Currently involved in the MIT Global Challenge, recent alumnus William Harris (BFA ID ’10) is a part of Project Firefly, a project that first got its wings here at RISD.
Harris initially got involved in the project as a senior via an Industrial Design Advanced Studio Course titled Product Design and Development. “It was a really great course. It paired with two programs at MIT, LGO (Leaders for Global Operations) as well as their Sloan School of Management, so you get these joint teams of business majors, engineers, and designers,” Harris said. The course, taught by Matt Kressy, brought in various companies who would pitch projects to the students. Harris chose a project pitched by Design that Matters to create a low cost phototherapy device for curing infant jaundice.
Harris worked with a group of eight others, including Alicia Lew ’11, another RISD ID student, who were also intrigued by the concept presented by DtM. Being a part of a sponsor team, they had the benefit of a team mentor who would direct them throughout the process. In his case, the mentor was Steven Eppinger, author of Product Design and Development.
“The cool thing about the course is it really tries to bring you through the full product development process. It was very structured, as you identify various deliverables and conduct mock interviews to create a hierarchy of different needs before moving forward to prototypes,” said Harris.
At the completion of the course, Harris and his team pitched their final product to DtM for review. While some members of the team looked to push the final prototype in a certain direction, Harris was hesitant about the materials and suggested the utilization of low cost tubular steel. DtM liked the idea so much that they offered him an internship three weeks before the course’s termination, which he started a week prior to graduation.
In speaking to how he felt his RISD education applied to this experience, Harris said, “I think RISD forces you to challenge things and really not accept what’s ‘good enough.’ I think especially in the development of that course it forced me to push the concepts of what was truly ‘good enough,’ giving me an advantage over others without that background.” Harris also gave credit to the great shop equipment and material courses in the department that taught him how to actually fabricate objects, even with limited resources. “Just being able to understand simple metal bending and various materials techniques gave me a great advantage that many design students don’t have the ability to learn,” he said. “RISD is really good at that.” He did wish, however, that the curriculum had provided more education on identifying user needs through mapping scenarios and involving in deep team brainstorms, like he does today.
In advice for current students, Harris says to take advantage of a CAD and software education, as it is increasingly applicable in the product design market. He primarily uses SolidWorks, as they came out of MIT originally and provide free software and promotions for DtM. Harris also advises that when seeking out internships or jobs, students should look in smaller cities as opposed to larger ones. “You will learn so much more at a startup organization than, say, Google, where the level you will be able to participate and grow is going to completely outweigh any input you would have in a larger organization. You will be able to convey that to future employers.”
Now a full time employee at DtM in Cambridge, MA, Harris is working on developing a body worn hearing aid device for children, with a cost around $30 lower than current technology. “Here at DtM, I am doing something that’s having a positive influence in the world, motivating me to go to work everyday. I love the ability to go somewhere and bring your product to show and interact; particularly in a place with such limited resources. It really just shows the impact designers can have on the world. I have to say my trip to Vietnam made everything worthwhile.”
Posted by Carly Ayres | Date Posted: 01 February, 2011