Twenty Third Year Industrial Design students from the Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture (FADA) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) were recognised at an exhibit sponsored by Festool at the Homemakers Expo Industrial Design Challenge, which took place at the Ticketpro Dome from the 23-26 February 2017. The students were required to undertake user and technical research in order to design a rechargeable Festool impact screwdriver/drill for household DIY and light-scale fabrication/workshop use.
The design approach had to carefully consider how people use handheld power tools for drilling, screwing, piloting, assembling and DIY’ing. Their rechargeable drill designs were required to innovatively push the boundaries of batteries, ergonomics and usability. In order to do this the students had to each work with a panel of user participants who assisted in providing feedback during the design process.
“All students involved in the project had their models on display. They were developed to suit the Festool brand whilst incorporating innovative technologies that are currently only available in the high-end Festool products,” said UJ’s Martin Bolton, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Industrial Design.
“This was a major project for the students as the design outcomes reflected empathy with the human interface of the product and showcased the students abilities to design complex forms aligned to the brand and the correct level of visual appeal to entice customers to purchase the products,” explained Mr Bolton.
The overall winner of the project was Kari De Villiers. Her prize included a cash prize as well as a top-of-the-range Festool cordless drill from Vermont Sales, South Africa’s Festool agent. Edmar Maree was runner-up, and Marcha Naude received third place. They both also received cash prizes as well as Festool cordless drills. Parents, friends and University management were among the guests that attended the Award ceremony and all the winners shared their pride in being associated with such a prestigious event.
“Mr Bolton put much effort into engaging industry for the final industrial design third year project in 2016. This is a perfect example for us how our students are able to meet the requirements of industry through their three years of undergraduate education”, highlighted Mr Angus Campbell, Head of the Department of Industrial Design.
“I salute each and every award recipient for doing UJ proud and inspiring greatness”, concluded Mr Bolton.
* The photos were provided by Homemakers Expo*
