Oscar Lee's Blog

Bottled water is something that I encountered on a daily bases. However, after I watched 'The story of bottled water' by Annie Leonard. I realised the story behind a simple bottled water goes far beyond just its appearance level. Firstly, it's a waste of natural resource. All the factories that using unrenewable e.g. petrol to produce the plastic bottles are heavily polluting the Earth's nature environment. When I buy a bottle of water, I'm encouraging them to stab mother Nature few more times!. Secondly, the economic flow and marketing strategy that go behind a bottle of water is a well-known fact. Thirdly, the so all recycle scheme is just another scandal and smoke screen that the fat merchant established in order to play illusion on consumer thus fatten his pocket with cash. All those used bottles were 'down-cycle' instead or 'recycle'. I discovered this fact from reading the book 'cradle to cradle' by William McDonough & Michael Braungart. It's totally irresponsible to dump all the toxic waste into the water resources of any third world country. Sadly, I can't understand myself why I still buy the bottled water or dinks occasionally. I suppose impulse buying behaviour was part of it. I grew up in Hong Kong and it's a very convenience place to get bottled water. There is always a convenience store selling them nearby where you're standing. I made a promise to myself, I'll stop buying bottle drinks from today and fill my bottled water up as often as possible as a consumer. In a design perspective, this problem perhaps can link to a PSS design opportunity that can rectify this ill behaviour. There is no mean to eliminate the corrupted merchants, however I will make sure any products that I design will not fall into the same trap again. After watching this video I own up to the responsibility by not buying any bottled drinks and think of the moral of the story of the bottled water whenever I design something so that I will not make the same mistake twice.

Here is the PDF version of my rationale, feel free to download if you're interested


!!DOWNLOAD LINK!!

Applications on the the HYDRA water system and how it can be used in real disaster situation

HYDRA is the final solution of a fast, clean and compact RWF. It can be easily sealed at the top and consist of a water filter.

On doing this project, it makes me realize how a simple motivation can change and benefit lots of human lives. Recently, geologist claimed that there would be more large scale earthquake and earth crust activities in the upcoming years. My research topic is on earthquake and this project engages my university work to real life. Also, by knowing the fact that there will be more upcoming earthquake, I’m motivated to get my product better and better and aim for actually manufactured. I want to help and save humans who trapped in earthquake. It’s this bit of passion that lit up my heart and persuade further and further into this project.

Upon doing on this project, my biggest benefits are in the research phrase and the refine of the design. During the research phrase, I watched lots of video, visited a lot of website and other external sources. My mind hasn’t been broadened and my heart has been warmed. While watching the interviews with one of the victim’s and his relatives, Jian Zhan, my tears fell down. He was trapped under ruins after the earthquake for three days. He was determined to survive, he hold on to the last moment until the rescuers got him out and he passed away. The whole rescue team was devastated, viewer who saw the news were heart brokered, and his relatives were emotional broken down. It’s this piece of information that motivated me in this project. If, just if someone has already decided better jacks or better rescue tools, would he survive and be alive? I don’t really know the answer but, I promise myself I have to change the world. I don’t want to see the same trauma happen to human twice. This research doesn’t only help me in studio but other aspect of lives as well. If Jian was determent to survive in that situation, I, as a healthy urban young adult, I should be able to overcome challengers in front of me.

My second insight in this project is the research phrase. This project taught me there is always better alternative out there. It’s always a improvement area comparing to your original design. The folding water sealing idea doesn’t come up until late, very very late. However, it was the motivation that I got at the research phrase encourages me to change my design. This may not be the best result, however, I did push my guts to the furthest and I’m happy with the change at the end. It was a much quicker solution. Again, I guess once you have the motivation, you have that flame, that fire inside you; you aren’t really going to be scared off at any challenges. For that, I’ll take this flame and carry on into my next project and the next one and until I can make this world better with all the energy I have.

Sustainability, democratic, equality are all important aspects of consideration while designing new product. Designing a product that is social responsible is one of the most basic criteria. Helping disable people to improve their lives by either improving their social status, or design that help to end poverty are all social responsible design. Again it's a balance between form and function that best deliver the desire result. From the six episodes of 'Designing for Life', it inspired me to take responsibility as an industrial design student. It's our duties to bring better equality to all demographic users. It's our duties to bring equality and sustainability into the society and our next generations.
It inspired me to treat every decision regarding design seriously. From a simple line to a project, we should treat the project with respect, it's not only a task for handing in your work on time in university. It's more like a commitment to a particular life style. You have to embrace this life-style in order to develop a socially responsible philosophy. It's only through this personal philosophy looking at the world you can produce a product that have positive impacts on the world. Through this process, a person can truly be considered as a designer and this journey can take years to master.
Watching the contestants getting eliminated each week takes me back to my first year studio. I start to thank all the lectures who gave us the harsh judgement, all the almost seem to be impossible tasks. It's lucky that we have the leisure to learn some of the basic knowledge in university rather than learning on the work-site. Reality is harsh and I don't think you will be given a second opportunity in real life work field. Therefore, it's much matter to have someone yielding at you in uni here rather than making mistake than can cost you your job, massive finical lost or even worst of all, a human life. Once again, all lectures that comment on my study journey, thank you!