Intrepid - Designing for Ability

REFLECTION
At the start of the research
component of this project I became
quite comfronted by the first person
experience we did in wheelchairs. The
public in Melbourne city presented
mixed reactions that in some cases
were rude and others overly kind. This
experience taught me the weight of
stigmatization on wheelchairs and
disability in Australian culture. From
this point I became determined to
design with subtlety, removing the
clinical and sterile nature of disabled
design. I wanted to make a product that
suited their needs but didn’t highlight
them.
The research component was quite
long and I found myself struggling to
maintain perspective. In retrospect I am
frustrated with my management of time
and attention, as this ramified through
the semester.
The design component started with me looking at the design possibilities very pragmatically, without any radicalism or innovation. After our
initial concept proposal I rethought my design direction and started to approach the design process differently. For too long I refrained from
getting stuck in to the design process. In future I intend this to be a constant throughout the research, design and modelling stages. Once
I started looking at the design of the Caravan differently I started to approach a design that I believed suited my brief. However, the jump
from this stage to CAD Modelling threw me. Being relatively new to CAD and completely inexperienced in Fusion 360, I spent precious time
learning the software. With time running out I wa able to begin forulating my design. As I didn’t have a solid design at the outset, there was
significant modifications to the design during this CAD process. In the end I was pleased with the model however It lacked interior detail. In
addition, I was disappointed as there were some features I was unable to include due to my lack of expertise.
When it came to rendering I enjoyed the process, despite frustrating software issues as well as the loss of my entire CAD animation.
Despite the obstacles I am proud of what I have learnt in CAD, rendering and VR. While I have huge amounts to learn, I feel I have a strong
foundation and renewed motivation to progress further in computer aided design. t stuck in CAD and stopped designing. v
Image:
Intrepid roof-top solar
panel configuration with
wind turbine port on the
lower right-hand side.
Extend-able rear rack
holds outdoor equipment
such as mountain
bikes, ski’s, off-road
wheelchairs and mobility
scooters