Liam
Liam working on his project
Liam was interested in working on something relating to the use of computers. He was aware of problems associated with the use of laptop computers on desks; they can't get enough ventilation which means they can overheat and cause problems resulting in loss of data. He knew that they were poorly designed in terms of ergonomics and that users sometimes suffered from back, neck and wrist pain, due to the angle and height of the screen in relation to the user's eyes.
Liam's mother used her laptop daily, on a desk or her lap, and had suffered some of the identified problems so she became his design client.
He thought about using a stand which would keep the laptop elevated and therefore ventilated. However his research found that there were already too many of these on the market, so it wouldn't be worth competing.
Designs for the laptop stand modelled in Google SketchUp
Liam's next thought was that a lot of people use their laptops on their laps, when sitting in an easy chair or in bed, and that a stand for this could be useful. The sort of sculptured design he had in mind would allow the stand to fit nicely on a person's thighs. As far as he knew there was nothing else like this on the market so his original brief didn't need to change much.
Liam decided to use aluminium on the base as it is a heat absorber, and carbon fibre for the upright as it is lightweight but strong. He decided on a thin rubber surface on the base to prevent scratching the user's lap and provided a mouse pad to go with the stand.
Liam found the construction process a bit difficult – especially getting the stand square and installing the hinges, and had three attempts at moulding the perspex. He originally planned to construct the two bases from individual aluminium pieces which would have meant extensive welding so decided to cut out one sheet, which meant only two small pieces needed to be welded.
Liam's laptop stand
Liam's client evaluated his design and provided feedback on various aspects of the stand: height level for comfort working at a desk or on a lap, eye level height with the screen, convenience of mouse pad and ease of transportation.
Liam was pleased with the final design and reported that throughout the testing process the laptop remained cool and kept its optimum level of performance.
Liam is planning to study architecture in Auckland or Wellington.
"This subject is different because half the time is spent designing the project and the rest making it. That's how real industrial designers work and that's where it differs from other hands-on projects in the school." "You've got to have a good relationship with the teacher; they've got to know what they're talking about." "We're all mates really, we've all been in similar classes before and the Year 13s can give us tips from what they've picked up in their Year 12 class."
