Mod-stick
Individual | 7 Weeks | Focus: Design process
This project was done the first year at Umeå institute of Design and was aimed to design for the future mini-coordinate joystick to forest harvester machines.
The collaboration partner, Electrum AB, saw a need to move up more buttons from the control panel because the functions that the drivers needed to manage kept increasing. They wanted to see an innovative redesigned joystick with family resemblance to the old model.
HOW MIGHT WE REDESIGN THE CURRENT JOYSTICK TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE AND STILL HAVE THE DRIVERS AND MARKET IN MIND?
Problem definition:
Research:
Field research / Interviews / Desktop studies
The research is mainly based on a field research trip we had in the start of the project where we met two harvester drivers. During that day I got a big insight of what problems they meet and what drivers in general actually feel about the current joysticks. We also had an open discussion with the collaboration partner and did a sustainability- future- and market analysis of the current situation.
Harvester drivers
USERS:
BENCHMARK:
The future of joysticks
“ The preference on how many buttons it should be on a joystick varies by the drivers”
- Thomas Moström, Electrum AB
“ It’s hard to change malfunction buttons on the current joysticks ”
- Daniel Näslund, Harvester driver
Focus points:
After collecting information about the subject and picking out the problems I wanted to adress I made a functions list, a persona and a mood board. The three highlights from the function list are modular control system, the option to be as individualized as possible and circular economy. With this in mind I went over to sketching.
Modularity
Individualized
Circular economy
Exploration & Development:
I iterated the form by sketching in polyurethane foam, clay and 2D. I also did some button pattern experiments to investigate the possibilities regarding maximizing positions and numbers of buttons in one joystick. Afterwards I worked in CAD, Solidworks, and CNC-milled out the parts to start making the prototype of the final joystick.
Final concept:
Mod-stick
The modular joystick for harvester
The joystick is made to be quick to customize for the drivers when they switch vehicle during their workday and to make the repair of a broken button faster.
The drivers are provided with a starter kit so they can change around as they please. If the driver can’t repair a malfunction button they just send it back to Electrum, which will take care of them and send them back to the next customer. This makes the company-user-product a part of a circular economy.
