product is very safe as all corners and edges have been covered with a plastic. Aesthetic would be more crucial for my speaker as it needs to stand out due to the fact it would be branded with a popular and well known company, which could suggest safety features might have to be overlooked.Size- I The block shape of this amplifier would mean a large amount of room would have to be taken up by it. However, I would imagine objects would be placed on top of the amp and be used like a table to save room. Function- In my opinion this product has been design to for fill it’s function rather than have an attractive exterior. Although the colour scheme used is fairly successful it seems to have all been designed around the function, as it is because of the sound quality that customer are willing to pay more.Material- To reduce the cost of the product a cheap wood (sterling board) has been used as the main body of the product, but to achieve a more attractive finish it has been covered in a polymer veneer. To finish of the attractive finish a chrome plate has been added at the top were the volume controls are sitting.

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Product Disassembly

Like the plastic casing the main speaker was attached to the base with self-tapping screws. The speaker was mounted onto a wooden platform attached to the front adhesives.

The plastic cover is partly for aesthetic purposes, however it also houses the smaller of the two speakers. This component would have been injection moulded as the shape is to complex for vacuum/thermoforming. Four holes in each corner allow the plastic case to be attached to the wooden base with self-tapping screws.

To protect the two speakers a cover has been included. As well as stopping the speakers from getting dusty/dirty, the cover muted the sound, reducing the risk of music being played to loud through the speakers. For the cover material was stretched over a plastic frame that would have been injection moulded.

My last piece of research will see me look into the structure and makeup of speakers themselves, so that I am able to gain a full understanding of how they work. It is important for me to have this understanding if I am planning on developing an innovator shape and design as well as possibly accommodate any habits users have developed, which will ensure that any new ideas I may have during the initial designs and development process will be possible.

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So that this speaker is as versatile as possible an auxiliary cable has been used as the connection to an audio source. This being the most available adaptor allows many MP3 players, CD players, IPods etc. to play music through the speakers.

As the back of the speaker is less notice and therefore less important it has been made from sterling board painted black. This would suggest this product has been manufactured in a batch or mass production as this modification would only save a considerable amount of money if produced on a large scale. Like the rest of the wooden base it had been attach with adhesive glue. The hole in this section of the back would be used to allow sound the leak out. This would stop the sound from cracking or being played to loud.

To form the main body of this product five separate pieces of MDF have been glued together with an adhesive. To give the wood a more attractive finish an oak veneer has been applied to the outside of the wood. This would have given the product a more durable and sustainable finish as well. By allowing the inside of the product to be hollow cables and wires have been hided easily.

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Research Summary

Research Summary

Brand ProfilingThis piece of research was carried out to find if the products are reflective to the brand in the profit and aesthetics. A brand that I was very interested in was Apple, as there products were very similar to how the brand is portrayed. They also keep in mine the needs of the customers, my product must represent the way KEF is portrayed as a brand.

Product ProfilingI hoped to gain an understanding of what current speakers my product would be similar to.After some research I found the products that are expensive are either contemporary or modernist in their design, which is what I had hoped my product would be based on my findings in the questionnaire.I summarised that my product will be a modern and reasonably expensive design.

Questionnaire I wanted to gain an understanding of what the public want from a speaker.An auxiliary cable can be used for my speaker which would allow Apple products to use my product. This is important as IPod were the most popular music source. Loud speakers are more likely to be produced in batch rather than mass production, which would be more suitable method of production bearing in mind the price I have put on my product. May people will buy a product on the aesthetics along as well as an product with an innovative function. Because of this I will consider both aspect during the development process. I will conduct further research into the design theme modernism I will be sticking to this design theme for my product Despite wood not being a prominent material within the design theme modernism, it was the most popular material.

Mood BoardTo develop my understanding of the customer I put together a mood board. I hoped to develop the information into more specific research that would allow me to adjust my product to suit the users lifestyle.

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Research Summary

Product Disassembly Before I even thought about coming up with ideas for my product I felt it was important to develop my understanding of how speakers work. This would stop me from wasting time with potential ideas that wouldn’t be possible to make. Features that I noted included, A cover has been included to reduce the risk of music being played to loud.The treble speaker was attached to the base with self-tapping screws. To give the wood a more attractive finish an oak veneer has been applied to the outside of the woodBy allowing the inside of the product to be hollow cables and wires less important it has been made from sterling board painted black.Holes in the section of the back would be used to allow sound the leak out. This would stop the sound from cracking or being played to loud. auxiliary cable has been used as the connection to an audio source.

First Hand Existing Design Analysis For this piece of research I hoped to develop my understanding of product currently on the market. I concluded that although I like the modernist design of the first speaker I didn’t think there was anything that would make the product stand out when surrounded by other audio products. However, it seemed that well known brand would be enough for many customers to buy the product. As my product won’t have a specific brand I will have to rely on innovative features and an eye catching design for members of the public to buy my product.

Environmental Snapshot For this piece of research I hoped to conduct further research into the customer as well as assessing any faults in the way speakers were being used.Many of the ideas I needed to consider from this piece of research was about the availability of music sources that could play music through my speaker. For example, including a 3.5 mm jack so that Apple products could play music through my speakers. This would also allow many computers and TVs to use my speakers. Some of the illogical uses I found speakers were being used for were as a CD stand as well as an ornament, as it one docking stations wasn’t being used but was more for the look.

Person and Product InteractionBy observing a person interacting with an audio product I hoped to justify any potential illogical uses of speakers. My findings included music being played to high volumes, which caused the sound to crack. The most prominent illogical use was many audio products being used at the same time. This illogical use seemed to be a repetitive occurrence that my product could overcome by allowing numerous audio products to use my single speaker.

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Further SpecificationsAesthetics- from looking at speakers and audio systems that KEF have designed I have found that they produce a range of different looking speakers. However, the most recent, including the muon and the blade, feature very plain designs. They display colours such as black, grey and white and have a smooth, curved shape to them. These are common features of the design theme known as modernism. Because of this I will use this design theme to base the design and look of my product on. However, I didn’t like the blocked shapes of their products as they were very similar to other audio products on the market. The design for my product will be organic, as I will take inspiration from nature to create a unique and different design to my product. The aesthetics of my product is absolutely key, with the addition that many people will buy a product on the aesthetics along, which I discovered during my questionnaire. I stated in my questionnaire I would do further research into the design theme modernism, which I visually represented in my mood board. After comparing aspects of this design theme I believe it fits into my brief as well as the KEF product base, therefore I will bear in mind this design theme throughout the initial design process of my project. An additional piece of research where I focused on the aesthetics was brand profiling. Here I researched whether products are reflective to the brand in the profit and aesthetics; which I found the majority did. Because of this it is vital that I feature KEF’s sleek and high quality appearance that all of their products portray in my product.

Cost- after finding out a rough estimate for KEF’s price range on their products that are available to the general public I concluded that my product should be of a high quality. This will involve using expensive materials that would increase the cost of the product overall. An estimate for the price of my product would be in the region of £3000-£5000. My products would be sold over the internet or at a high end store, unlike some of KEF’s most recent products that aren’t readily available to the general public.During the part of my research called product profiling I discovered visually represented where I hoped my product would fit in the speaker market. I located my product in the higher end of the table which suggested my product would be modern and expensive. When looking at existing products that were also in the category many of them promoted the design theme modernism, which I will be featuring in the design of my product. This has convinced me that my product is at the correct pricing for the design and quality of materials I will be using.

Customer- because of the high value that I intend on my speakers to cost the target audience can been narrowed down to people with a reasonable amount of wealth. Although it could also been aimed at music fans and even musicians as I intend the quality of sound that my speakers to produce to be of a high quality. However, I would assume that due to the intended modernist design I have in mind for my product wealthy members of the public would be a larger market.Although I have specified my target audience as a well off, middle age market, there were some points that arose during the environmental snapshot part of my research that I need to address for a more general audience. I will be including a 3.5mm jack or an Apple specific jack so that users are able to plug their audio device into my speaker, such as an IPod or IPhone.

Environment- like many of KEF’s products I will be designing my product for an indoor environment. As my ideal customer would be using the speakers for domestic, personal use I can narrow the environment down to predominately a house/flat/apartment etc. Because of this I will have to think about the aesthetics of my product as they would possibly have to suit the design theme and colours used in the house for my product to be more attractive for the customer. This may involve my product being available in a number of colours.

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Further SpecificationsDespite my product having to be eye catching I also need the product to suit the environment that it will be displayed within. In my first-hand existing design analysis I discovered that many products didn’t need to stand out as the well known brand that had manufactured them would be enough for someone to buy the product. As mine won’t have this luxury the design has to be eye catching, however I am determined to stick to the design theme modernism and I also must bear in mine that the environment will most likely be a modern apparent, which when look at in my mood board consists of very neutral colours. Because of this I will have to use colours such as black, white and grey, however my product will be unique and eye catching through the shape and size of it instead.

Safety- as my product will have a modernist design theme to it, curved edges and corners will be used, which would reduce the risk of possible injury caused by my speaker to the user. Another risk could be the sound level that my speakers produce, as at a high volume the sound could be damaging to the users hearing. Although I would be less inclined to reduce to volume of the speaker, warning information could be included in the packaging of the speaker or possibility on the speaker itself.Although safety features must be considered I am very unwilling to include any that may interfere with the aesthetics of the product. Because the design theme modernism includes a lot of straight, sharp corners and edges it seems unlikely that I will be rounding them off. However, as my target audience is of a mature age I would expect them to be aware of potential dangers such as the weight of my product as well as any sharp edges and corners.

Size- due to the high pricing estimate I have put on my product I would assume that the speaker I will be producing would be a main feature in the environment it would be placed. Because of this the possibility of the size of the speaker being to big is minimal. Like many of KEF’s speaker I hope to design a speaker that would be placed on the floor, suggesting that it would have to be of a reasonably large size for the sound to be projected appropriately.As my product will be expensive in price the size will not be limited by prices of any potential materials. Additional I found in my environmental snapshot that other audio products weren’t being used as speakers, but more ornaments. Although the prime function of my product is to be able to play music, the look of my product must also be of a unique and high quality bearing in mine this information. Because of this I will design my product as a stand allow speaker so that it will be a more prominent feature within the environment it will be placed in.

Function- the quality of sound that my speakers produces must be of a high quality, as the customer would be expecting it to be with the price range I have estimated for my product. Like many of KEF’s more recent products I hope to come up with an idea that is innovative and original, which could be reflected in the function of the speaker.I have specified throughout my research and within my brief that I would focus more on the aesthetics rather than the function. However, when I looked at my brand profiling I found that all products from each brand represented the brand and the values. Because of this I will include an innovative function, such as 360° sound, to improve the sound quality, however the technology will be one that KEF will already have used.

Material- as my product will be for indoor uses the range of materials that I can use for my product become greater. I will definitely be using materials of a high quality due to the pricing, which would include hardwoods such as oak and pine, some metals and possibly ceramics.Despite wood not being a prominent material within the design theme modernism, it was the most popular material during my questionnaire. Although I will include it as a potential material in some initial designs it may have to change during the development process as it doesn’t suit the design theme modernism.

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Initial DesignsAfter conducting initial research into the brand I am designing my product for and researching into the market and public opinion of loud speakers I felt ready to start putting ideas onto paper by starting my initial designs process. On this page you can see my very first ideas which I put down spontaneously with a copy of my brief in front of my so not to lose sight of what I wanted to achieve with this project. The following designs will develop on from these very first sketches.

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Initial DesignsConcept 1

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DevelopmentThis is the design that I have chosen to develop and ultimately manufacture at the end of my project. During my initial design process I developed this idea slightly with the stand being curved. However, I will now look into this design in adequate depth and look at the manufacture, usability, materials and components as well as the aesthetics of this design.

After reconsidering points raised within my research and further specifications I have found that I have two clashing design themes, modernism and organic design. Although I played with the idea in my initial design process of having a curved stand to make the product look more organic, this shape would coincide with the straight edges and corners of modernism.

What I must now consider is which theme is more important to my product, brief and brand I am designing my product for. After reading through my brief I have decided that modernism must take a priority in the design, as KEF’s product represent this movement and as I am designing my product for them, mine must fit into their product base. My brief also specifies that my product will be based on modernism, but take inspiration from nature and organic shapes, which I have already done with the dome shaped cover for the speaker.

After this development I experimented with shapes that I could use as the stand. In the end, I opted for the overly simplistic ‘C’ shape that I have seen used in countless modernist products.

An additional benefit of using this shape for the stand is that it will be more user friendly. This is because the product could be moved easily and quickly. This is in comparison to the curved back, which would be difficult to move with just one person, therefore could have posed a safety hazard. You can see from the two images below that the curved shape is more difficult to manage and hold.

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DevelopmentContinuing the idea of simplicity that has come about from research into modernism, I feel that I can further limit the complexity of my design by reducing the number of materials I will use. The problem I have is that during my questionnaire I found that wood was the most popular material, however metal would be more preferable to keep in my product as it is key to a modernist design.

After researching existing audio products and modernist products in their environments, I found that many of them did include metal in there makeup, but still suited their environment, which commonly featured uses of wood e.g. wooden floors. Because of this I will be removing wood as a material to use in the manufacture of my product and instead have the whole stand made from metal.

Although I have decided what material to use I will now further develop this idea with deciding on what metal to use, as different metals will have different properties as well as aesthetics. The two metals I thought would be best suited for my product would be aluminium and steel because of there availability. I have created a table which features the properties of each of the metals so that I will be able to decide on which material would be best suited to its purpose in this instance.

Steel Aluminium

Poor resistance to corrosion

Good strength to weight ratio

Malleable Light

Good tensile strength

Attractive finish

Ductile Ductile

From looking at the table I can see that although some properties are similar between the two metals the attractive finish and good strength to weight ratio of aluminium would be more desirable for my product.

As aluminium is the choice for the metal I will be using, I think it is an appropriate to look into the manufacture of this material further so I can gain an understanding of how long manufacture will take and if I will have to alter the design of my product to make it possible to shape or join this metal.

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DevelopmentAs I have looked at the aesthetics of my product I must now think about the manufacture of my speaker, especially how components will fit together, and how this may effect my the design of my product.

Initially I went back to some of my very first research, audio product decoding. Here I looked into how speakers are put together and took apart an existing speaker to gain first hand knowledge of how they are put together. What I realised from this was that I would have to manufacture my own housing for the speaker. To make a break from the straight lines of the frame and for practicality I will make a case that is circular and to ensure that the materials I use are limited I will use aluminium as the material for the housing.

When creating the shape of the housing for the speaker I realised a potential problem with how I would secure the housing of the speaker to the frame of my product. One solution would be to have the housing glued to the frame with an adhesive glue. Although this would be the easiest and quickest way of securing these two components I would be cautions with how well the adhesive would hold the housing to the frame. If the adhesive wasn’t strong enough there could be a massive safety risk if the speaker was likely to fall off.

The alternative would be to cut a hole in the casing and allow the housing rest on the frame by mounting the housing onto the frame. Although this could potentially increase the manufacturing time considerably the structure of my product would be a lot stronger and secure.

Because the price tag on my product will be suitable for a well off customer base my product must be of the highest quality and must be well made. Because of this I will be going for the option to have the housing of the speaker mounted onto the frame. As I needed to be sure of how the manufacture of this idea would be carried out I have made a blown apart diagram showing all of the components.

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DevelopmentWhen looking at an image of my product so far I realised a construction fault, which was the distribution of weight over the frame. Depending on the weight of the transparent cover my product may not be able to stand on it’s own. A solution to this is to move the bottom of the stand further out so that it is level with the bottom of the cover.

As well as creating a better balance to this design, which has improved the safety and usability of my product, it has also altered the aesthetics to create a more prefect and square shape to it, which adds to the simplicity of the design that in turn further creates a beauty through simplicity.

However, after some thought on how to simplify the design to make the manufacturing process quicker and easier, I realised I could remove the aluminium arm that comes out to mount the speaker on. Instead, I thought the speaker could be mounted straight onto the housing of the speaker. This would further improve the weight distribution and thus safety of the design. However, I would still be able to keep my previous development of having the bottom part of the frame extent further out as shown in the design below.

Because of this new development I must now reconsider how the housing of the speaker will fit onto the frame. Although I first considered my original idea of having the housing slot onto the frame, the change in angle, i.e. from horizontal to vertical, would cause pressure to be applied to the speaker from the frame.

After some initial ideas of how I would be able to join these two components I came up with two possibilities. One was to have a tapping screw going through the metal tubing of the frame and the housing as demonstrated in the ProDesktop design.

The other option would be to manufacture a plug that would fit into the top of the metal tubing of the frame. I would then be able to cut a thread into the plug as well as the inside of the housing, which I would first have to cut into to create a hole. The plug would then slot into the top of the frame and then screw into the housing. Although this would the more complex idea to construct I feel that it would be the most secure and accurate option. Additionally there would be no aesthetical defects which would inevitably occur if I was to have a screw visible going through the housing.

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DevelopmentThe aesthetics of my product is absolutely key, with the addition that many people will buy a product on the aesthetics along, which I discovered during my questionnaire. I stated in my questionnaire I would do further research into the design theme modernism, which I visually represented in my mood board. After comparing aspects of this design theme I believe it fits into my brief as well as the KEF product base, therefore I will bear in mind this design theme throughout the initial design process of my project. An additional piece of research where I focused on the aesthetics was brand profiling. Here I researched whether products are reflective to the brand in the profit and aesthetics; which I found the majority did. Because of this it is vital that I feature KEF’s sleek and high quality appearance that all of their products portray in my product.

During the part of my research called product profiling I discovered visually represented where I hoped my product would fit in the speaker market. I located my product in the higher end of the table which suggested my product would be modern and expensive. When looking at existing products that were also in the category many of them promoted the design theme modernism, which I will be featuring in the design of my product. This has convinced me that my product is at the correct pricing for the design and quality of materials I will be using.

Although I have specified my target audience as a well off, middle age market, there were some points that arose during the environmental snapshot part of my research that I need to address for a more general audience. I will be including a 3.5mm jack or an Apple specific jack so that users are able to plug their audio device into my speaker, such as an IPod or IPhone.

Despite my product having to be eye catching I also need the product to suit the environment that it will be displayed within. In my first-hand existing design analysis I discovered that many products didn’t need to stand out as the well known brand that had manufactured them would be enough for someone to buy the product. As mine won’t have this luxury the design has to be eye catching, however I am determined to stick to the design theme modernism and I also must bear in mine that the environment will most likely be a modern apparent, which when look at in my mood board consists of very neutral colours. Because of this I will have to use colours such as black, white and grey, however my product will be unique and eye catching through the shape and size of it instead.

Although safety features must be considered I am very unwilling to include any that may interfere with the aesthetics of the product. Because the design theme modernism includes a lot of straight, sharp corners and edges it seems unlikely that I will be rounding them off. However, as my target audience is of a mature age I would expect them to be aware of potential dangers such as the weight of my product as well as any sharp edges and corners.

As my product will be expensive in price the size will not be limited by prices of any potential materials. Additional I found in my environmental snapshot that other audio products weren’t being used as speakers, but more ornaments. Although the prime function of my product is to be able to play music, the look of my product must also be of a unique and high quality bearing in mine this information. Because of this I will design my product as a stand allow speaker so that it will be a more prominent feature within the environment it will be placed in.

I have specified throughout my research and within my brief that I would focus more on the aesthetics rather than the function. However, when I looked at my brand profiling I found that all products from each brand represented the brand and the values. Because of this I will include an innovative function, such as 360° sound, to improve the sound quality, however the technology will be one that KEF will already have used.

Despite wood not being a prominent material within the design theme modernism, it was the most popular material during my questionnaire. Although I will include it as a potential material in some initial designs it may have to change during the development process as it doesn’t suit the design theme modernism.

Development completedUnable/not willing to developNot yet addressed development

Like I expected to see at this first checkpoint, it would seem that many specifications raised have already been addressed. However, this would suggest I have addressed the most evident developments including the aesthetics of my product.

Some points I have realised that I cannot included in my final product, for example considering any safety features that may hinder the aesthetics of my product. This would not only co-inside with my brief, but many of KEF’s product that haven’t had edges or corners rounded.

Points I haven’t addressed yet included the manufacturing processes of many of the components as well as the functionality of my product as I still haven’t decided on what or even if I will include an innovative function.

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DevelopmentNow that I have looked into some depth of how the exterior of my product will fit together and be manufactured, I must now think about the electronics. The importance of this is evident as my product must be able to work and for fill it’s primitive function, to play music.The model below visually demonstrates how the wires will follow from the speaker all the way to the power source and the auxiliary extension.

The housing is where my speaker will sit. Therefore I will need to drill a hole through the bottom so that I am able to run the wires from the speaker through into the hollow metal frame of the product. I will drill this hole with a pillar drill using a drill bit that fits the size of the wires.

As I have not yet decided on how to join the frame together I can only assume that it will either be with some kind of metal jointing process such as mid welding or brazing, or with a plug similar to the housing of the speaker. Therefore the wires will have no trouble passing through this section of the design.

The speaker cover when first manufactured will have a solid base and therefore mute any sound trying to pass through it. Because of this I must create a hole in the cover where the speaker can be exposed fully to ensure that the sound isn’t muffed. I will further explore how I will cut this hole and what material the cover will be manufactured from later in my development. Before the wires are able

to flow through the frame, they must first pass through the aluminium plug that I developed earlier in the process. Like the housing I will also need to drill a hole to allow the wires through, which I will do before cutting the thread into the outside of it so that it will be easier to clamp down when drilling.

For the power source I have opted for a standard plug socket extension that will extend from the bottom of the frame at the back. Although I believe this has some visual impediment on the aesthetics of my product this is an unavoidable feature and one that I didn’t mention in my brief as it didn’t seem like an important issue to many users. To allow the wire for the plug to extend out of the frame I will again drill a hole underneath the frame to allow for this to happen. The auxiliary cable will also be able to pass through the hole so that IPod can be used into the speaker.

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DevelopmentAt this stage in the development I think it’s important to address some of the issues raised on the last page of this process as I realised there is still many things that need to be considered.

One of which is how the frame will be joined together. The obvious choice would be to use the same joining process as how I intend to join the frame to the housing of the speaker, which involves a plug with a thread cut into it allowing the components to screw in together.

An alternative would be to use some sort of welding, brazing or soldering process. Below I have experimented with all of these processes.

To then give the metal an attractive finish I will file and sand down an excess where I have brazed the poles together. After assessing the finish of the metal pole I sanded and polished I found it very attractive and suitable for how I want my product to look.

So the overall frame has a clean and shiny finish I will use the metal polish machine to clean of any dirt that has built up over time.

Here I have soldered to aluminium poles together. Although this process is reasonably accurate and fast the joint is very unstable and weak. Therefore this process is not suitable for my product.

The only other option I am left with is brazing. Unlike soldering the joints are stable and sustainable and unlike mid-welding the appearance is a lot more discrete. When attempting to join the two metal poles I also found this process reasonable simply and fast to do.

Because of this I will be using brazing to join the frame and after some further experimental work with this joining process I decided that it would also be suitable to use for joining the frame to housing rather than spending a long period of time manufacturing a plug and then cutting a thread into it.

Mid-welding was another option and unlike soldering creates very sturdy joints and is often used for the frames of tables and chairs. However, unlike where the joints are made on tables and chairs the area that the welding will take place on my product will be visible to the user. This is an aesthetical problem as mid-welding is notorious for being a difficult process that creates noticeable and unattractive joints. Because of this, mid-welding will not be used in the manufacture of my product.

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DevelopmentAt this point in the development I also realised I hadn’t specified how I would manufacture the housing for the speaker, even though I have gone into detail about how I will join it to the frame.As casting would seem the obvious choose for how to create the housing I researched into some potential casting methods I could use.

Sand casting

Gravity die casting

After looking at the speed of each process and which ones were readily available to me I concluded that sand casting would be the best method of casting for the housing.To gain a better understanding of how this process works I have attempted to carry out the process and look at the steps involved.

Finally, to create the hole of wear the speaker will sit I thought about drilling it. However, after looking at the sizes of the drill piece available to me I realised I would not be able to create a hole big enough for the speaker. Instead I will look to using a mandrel which will be pushed through the centre of the block.

As the final product after casting is rather unattractive I will use the milling machine to remove the ruff and dirty surface. I have decided to use this process instead of sanding or filling as it will be quicker and create a more attractive finish in a shorter space of time.

Find correct size drag

Parting powder and backing sand in two halves with moulds

Bolt drag and the cope together

Melt aluminium and pour into mould through rise or runner

Metal allowed to cool, sand removed for final product

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Development

After a rethink of how this component could be created I rethought what material to use as using a polymer seemed unlikely. Instead I considered using glass.

One way in which I would form the glass to the shape I want would be to use the process slumming, where the glass is heated up over a moulded and allowed set over the mould.

When the glass cover has been manufactured I would then need to think about the how to cut the hole that will allow the speaker to project the sound it will produce. As a normal drill would be unable to cut through glass without cracking or damaging it, I will need to order a special glass drill piece. A benefit of order this drill piece in is that I will be able to order the exact size piece I need to fit the size of the speaker.

One of the last and most crucial components I must consider within my development is the domed shaped cover for the speaker. This component is key to the aesthetics of my product and therefore in for filling the brief for my product.During my initial design process I assumed that I would be able to vacuum form this component. However, two problems I am faced with included not having a polyester sheet thick enough for how I want it to be. Additionally, the vacuum former available to me isn’t big enough to create the size cover I would want for a floor speaker.

The alternative would be for a specialist to blow the glass for me. This process, although expensive, would be ideal as I would be able to create the shape and size I want the cover to be as well as it having a professional finish and look.

The last development of this component is how I will attach it to the rest of the product. Although I was hoping to use an additional process where I would be able to remove any excess traces of the joint. However, I now realise that for materials like glass and aluminium this is not possible.

Alternatively, I will be able to use screws and although I was hoping to avoid using this joining process I feel that it is necessary for the safety and stability of my product.

The way I will conduct this process is with four holes evenly spaced out that I will drill through the glass and into the aluminium housing. I will then use a screw similar to that of a nut and bolt, called a machine screw. These will screw into and through both components .

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DevelopmentThe aesthetics of my product is absolutely key, with the addition that many people will buy a product on the aesthetics along, which I discovered during my questionnaire. I stated in my questionnaire I would do further research into the design theme modernism, which I visually represented in my mood board. After comparing aspects of this design theme I believe it fits into my brief as well as the KEF product base, therefore I will bear in mind this design theme throughout the initial design process of my project. An additional piece of research where I focused on the aesthetics was brand profiling. Here I researched whether products are reflective to the brand in the profit and aesthetics; which I found the majority did. Because of this it is vital that I feature KEF’s sleek and high quality appearance that all of their products portray in my product.

During the part of my research called product profiling I discovered visually represented where I hoped my product would fit in the speaker market. I located my product in the higher end of the table which suggested my product would be modern and expensive. When looking at existing products that were also in the category many of them promoted the design theme modernism, which I will be featuring in the design of my product. This has convinced me that my product is at the correct pricing for the design and quality of materials I will be using.

Although I have specified my target audience as a well off, middle age market, there were some points that arose during the environmental snapshot part of my research that I need to address for a more general audience. I will be including a 3.5mm jack or an Apple specific jack so that users are able to plug their audio device into my speaker, such as an IPod or IPhone.

Despite my product having to be eye catching I also need the product to suit the environment that it will be displayed within. In my first-hand existing design analysis I discovered that many products didn’t need to stand out as the well known brand that had manufactured them would be enough for someone to buy the product. As mine won’t have this luxury the design has to be eye catching, however I am determined to stick to the design theme modernism and I also must bear in mine that the environment will most likely be a modern apparent, which when look at in my mood board consists of very neutral colours. Because of this I will have to use colours such as black, white and grey, however my product will be unique and eye catching through the shape and size of it instead.

Although safety features must be considered I am very unwilling to include any that may interfere with the aesthetics of the product. Because the design theme modernism includes a lot of straight, sharp corners and edges it seems unlikely that I will be rounding them off. However, as my target audience is of a mature age I would expect them to be aware of potential dangers such as the weight of my product as well as any sharp edges and corners.

As my product will be expensive in price the size will not be limited by prices of any potential materials. Additional I found in my environmental snapshot that other audio products weren’t being used as speakers, but more ornaments. Although the prime function of my product is to be able to play music, the look of my product must also be of a unique and high quality bearing in mine this information. Because of this I will design my product as a stand allow speaker so that it will be a more prominent feature within the environment it will be placed in.

I have specified throughout my research and within my brief that I would focus more on the aesthetics rather than the function. However, when I looked at my brand profiling I found that all products from each brand represented the brand and the values. Because of this I will include an innovative function, such as 360° sound, to improve the sound quality, however the technology will be one that KEF will already have used.

Despite wood not being a prominent material within the design theme modernism, it was the most popular material during my questionnaire. Although I will include it as a potential material in some initial designs it may have to change during the development process as it doesn’t suit the design theme modernism.

Development completedUnable/not willing to developNot yet addressed development

As I have focused the last 20 development on the manufacture of my product and how components would fit together it would appear that little has been addressed from my further specifications. However, during these developments issues such as safety, cost and aesthetics were all considered and therefore I have maintained all of the developments I achieved in the previous checkpoint.

From what you can see highlighted in white lettering there are still points within my further specifications that I haven’t addressed yet. Therefore in my next 10 developments it is crucial that I address the functionality of my product e.g. the output to use for the audio device, the set up of the speaker and if I will be including an innovative function.

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The obvious choose would be to use an auxiliary cable. These are widely used and would allow me to plug in both an IPod and MP3 player.

Alternatively, I can use the jack that is unique to Apple products. Although I wouldn’t be able to connect an MP3 player with the output directly, Apple products would be the audio source for the vast majority of music being played through my speaker. Additionally, this output would allow an IPod or IPhone to stand up whilst being used to play music as demonstrated in the picture from a docking station I personally own.

The other potential idea I came up with was to use Bluetooth technology to allow music files to be played through my speaker. This has it’s obvious benefits of being diverse as it can be used by both Apple products and other MP3 devices as well as the most unique feature of not requiring the music source to be physically connected to the dock to play music through it.

As using Bluetooth is the most attractive way to connect a music source to my speaker I must now consider how practical this method is in terms of the size, shape and other factors that may affect the effectiveness of this technology. First though, I must consider what components are necessary in process of having music play out loud from a music source out of a loud speaker. After some research I found out that the general process of sound from an audio device to a loud speaker goes : music source cable (auxiliary, Apple output, Bluetooth etc.) amplifier joining cable loud speaker

As I have identified the potential music source and the output source that would suit them, the next component I must develop is the amplifier. As these are reasonably standard the main priority is how all of these components will be displayed within my product. Here is some research I have done into this component. I have focused on how available it is, the cost and size of amplifiers.

Audio Device

The last component of my product I need to develop is the audio source and how it will be able to play music through my audio product. As I have already decided to use Apple products such as IPod's and IPhones as well as MP3 players the options for how to connect these music sources to my speaker are narrowed down.

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Another possibility would be to manufacture a separate dock where the audio source could be mounted and amplifier and any outputs could be hidden. Unlike the first option I am not limited by space as I would be able to manufacture the dock to the appropriate size.

Although I would prefer storing all the audio components directly onto the product and the music source onto the frame, the more practical option would be to manufacture a separate dock. In case during manufacture I find that I am unable to fit all of the components into the frame, the drawings demonstrate how I would construct a separate dock.

Although I am glad that I have developed and researched into alternative possibilities of how I would manufacture a docking port for an music source, I will still try and manufacture my most favourable choice of docking methods. This method would be to have all of the components such as the amplifier and Bluetooth device located within the frame of the speaker. Because I will have used Bluetooth there would be no need to cut a hole and construct a dock directly onto the metal frame, instead the user would simply be able to connect their music device directly to the speaker without an physical attachment.

My initial idea was to have the audio product mounted onto the front of the speaker as shown in the ProDesktop design. This would be the more effective idea in terms of the complexity of the product and how many wires and components are visible. The problem I have with this idea is the amount of space available within the metal frame where the amplifier and music source output would be located.

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DevelopmentThe aesthetics of my product is absolutely key, with the addition that many people will buy a product on the aesthetics along, which I discovered during my questionnaire. I stated in my questionnaire I would do further research into the design theme modernism, which I visually represented in my mood board. After comparing aspects of this design theme I believe it fits into my brief as well as the KEF product base, therefore I will bear in mind this design theme throughout the initial design process of my project. An additional piece of research where I focused on the aesthetics was brand profiling. Here I researched whether products are reflective to the brand in the profit and aesthetics; which I found the majority did. Because of this it is vital that I feature KEF’s sleek and high quality appearance that all of their products portray in my product.

During the part of my research called product profiling I discovered visually represented where I hoped my product would fit in the speaker market. I located my product in the higher end of the table which suggested my product would be modern and expensive. When looking at existing products that were also in the category many of them promoted the design theme modernism, which I will be featuring in the design of my product. This has convinced me that my product is at the correct pricing for the design and quality of materials I will be using.

Although I have specified my target audience as a well off, middle age market, there were some points that arose during the environmental snapshot part of my research that I need to address for a more general audience. I will be including a 3.5mm jack or an Apple specific jack so that users are able to plug their audio device into my speaker, such as an IPod or IPhone.

Despite my product having to be eye catching I also need the product to suit the environment that it will be displayed within. In my first-hand existing design analysis I discovered that many products didn’t need to stand out as the well known brand that had manufactured them would be enough for someone to buy the product. As mine won’t have this luxury the design has to be eye catching, however I am determined to stick to the design theme modernism and I also must bear in mine that the environment will most likely be a modern apparent, which when look at in my mood board consists of very neutral colours. Because of this I will have to use colours such as black, white and grey, however my product will be unique and eye catching through the shape and size of it instead.

Although safety features must be considered I am very unwilling to include any that may interfere with the aesthetics of the product. Because the design theme modernism includes a lot of straight, sharp corners and edges it seems unlikely that I will be rounding them off. However, as my target audience is of a mature age I would expect them to be aware of potential dangers such as the weight of my product as well as any sharp edges and corners.

As my product will be expensive in price the size will not be limited by prices of any potential materials. Additional I found in my environmental snapshot that other audio products weren’t being used as speakers, but more ornaments. Although the prime function of my product is to be able to play music, the look of my product must also be of a unique and high quality bearing in mine this information. Because of this I will design my product as a stand allow speaker so that it will be a more prominent feature within the environment it will be placed in.

I have specified throughout my research and within my brief that I would focus more on the aesthetics rather than the function. However, when I looked at my brand profiling I found that all products from each brand represented the brand and the values. Because of this I will include an innovative function, such as 360° sound, to improve the sound quality, however the technology will be one that KEF will already have used.

Despite wood not being a prominent material within the design theme modernism, it was the most popular material during my questionnaire. Although I will include it as a potential material in some initial designs it may have to change during the development process as it doesn’t suit the design theme modernism.

Development completedUnable/not willing to developNot yet addressed development

Like I stated in the previous checkpoint I have addressed the functionality of my product within the last section of my development. However, during the development I concluded that if it was possible I would try and use Bluetooth technology to connect the audio source to the speaker. Therefore there is no need for the 3.5mm auxiliary cable that I was intending on using.

360° sound was only a suggestion of a feature I could include within my product to make it more unique, however after deciding to include Bluetooth technology which I thought was a fairly original idea for audio products at least, I found there was no need to include this feature.

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Final DesignHere is my final design after extensive development. Although the use of aluminium I will construct the frame from would not necessarily fit into some modern homes because of the extensive use of wood, my research showed a large range of metal based products within a wood dominated environment. The aesthetics of my are key to the sale and suitability to the brand. As I have used a limited number of materials (only glass and metal) and created a product that promoted straight edges and sharp corners, it is similar to the modernistic ideals that KEF products portray through their design. However, my product is unique within the KEF product base as well as the wider market due to the organic routes of the design. This is portrayed through the main feature and component of my product; the glass dome that protrudes from the speaker. This component came about after much development and brainstorming. After some ideas of organic products I looked at organic within a wider context and expanded into man made products. This led me to a shape that was reflective of a satellite or gramophone horn. Although this isn’t an organic object I would argue that the thinking behind this shape was organic as forced me to think outside the box for an original design which I achieved. Although aesthetics was clearly the main thought behind my product I also considered a function that would make the product more innovative. As my product is aim at a well off market the additional cost of a function was not a concern. The idea of using Bluetooth technology would remove the issue of wires and not having to have a music source physically attached to my product.

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Advertisemente c h o

A revolution in form, beauty and simplicity.

Simplistic and symmetrical design.

Sculptural and acoustically innovation, the slender aluminium frame and glass dome create a tranquillity from the limited materials, use of space and dimensions.

‘Like a futuristic looking satellite’.The unique feature that makes the aesthetics of the

echo so unique compared to the market is the glass dome that protrudes from the aluminium casing of the speaker.

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Advertisement

Aluminium cased.

Safety, security and stability are features that the echo demonstrates through the aluminium structure that mounts the speaker and glass dome. Not only does this portray the modernist routes of the echo, but ensures the echo is a long lasting product.

Bluetooth connection for wireless fun.An under rated and unused piece of technology. The use

of Bluetooth in speaker has, so far, been limited, however the echo is one of the few loudspeaker to recognise and embrace the potential of Bluetooth technology by creating wireless fun.

A modern design that suits every modern home.

The echo loud speakers ornamental value makes it the ideal modern feature to have in your house. Whether it be in the living room, bedroom or dining room the echo is granted to stand out.

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Cutting ListPart Number Description Material

Height (mm)

Length(mm)

Width (mm) Quantity

Price List (£)

1Glass dome- The key to the aesthetics and identity of my product is the glass dome that protrudes from the speaker. Glass 155 360 360  1 10

2 

Speaker- One of the few components that I will not be manufacturing is the actual speaker. The size of the speaker will depend on the size of my product. Additionally, the speaker will dictate the size of the aluminium casing. *Various* 50 110  110 1 5.99

3

Speaker casing- The aluminium casing for the speaker will be manufactured from scratch. The size and shape will depend on the size of the speaker. Aluminium 80 140 140 1 0

4 

Frame- The aluminium poles that I will use for the frame of my speaker will also be purchased as I do not have to facilities or equipment the manufacture them for scratch. Hopefully I will be able to locate a pole with the girth which is suitable for the size of the speaker. Aluminium 20

400 / 200 / 360 20 3 13.97

5 

Amplifier- The amplifier will be located within the aluminium frame work of my product. Because of this I will need to purchase a size amplifier that will fit in. *Various* 15 N/A 15 1 9.99

6 

Bluetooth device- The last component that I will need to purchase is the Bluetooth device that will allow audio devices to play music through my speaker without the physical connection of wires. *Various* 15 N/A 15 1 15.99

7

Screws- The additional material that will be located on my product is the screws I will use to attach the glass dome to the aluminium casing. Steel N/A N/A N/A 4 0.5

8

Metal plates- The additional components that I will include are metal circles I will braze onto the ends of the aluminium poles. This will conceal the wiring within the poles. Steel 20 20 1 3 1.36

9Wiring- The flow of the wiring is crucial to the functionality of my product. Speaker - Amplifier - Bluetooth device *Various* N/A N/A N/A 6 1.00

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eEvaluation

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Diary of Manufacture

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Final Design against initial specifications

Decoding

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Initial Designs

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Evaluation

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s

Improvements

On the topic of product security and customer safety I realised that for my product to have a smooth metal base that would, most likely, be placed on a wooden varnished floor would have minimum friction between the two materials. This could cause the product to slip and slide if pushed. To minimise the possibility of this happening I will add small rubber stoppers onto the bottom of the frame. I will ensure that the size of the stoppers are as small as possible to reduce the simplicity of the design however, I believe that as the stoppers will give the product some elevator off the floor an elegance will be given to the appearance of the design.