Redesigning

highlight pen

Tsz Chung Lau (Caelum)

Redesigned
Highlight pen
- Designing with
considerable ideas
- Building up the
prototype in 3D
modeling
- Showing the preview of
the product
- Sustainable modification
 Designated Tasks
Layout and Analysis
● Ideation and Research
● Analysis on Marketing
Redesign the product
● Analysis on the elements of the design
● Making decision with design principles
Drafting
● Design procedure
Data
● Anthropometry and quantitative
 Contents
Contents will be presented in four different areas.
1. Analysis
2. Design and Improvement
3. Procedure
4. Anthropometric data
Fundamental Principles of Interaction
AFFORDANCES
SIGNIFIERS
CONSTRAINTS
CONCEPTUAL MODEL
FEEDBACK
MAPPINGS
 Analysis
The modern highlight pen design
Despite there is a huge of technological developments and
a lot of changing on the highlight pen design, it still serve
our daily notes and fast marks for the convenience. The
primary use of highlight pen is to give a quick mark to the
information or data for the record which leaves us a
effective contact to our memories.
However, most of the designs are still kept as the shape of
antetype as similar as a pen. It is useful in the office but it
can cause the trouble when users need to carry them
outside and use the different options of colored marks. As
the picture depicted, the color options are separated in
different individual which might cause the problems on the
space and hand carry.
 AFFORDANCES
1. Pen Holder
● It is built for holding with stable use in different angles to
get the highlight work done.
2. Pen Cap
● The function of the cap is similar as a switch which
prevent it from the exposure to the air. Users need to
open it before the actual use of the product.
3. Pen Point
● Push it with pressure on the appropriate surface to get
the highlight work achieved.
Analysis
 SIGNIFIERS
1. Color Labels
● The different color labels show the options to the users.
2. Pen Cap Sign
● The sign for the pen cap is to get the users recognize
the switch faster and easier.
3. Brand Label
● Every brand has their own logo and label which make it
convinance to know what type and quality of products
they are.
Analysis
 CONSTRAINTS
1. Color Options
● One pen can be one color. Maxium amounts limited to
be two.
2. Pen Point Direction
● The pen point direction usually limited with thickness
and slope.

Analysis
 MAPPINGS
1. The Ink
● It is usually stored with a container and it provides the
main source to maintain the function.
2. The two side of caps
● The two side of caps are for holding the container with
ink in the middle which makes the pen the whole
system.

Analysis
 FEEDBACK
1. The Color Marks
● When a highlight pen works normally, the highlighted marks
should be shown on the surface .
2. The Value
● The ink affects the result of the color value which contact the
sense of our memory about the amount of the ink.
3. The Ink Container
● As the ink store in the container, it shows how much the ink
left.

Analysis
Highlight tool
The redesign of this highlight pen product is aimed to be more convenience and effective to
use. The solution is basically built to minimize the weight and change the way to carry the
numbers of the product. We recongize that the number of unlinked tool weaken the
extensive use and effectiveness because of the difficulties of carrying which makes it a
studio tool. It would be hard to bring multiple colors to mark notes outside. Therefore, we
set up a goal to get the user experience in a smooth status with a wider possibilities in use
and faster speed. It pursues a connection to our daily life record.
Besides, we also gave a thought about the sustainable and continuous use for the product
while it is more appropriate to the demand of the market and the structure of mapping. We
chose to provide a replaceable choice for the ink container part to strengthen the
practicality.

Design and Improvement

 CONCEPT
Easier to carry
Replaceable option
Light weight
Color choices
Light touch to use

Design and Improvement

 AFFORDANCES
1. Basic functions to current highlight tools
● Components of highlight pen.
2. Considerable Pen Holder
● Designing with a triangular shape and push the
thickness to extreme thin.
3. Fastener design
● The button attaches the color options to the connecting
panel.

Design and Improvement

 SIGNIFIERS
1. Color Labels
● There are two labels to show the color information and avoid
the chaos.
2. Pen Cap Sign
● The main cap is designed in a grey transparent glass in
order to distinguish where is the switch, and there is also a
sign at the tail to point out the position to replace ink.
3. Brand Label
● The brand is my signature and also a mark to the product.
Design and Improvement
 CONSTRAINTS
1. Fixed Pen Cap
● All the pen caps are linked by the fastener button. It
guides the user to reset the position of all the highlight
tools after using them.
2. Ink Container
● The position of the link container is a fixed position so
that user can place it correctly without confusion.

Design and Improvement

 MAPPINGS
1. Replaceable Ink
● It is usually stored with a container and it provides the main
source to maintain the function.
2. Mobility
● The Fastener button makes the function of moving the tools in 360
degree rotation.
3. Highlight tool components
● Basic components such as pen cap, holder, point and ink
construct a system. The design is considered with different
varieties in each. Shapes, stablizer and functions made it unique.

Design and Improvement

 FEEDBACK
1. The Extreme thin size of thickness
● The thin thickness makes the possibilities to expand and
store.
2. The Rotation
● Rotating the tools around center point which shows the color
options clearly.
3. The Ink
● The ink container can be attached into the plug-in inside the
pen and the user can feel the trigger.

Design and Improvement

 CONCEPTUAL MODEL

Designing with a rotation

fan concept is to make it
easier to expand from a
small size of hand carry
cube. It is effective to have
color options and
convenience to keep it with
person outside for notes.

Design and Improvement

 PROCEDURE
3D Procedure
For the design
process, we choose
to design the
highlighter in
Blender which is a
efficient 3D tool, so
that the preview
and concept are
easier to show.
 START WITH SCRATCH

Procedure
 BASIC FORM

Procedure
 SHADING

Procedure
 TEXTURING

Procedure
 FINAL OUTCOME

Procedure
 APPLYING DATA

After researching the current design

and the data of highlight tool, it is
found that the grip diameter and the
length of thumb from fingertip to root
digit contain the significant affections
to the user experience. There are
different types of tool in the marking
with the fixed number of different
dimensions which causes the
insufficiency. For our design, we aim
to reduce the inconvenience and
improve the comfortability.
 GRIP DIAMETER

Applying Anthropometric data

 USING EXPERIENCE
Thickness and Form
We choose to reduce the
thickness to about 2.5mm.
When the thickness comes to
this thin, this covers all range
of users because of the
change of holding approach.
The purlicue becomes the
support point and the grip
pressure hold with stability.

Applying Anthropometric data

 THUMB LENGTH

Applying Anthropometric data

 APPLYING DATA
Since our product is designed
to focus on the use of grip
pressure. Therefore, it does
not need to have extra length
to increase the space area
while it become difficult to
hold and push pressure at the
tail. Therefore, the total
length of the highlighter is set
at 110.
It is separated in four areas to
use. Normal area is about
70mm. The green area is
about 15mm. The orange area
is 10mm and the red area is
5mm.

Applying Anthropometric data

 APPLYING DATA

It can be found that the holding approach is changed because of the design. The
redesign of form and shape make the possibility to use the highlighter with more
focus on grip pressure, and it expands the limitation of the grip space issue.

Applying Anthropometric data

 CITED WORK
● Norman, Donald A. The Design of Everyday Things. 1988. Massachusetts, Mit Press, 2013.
● Bridger, R S. Introduction to Human Factors and Ergonomics. Boca Raton, Fl, Crc Press, Taylor &
Francis Group, 2018.
● Mostaghaci, Mehrdad. Anthropometric Hand Dimensions in a Population of Iranian Male
Workers in 2012 - Scientific Figure on ResearchGate,
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Comparison-of-M-SD-hand-dimensions-mm-between-ri
ght-and-left-hands_tbl1_286964087

Picture reference
https://www.jennibick.com/products/zebra-mildliner-highlighter-pens
https://www.jetpens.com/blog/The-Best-Highlighter-Pens/pt/606