Collaboration • Functionality • Sustainability • Beauty

Kai Jaffe
Design Thinker
2009

As an industrial designer, my passions are:

• working with a team to uncover users’
unmet needs and translating them into
culturally relevant, useful product experiences.
• understanding a brand’s business strategy
and building the brand aesthetic into
successful market ready products
• implementing sustainable design solutions
into every product I design
 My Process: Designing with Respect
At every step along this team-oriented
product development process, I ask
questions to make sure the team is
considering: DESIGN
CHALLENGE

UNDERSTANDING
1• the person who will be
using the product IMPLEMENT
VISUALIZING
OBSERVATION SOURCING
2• the company that will be
manufacturing the product RESEARCH IDEATE
CONCEPT
MANUFACTURING
MERCHANDIZING
3• and how the product will
GENERATION
REFINE
effect the environment NEEDFINDING
EVALUATION EVALUATION

EVALUATION

AM
TE
In this way, the team can make
M
informed design and manufacturing TEA TEAM

decisions, ultimately creating a product

that is of benefit to the user, producer,
and planet

RESEARCH IDEATE REFINE IMPLEMENT

• where are the unrepresented
niches in the marketplace?
• what would be useful, usable,
and desirable for the user?
• how can we create a new
experience for the user?
• what are the end-of-life issues
we will need to consider?
• what is the whole system this
product will live within?
• what would be economically
viable for both the consumer and
the producer?
• are we solving the right
problem?
• how would nature design that?
• what are the end-of-life issues
for each concept?
• how can we make this design
more relevant, useful, and
needed?
• how can the design use energy
differently?
• can we lessen the part count,
eliminate the use of paint, and
simplify the manufacturing
process?
• do the material choices match
up with the end-of-life issues?
• can the design be manufac-
tured economically?
• which factory is the best to
make this product?
• how can we tell the right
product story to strengthen the
brand
• how can we lessen the
amount of packaging while still
furthering the brand message
Heron Lamp - Inspired by Nature
Little Footprint Lighting
In Progress
 IDEATE

Design Challenge:
Design a fun desk lamp for
both the home and work
environement that uses an
MR16 LED bulb and can be
manufactured locally using
post-consumer polypropyl-
ene

Looking to the natural world for

organic forms, the great blue
heron became the inspiration
for this lamp
 REFINE

Created a 100% scale model

and an 80% scale model for
the team to understand the
overall size of the lamp
 REFINE

Went through a lamp redesign

unifying the whole shape and
lessening the part count,
ultimatly bringing costs down

Final Models for Scale

Easy Spout Detergent Bottle
One-Handed Measure & Pour
Concept for Method Products
 RESEARCH

Design Challenge:
Create a detergent container
Margaret needs to be able to open and pour the detergent with one hand: someone can open, measure,
and pour with only one hand

Connie needs to be able to measure the detergent with one hand:

 IDEATE

Inspired by:
 REFINE

1 2 3 4

grab the easy pour bottle flip the cap open squeeze bottle and fill pour detergent into laundry
top to desired fill line
 REFINE

fill lines

easy flip-up cap

easy grip drip catch

twist top

replacement bottles can be

purchased without measured
squeeze top
 Community Seeds Project
Urban Agriculture Competition
Group Concept for IDSA Digging Deeper Competition
2009 FINALISTS
 IMPLEMENT

The Community Seeds Project’s

mission is to foster connection
with individuals, families, and
community groups to build a
culture of sustainable, prosper-
ous urban agriculture in San
Francisco. We are planting the
seeds of urban agriculture and
community for the participants
to discover how far they can
take it.

The Community Seeds Project is

the starting point to plant, grow,
build, connect, and share
community.
 RESEARCH

In our research, we found that a

larger number of people would
create and embrace community-
based agriculture if there were
more visible, straight forward,
simple tools, resources, and
technologies available
 IMPLEMENT

Community Website and

Subscription Service
•An inspirational and
educationally focused
community building website that
is focused on bringing people
together to share knowledge
and urban gardening resources,
as well as to support one
another in building urban
gardens, and connecting people
together face to face
• A seedling subscription
service individuals or groups
buy into in which they receive
an Urban Gardening Kit,
seasonal seedlings throughout
the year, and become part of a
local community club.
 IMPLEMENT

Urban Gardening Kit

• One locally sewn, soft planter
made from polyethylene sheets
recycled from local Bay Area
construction sites
• Four bamboo poles, for structure
and trellis support
• Handles for easy moving
• For superior drainage, the
planter has an inside perforated
sheet where the soil rests on and
a bottom opening for water to run
off.
• Ships flat
• The last special feature these
kits have is the ability to lock two
or more together into a larger
growing area.
Romantic and Modern Fondue
Williams-Sonoma
$500,000 in gross revenue for the one month of holiday sales
 RESEARCH
double
boiler

use

Design Challenge:
Create a fondue pot that does
not burn the chocolate, and
that produces an atmosphere
of romance while in use

industrial romantic

aesthetic aesthetic

the niche in the marketplace:

- romantic aesthetic
- functional double boiler

the previous year’s design

did not stand out in the
crowded marketplace

direct
flame

use
 IDEATE

since fondue originally came to the US in the mid ‘60s, I looked

towards the mid-century modern aesthetic--inspiration came
from this Georg Jensen salad bowl.
 REFINE

with feedback from the associates in

the stores, designed a larger bowl to
accommodate more than two people

Double Boiler

chocololate

water

tea candle

the double boiler ensures

the chocolate will not burn
 IMPLEMENT

the soft curves of the porcelain and

light play on the wall creates the
romantic atmosphere I was after

made over half a million

dollars for the month long
holiday season

worked with the factory to have

these slits hand cut while keeping
the first cost down
Designing for Production
Emile Henry for Williams-Sonoma
EH is a $5 million a year business for WS
 RESEARCH

Researched existing products in the market

Design Challenge:
Reinvigorate the Emile Henry
brand by creating a new line
of ruffled bakers and a deep
ruffled pie dish that can be
easily manufactured at the
bakers existing Emile Henry factory
opportunities
for the Emile
Henry brand

pie dishes

no ruffles ruffles deep ruffles

 IDEATE

Designed overall aesthetic

Looked towards classic
architectural details for
inspiration
 IMPLEMENT
Assessed manufacturability at the Emile Henry factory

Going to the factory in France

helped me understand their
production methods so I could
create timeless baker and pie
dish designs that fit into EH’s
existing production line

Created production-ready designs with model makers

Portable, Customizable, and Healthy Teen Snacks
Concept
 RESEARCH

Trends in the $61 Billion Snack Food Market:

natural/organic portability and food bars flavor blends

and healthy convenience with nuts

data from 2005, www.marketresearch.com

 RESEARCH

Colton Scott
Age 17
High School Junior

Design Challenge:
design a natural, portable,
Colton eats snack foods: and customizable snack food
with container to specifically
on the bus to school during breaks at school after school
fit into a teens schedule and
social interactions

For Colton, snacks need to be:

these needs match to the food trends

ready on his able to fit into his customizable portable, neat, exciting flavors healthy
schedule social interactions and clean
 IDEATE

Concept

1
on the bus to school

The next generation, made-to-order snack bite.

You choose the shell, the filling, and who to share it with!

1 2 3

Concept Properties:
 IDEATE

Concept

2
during breaks at school

energems
The all natural mix and match energy gum.
Create the ultimate recipes for you and your friends.

1 2

Concept Properties:
 IDEATE

Concept

3
after school

Power when you need it!

For that peanut pick-me-up, simply choose
your powerUP number and squeeze

1 2 3 4

Concept Properties:
Kai Jaffe
Design Thinker
c 2010

415-519-5777
kaijaffe@gmail.com
http://designwithrespect.blogspot.com/