Hamieh 1

Bassel Hamieh
Doctor Kenneth William Bagley
Freshman Inquiry - Design and Society
26 October 2013
Universal Design Project
Idea List:
Touch screen drive through menus
Umbrellas that do not invert in the case of strong winds
Hookah hoses that are sturdy but malleable and stay in place
Stronger Lead for Mechanical Pencils
Trays that have finger holes to insert fingers into for better hold
A Poly Highlighter - Different colors all in one highlighter
A plastic protecting shield for laptops and desktops

Originally, I wanted to go through with the Touch Screen drive through idea, however as
the processes of my observations took flight, I began realizing that it would be too expensive
and take too much effort to utilize touch screen menus, therefore I switched to the highlighter
idea.
I ended up choosing the highlighter as my final problem statement because it was the
most practical one to do. I felt as if it is a popular problem with students as they take notes and it
actually motivates students from taking clear notes. Students tend to begin with the desire to take
great and thorough notes, however as they begin seeing the effort and time it takes to use
highlighters, their
notetaking begins to decrease in quality. From a personal standpoint, another reason why I chose
the highlighter idea, was because I always find myself struggling to switch highlighters and
keeping them from either falling off my desk, or invading my desk space.

Problem Statement:
Studying with highlighters can take too much time and effort as students cap and uncap
each individual highlighter.


Hamieh 2
Observations
For my observations plan, I decided to go to the Sunnyside Library at 7:30 pm when it is
the most busy with studious students to observe. I saw many people using highlighters,
especially to highlight key words and definitions in textbooks. They used individual highlighters
with different colors to highlight different types of concepts. Many of these students had the
standard five highlighter pack, which includes the colors blue, orange, purple, pink, and of
course yellow. I stopped many students in the middle of their studying and asked them if I could
take a picture of their work space. As shown in the pictures below, highlighters were scattered on
the students desks, preventing them from keeping things organized. Timing wise, having to
uncap and cap each individual highlighter while studying was very frustrating to the students,
they said.

*The images above are of two different students workspaces as they were using highlighters.
I also interviewed some of the students and asked them about highlighters and if they had
any problems while using them: I received the same response. They all agreed that it can become
a hassle to have all the different individual colored highlighters to use because it gets in the way
of focusing on studying as they try to uncap and cap all the highlighters and keep them out of the
way. I asked them how it could be better, and most of them said that if somehow at least three
colors were put into one single item would be very helpful.
To add on, from personal use, I can 100% agree with their comments. When I am writing
notes, it gets hard to do so efficiently when I am trying to use different highlighters, because of
the time wasted opening each one and putting it back and out of the way. Plus, having a poly-
highlighter would encourage students to stay extra organized with their notes since they can use
many colors easily while writing notes.

Hamieh 3
Pugh Matrix In-Depth Criteria
1. Aesthetics - In Order for the design to be sellable, it needs to look at the least proper and
neat. Going above and beyond and making it colorful is a plus too. If the design doesnt
have any color or catches the eye of consumers, its value drops.

2. Transition from Color to Color - Quicker and easier ways to use multiple colors to
highlight is the whole objective of the redesign. Therefore, the amount of time that it
takes to go from color to color is very important and needs to be taken into consideration.
The less time it takes, the better.

3. Longevity of Ink - How long the ink will last is also an important aspect in creating
highlighters. Smallers built designs will have a lower longevity and the larger ones will
last longer.

4. Perceptible Information - The product needs to be easy to understand in terms of using it.
If its functions are too hard to be understood by an average human being, than it is not
worth designing.

5. Tolerance for Error/ Durability - Both the individual highlighters and the poly-
highlighter that I will be designing would be tolerant of error. However, the designs with
the most intricate inner functions will have a lower tolerance for error percentage.

6. Low Physical Effort - Another important aspect of this design is how easy it is to use and
the effort it takes to highlight with different colors. Having less amounts of push buttons
will have less physical effort. Having too many buttons will make the product hard to
use.

7. Size and Space for Approach and Use - The less room the product will take, the more
desirable it is and the less think, the easier it is to use by hand. If the product is too large
to fit in an everyday pencil pouch, it is not going to be sellable.

8. Cost - The lower the cost, the more desirable it is for all types of students. As the price

Hamieh 4
goes up, the product will only be of interest of specific demographics, rather than a wider
audience.
Pugh Matrix Descriptions of Design Alternatives
The Flower Design (1):
This design alternative uses a simpler approach to result a poly-highlighter. Instead of
having to come up with new processes and functionalities for the highlighter, why not take the
already made design of a retractable marker, incorporate that into making a highlighter, and once
that is done, five different colored highlighters that were made with the simple design will be
put, glued, or fused together to make a colorful and thick poly-highlighter with a flower pattern
at the top. Therefore, a five in one thick item, that has five different retractable highlighters, will
result. The strongest feature of this item is the easy simple design idea and the straight forward
use of the highlighter.

The Thin Design (2):
For this design alternative, why not change the concept of the way a highlighter is built
and instead of having it be think, the highlighter can be thin, like a plat, in order to fit in a
smaller wholistic piece. This design will include two to four colors, meaning there will be two -
four different colored plates in one item. This highlighter will also use the retractable device to
push and bring in the plates, however in this design, the two plates will be controlled by one
retractable button. As the button is pushed, one colored marker comes out and as it is pushed
again that same color goes back in and then pressing it a third time will bring out the second
color. The strongest feature of this design will be how much thinner it will be, compared to all
the other designs.

The Hand Design (3):
For this design alternative, a set of five smaller highlighters will be made and fused
together. With this design, all five of the different colored polyester ink cartridges will be made
prior to assembly. When done, the five colors will be inserted into a case that has a hand shape.
Once that is done, the case is closed and the capes will be put on each individual highlighter
color. No retractable technology will be used in this design. The strongest feature of this design
is how cheap it would be to manufacture.

Hamieh 5

The Revolver Design (4):
This design alternative is based upon how a revolver gun works. Since my goal is to
make an item that include at least four, preferably five, different colored highlighters in one, a
revolver design would be the best fit for that. The functionality of this denigh will be based on a
retractable borron, however a rotator in the inside of the design will rotate each color in and out
of the opening of the plastic. This design, for easier manufacturing, will have two retractable
buttons, One to rotate the colors, and the other to push out and pull in the polyester tubes, which
are filled with the ink. The strongest feature of the design I believe is the revolver design.

The Mini - Three in One Design (5):
For this design alternative, a set of three smaller highlighters will be made and put
together. It is in a triangular shape because it is the easiest to do. The concept behind this is that
all three different colored, mini, highlighters will be made separately. This design will utilize the
traditional polyester reservoirs and the functionality of a regular highlighter. However, when the
three different highlighter colors are done and assembled, all three of the highlighters, with their
triangular caps, will be put into a triangular case. Once all three highlighters are in the case, the
other half of the case is put on top and is press shut. The strongest feature of this design is how
simple it is to make it. It probably is the cheapest design. No retractable technology will be used
in this design.













Hamieh 6




















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Final Design Sketch







Hamieh 7






















Final Design Description

The Poly Highlighter uses a one button system to utilize five different colored
highlighters quickly and efficiently. All the different systems that needed to be incorporated into
the design to make it technically work were difficult to put together. For the final design, I utilize
the Revolver Design Alternative (4) and the design of a regular everyday clicker pen, in order to
come up with the Poly-Highlighter. The final design is constructed from thick plastic to promote
ease of use, light weightedness, and simplicity. The next couple of sections will have a more in-
depth description of each different system and how it works with the other surrounding systems,
For a better visual understanding of how everything works, refer to the sketch on page 7.


Hamieh 8
The Technicality of the Clicker Pen System in the Final Design:
This first system for the clicker pen is composed of four different parts. The Push Button,
the follower, the Rotating system, and the teeth- the parts that interacted with each other to give
functionality to the Rotating System. The second system is the Spring system that givers pressure
the the first system and keeps the parts all together. The Push Button is placed on top of the
follower. Both have teeth that interlock, which are the mechanisms that keep the pen, or in this
case the highlighter, in place for use. On the inner-side of the casing of the Poly-Highlighter will
be another layer of teeth, that are shaped in a way that rotate the mechanisms and keep the
functionality of the Clicker System in works.

The Technicality of the Revolver System in the Final Design:
The idea that was taken away from the Revolver System was its shape and functionality.
The idea of having a compartments with holes in it that carry a variety of objects with the same
shape was perfect. However instead of taking the mechanical system that rotates the revolver, the
shape and concept away of it were utilized for the poly highlighter.. In addition to this system, a
latch was added which is rotated manually, however easily, by the user, in order to choose the
desired color. This latch, which is attached to the revolver system, will extrude out of the pen
through a horizontally rectangular hole, that allows the user to rotate the different colored
highlighters, freely, to the left or right, on a horizontal axes.
Additional Technical Systems and Parts in the Final Design:
The key to the mechanical functionality of the whole system of the Poly-Highlighter is
the pressure that comes from the spring at the tip of the highlighter. However, the spring system
was originally designed for a single pen, which created a dilemma. Because of the rotating
system and the multiple highlighter changing positions, the pressure from the spring will not
work well to help the Clicker Pen System, therefore a ring with a gap wide enough to let a single
polyester tube through, which attaches to the casing of the product, was added on. This ring will
act as a restrictor and sitting area for all the colored highlighters that are not in use, with the help
of extruding teeth that come out of the tubes and on to the ring.The gap that is left in the ring is
for the highlighter tube that is being used at that moment, to drop down and meet the spring, in
order to complete the functionality of the Clicker Pen System. The springs edge is slightly lower
than the ring in order to avoid objects getting caught on each other. The teeth that are attached to

Hamieh 9
each tube have a round bottom which help create a smooth transition from when the tube is being
rotated from the spring to the rings platform. They are simply transition tools.

How the Poly-Hilighters Features Satisfy the Design Criteria:
The final designs single push button system and its ability to use five different colored
highlighter makes it truly versatile and easy to use. Its polyester ink cartridges are full size
which give a lasting lifetime. The thick and hard plastic material that will be used will make this
product lightweight, durable, and best of all cheap. Mechanically, this product quickly and easily
transitions from color to color which is critical for its success. Its size is definitely larger than a
regular highlight, however it still takes up less space that having to carry 5 different highlighters.
This product will look like a overly large marker, that is multi colored, and round edged which
makes it pleasing to look at and sellable. In all this Poly-Highlighter, is easy to use, colorful,
very versatile, long lasting, and most importantly cheaper that an everyday 5 highlighter pack.