Industrial design seniors create cutting-edge models for music creation, home furnishings

A smart indoor herb propagation system; an intuitive commercial device to help bystanders in the event of a seizure; a robotic solution for transporting landscaping materials; a portable, easy to clean dish system for college students; adjustable, telescopic ski poles; a contemporary doll.

These are a handful of the solutions and concepts crafted by industrial and product design capstone students at UW-Stout. Among the design solutions are Jace Johnson's product to help musicians create music faster and more effectively, and Aaron Hoyt's dynamic collapsible sofa for a younger generation seeking to save space in smaller home settings.

Both students originally came to UW-Stout for different majors - Johnson for animation and Hoyt for graphic design. They were introduced to industrial design through friends and events, like Fashion Without Fabric.

"The combination of thinking of new creative ways to solve problems, along with building and testing things with my hands, was what really sold me into the program," Hoyt said.

Now, as they work to complete their capstones' 3D full-scale models, Johnson and Hoyt are looking forward to presenting their creations at the School of Art & Design Senior Show, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, May 8, part of UW-Stout's Spring Showcase lineup of events.

Stout Spring Showcase

SOAD Senior Show celebrates nearly 120 graduating seniors across 12 degree fields, as they take over Micheels Hall and the Applied Arts building, welcoming the community to see what the polytechnic advantage is all about.

Dreamr: A portable, intuitive product for all music creators

Johnson, of Sturgeon Bay, is treating his product as an "ideas generator," with core music equipment that musicians of all talents need to be successful, from people who are just starting to musicians on the road who get an idea for their next song.

"I was inspired when watching people who make music. They must set up four to six pieces of equipment before they get to start creating. That takes time away from creating and can take you out of your creative flow and lose all the progress that you have made," Johnson said.

While generating product names with his grandma at Easter, Johnson landed on Dreamr. "I like this name because it allows the user to think of this as a device to get their ideas out and 'dream' of anything that they want. I also think the branding for this product will be very fun to create," he said.

To understand what type of product he needed to design, Johnson interviewed people representing a spectrum of musicians and music producers - from those who make music in their bedroom to producers who have worked with some of the biggest artists in the world. He looked into products by companies like Moog Music, Arturia, Teenage Engineering and Telepathic Instruments.

"This helped give me perspective on what pieces of equipment are essential to starting the process of making music," Johnson said. "I am taking into consideration the ideas of Dieter Rams (a designer who uses the philosophy of 'less, but better') and only using what the user needs to be successful."

In his interview with Godwin Agbara, an Eau Claire-based indie-alternative artist who records under the name Yomchi, Johnson learned three important considerations in creating Dreamr.

"It needs to be portable. With traveling and playing gigs around Wisconsin, Godwin needs a product that can be used in any room and place," Johnson said. "It needs to be able to be used repeatedly. One-third of products are used once and forgotten after the first month, so making a high-quality product that can withstand that one-month threshold is essential. Lastly, it needs to be intuitive. Godwin admits he is not the most versed artist out there, so an effective product needs to allow the user to know what everything does right out of the package."

Configuring each component to fit within his product design was challenging. "Getting the drum pad, keys, and audio interface in one product is very hard, and trying to lay out how it can be most efficiently used has been a challenge," he said.

But after talking with Professor Andy Janetski and deconstructing current real-world products, such as a keyboard piano and audio interface, Johnson found a way to effectively fit everything into Dreamr, giving his product a more realistic feel.

Critiques from his capstone classmates also led Johnson to make Dreamr more portable for the user. "I was so stuck on making it a two-octave product that I overlooked the obvious - it was too big for a normal backpack. That small critique has helped me immensely," said Johnson, who will 3D-print Dreamr's outer shell and spray paint it, giving the appearance of a marketable product.

Modular seating for modern homes

One of Hoyt's two big design passions is making furniture. During his initial research for his capstone project, Hoyt noticed that most of the furniture he saw was bulky and heavy, especially for someone in a small living space.

"I found that the vast majority of young individuals aged 20-30 are moving about once a year," said Hoyt, of Menomonie. "Younger individuals are more likely to rent smaller spaces because of the high price of larger houses. My general audience is young professionals who are likely to live in smaller spaces within urban environments."

His original three-section furniture design was centered around the idea of adaptability, collapsibility and space management, with sections that can be split into reconfigured seating modules, including a singular seat and a smaller couch.

"I looked into how we interact within our own spaces, and what kinds of things people choose to buy for their spaces. Visiting showrooms and furniture stores was very helpful to see what's currently on the market, as I got to chat with a couple of people in sales who knew what was selling and what wasn't," Hoyt said. "There's a lot of design inspiration in the DNA of this project stemming from timeless classics and trendy. What caught my eye were Brazilian sling chairs from the late '60s, and stylish modern furniture from DUPE, a brand from California."

Hoyt also researched materials, ergonomics and human factors. He created prototypes and conducted user testing to gain insight into what ergonomic details are most important for younger demographics.

During a mid-project class critique, a classmate suggested that Hoyt needed to be more granular and visualize one singular space. "This gave me better insight on dimensions and functional elements," he said.

"Diving into the user, contexts and environments that my product will be used in has given me so many factors and ideas to keep in mind for my final product," he said. "I've found young people's spaces to be more dynamic and divergent than older demographics, leading me to explore ideas of modular armrests and even side table options."

Hoyt's build will consist of three main areas: metal work, wood work and fabric work. He has set up the appropriate manufacturing files and will start cutting patterns and sewing the upholstery. He will use a CNC router to cut out wood components, so he can piece together the hinging mechanism that allows the product to collapse.

Additional Spring Showcase events

• Saturday, May 2, 4 p.m.: Stout Fashion Show, showcasing innovative capstone collections from fashion design and development seniors. - This date may change.
• Tuesday, May 5: Research Day, celebrating the research and creative work of students, faculty, and staff from all fields.
• Thursday, May 7, 6 p.m.: Stout Game Expo (SGX), western Wisconsin's largest game developer exhibition.
• Saturday, May 9, and Sunday, May 10: 4th Annual Unspooled Film & Animation Festival, dedicated to showcasing the very best in independent filmmaking.
• Wednesday, June 24, to Sunday, June 28: Murals in Menomonie, featuring the Walldogs, is a collaborative group of community organizations bringing in international mural artists.

UW-Stout's School of Art & Design offers bachelor's degrees in animation and digital media; game design and development-art; graphic design and interactive media; illustration; industrial and product design; interior design; studio art; arts administration and entrepreneurship; fashion design and development; and video production, as well as an M.F.A. in design. UW-Stout also has a new program in game and media studies.

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