Abstract

This project was about designing an accessory for a company of my choice, and I chose Ikea. I delved into research about different Ikea collections and series that were online in October-November 2023, and Symfonisk came out the winner. It is a series based around disguising speakers around the house by making them take shape of inanimate objects such as picture frames, shelves etc.
I initially thought about designing another object to add to the collection, but decided against it when I saw the remote that was used for the smart systems (when a speaker was combined with a lamp, or multiple speakers were connected to create a smart home). I had a hunch that people would not be satisfied with this remote, so I made a simple purple foam model of it and surveyed the class, asking whether people would prefer a volume dial or separate buttons. The results were split down the middle, and so I decided to provide my product as an alternative - giving people the choice to choose a remote they would find more effective for the same price.
As I went about designing this remote, I put thought into its shape, the purpose of the buttons,
making it double sided for the separate light and sound aspects and even the clickability of the buttons. For this I tested a couple of different types of buttons - membrane switches, snap switches and finally the most common, push buttons. I decided to go for the push buttons since they were the most satisfactory and also easy to design into the 3D model due to their small size and overall simplicity. I then modeled and printed the remote, making sure to make snap fits for the dial for it to run smoothly. I put a lot of thought, time and effort into making sure the remote could disassemble and assemble with ease for the final presentation.