Design I Final Competition
Spring 2024WELCOME TO THE Product Redesign CHALLENGE
Welcome to the Spring 2024 Product Redesign Challenge! The top Cornerstone Design I teams (as picked in preliminary in-class competitions across 30 sections) showcased their final solutions and competed for prizes in an in-person digital poster pitch competition. The semester’s problem was “Personal, User Group, Community Product Redesign” where we were seeking opportunities to to make existing stuff more useful to more people and less wasteful. Consider opportunities to identify problems with currently available, in need, defunct, or in use products in any community or user group, be it in personal, local, regional, or global settings. With emphases on social dimensions of the problem and the socio-technical intersection, the brunt of solutions are technical in nature, but may touch on any technical field: electrical, mechanical, civil, environmental, computer science, chemical, geological, materials, mining, industrial, etc. (read the full Call For Proposals here).
Teams compete for cash prizes, including a special Subject Matter Expert Pick. Below you can see the grand prize winning teams as well as all of our finalists. Check out their poster presentations next to the team information below. For more information on Design I, click here.
THE WINNING TEAMS
1ST PLACE: Team Anything
Problem Statement: How can we incentivize Colorado residents to utilize public transportation (PT) more often?
Team Members: Bryce Jewell, Aaron Siegle, Yoshi Taitano, Jordan Lam, and Oscar Ambriz
Instructor: Jack Bringardner, Section L2
2ND PLACE: VACT
Problem Statement: How might we redesign at-home injections to be more user-friendly and less intimidating for kids aged 9-11?
Team Members: Asher McMahon, Chloe Russell, Tommy Medina, and Veronica Sherman
Instructor: Trish Littman, Section G2
3RD PLACE: Off The Walker
Problem Statement: How might we improve the user experience for those affected by walkers.
Team Members: Krishna Divakarla, Ava Osborne, Rob Laurie, and Ben McKnelly
Instructor: Michelle Fisher, Section I1
SME AWARD: !Sound Waves!
Problem Statement: How to practice the flute without disturbing others with the noise.
Team Members: Nevan Orozco, Cameron Johnson, Hannah Shaw, and Zachariah Gebhart
Instructor: Tony Vandenberge, Section D1
THE FINALISTS
Section A1
Team: Wheels on The Sky
Problem Statement: How might we reduce damage to wheelchairs, many of which are custom-made and cost thousands of dollars, during commercial air travel?
Members: Fatima Munoz, Mackenzie Marquis, Nicholas Ekedahl, Alex Zambrano, and Abdullah Zaatari
Professor: Cindy Athansiou
Section B1
Team: Brace Yourself
Problem Statement: How could the current style and function of the post-op knee braces be modified to create a more comfortable and more inclusive user experience?
Members: Taylor Allyn, Shaina Chan, Keira Garcia, Brooke Misner, and Colton Morris
Professor: Cindy Athanasiou
Section B2
Team: Spike Savers
Problem Statement: How to make track spikes more convenient to wear and store for athletes while simultaneously making track and field more accessible/affordable to people of lower socioeconomic statuses and lowering waste that results from the sport?
Members: Drew Ton, Athena Quesenberry, Nova Ptacek, Sam Murray, and Cate Owen
Professor: Garrett Erickson
Section C1
Team: Shush Works
Problem Statement: How might we decrease the noise pollution of kitchen appliances, in order to aid industrial kitchen workers by improving communications and decreasing long term hearing loss?
Members: Taher Haji, Ethan Cowen, Sebastian Muratore, and Luis Samour
Professor: Mirna Mattjik
Section C2
Team: Team Titan
Problem Statement: How might we analyze and design a process to extend the life and replace a Barnes Series SP33EHT sump pump that operates in a near 250 degree Fahrenheit environment.
Members: Andrew Hirst, Jacob Sasson, Jacob Dionne, Arlo Johnston, and Bryson Cunliffe
Professor: Garrett Erickson
Section D1
Team: !Sounds Waves!
Problem Statement: How to practice the flute without disturbing others with the noise.
Members: Nevan Orozco, Cameron Johnson, Hanna Shaw, and Zachariah Gebhart
Professor: Tony Vandenberge
Section D2
Team: Team Polar Bear
Problem Statement: How might we make the cooling pad transportable, multi-use, environmentally friendly, and cost effective? Existing cooling pads are expensive and either immobile and bulky or single use and not environmentally friendly.
Members: Andrew Orders, Joseph Racicot, Mason Richards, Brooke Vasuta, and Anita Zeerak
Professor: Garrett Erickson
Section E1
Team: The Hammerheads
Problem Statement: How might we improve an existing object or tool to help people challenged with impaired fine motor function be more self-reliant and efficient in their everyday lives?
Members: Valor Buck, Kaylyn Courtney, Will Estes, Manda Li, and Dan Start
Professor: Cara Juergensen
Section E2
Team: Team Hand Dryers
Problem Statement: How might we make electric hand dryers more sanitary? Hand dryers currently are very unsanitary to use due to the contaminated air of public restrooms.
Members: Dempsey Brinkman, Julia Delorenzo, Devyn Nguyen, Annie Manhart, and Ryan Herman
Professor: Megan Tidd
Section F1
Team: The Barbers
Problem Statement: How can we redesign a hair product or tool to reduce human harm and waste?
Members: Lilly Templeton, Lauren Guo, Jerry Dominguez, Alex Azzolina, and Seamus Lee
Professor: Cara Juergensen
Section F2
Team: Deep Freeze Design
Problem Statement: How can we design a system to keep hoses from freezing and make it accessible and user friendly?
Members: Rhiannon Tulloss, Ariana Linhardt, Jordan McKenna, Stefan Volk, and Sarah Thorsen
Professor: Mark Florida
Section G1
Team: The Tigers
Problem Statement: How can we design a system to prevent water from freezing inside the hoses, eliminate hose material and water waste, and make the system more efficient for labor workers?
Members: Evelyn Martinez, Mckenna Tulloss, Brandon Wu, Brynn Scherrer, and Zurin Trzaska
Professor: Mirna Mattjik
Section G2
Team: VACT
Problem Statement: How might we redesign at-home injections to be more user-friendly and less intimidating for kids aged 9-11?
Members: Asher McMahon, Chloe Russell, Tommy Medina, and Veronica Sherman
Professor: Trish Littman
Section H1
Team: Flower Power
Problem Statement: How can we improve the lives of those with shaky hands due to neurodengerative disease and help bring back a level of independence?
Members: Delaney Muro, Zachary Hoover, Nathan Hulvey, and Matthew Getchuis
Professor: Carlos Goncalves
Section I1
Team: Off The Walker
Problem Statement: How might we improve the user experience for those affected by walkers.
Members: Krishna Divakarla, Ava Osborne, Rob Lauria, and Ben McKnelly
Professor: Michelle Fisher
Section I2
Team: Sole-Seekers
Problem Statement: How can we improve the life-span of recreational shoes in sustainable way?
Members: Josh Best, Cavan McKeirnan, Ari Phillips, and Dawson Pulliam
Professor: Duncan Davis Hall
Section J1
Team: Retainer Revive Pro
Problem Statement: How can current retainer and invisalign cleaning and storing solutions be improved?
Members: Julian Garza-Jones, Malia Schara, Carter Sevier, Lucy Travis
Professor: Michelle Fisher
Section J2
Team: KFC
Problem Statement: How might we develop elementary students’ grip strength and motor control, in order to improve early motor skill development lost by excessive screen time?
Members: Lucas Hoke, Aspen Mellado, Ryan Krischke, Merra Khaddakar, and Ben Kolpa
Professor: Kate Youmans
Section K1
Team: Pointe of No Return
Problem Statement: How might we redesign the ballet shoe to be more durable and eco-friendly?
Members: Cole Benner, Lydia Saunders, Jake Holloway, Marc Kamradt, and Stephanie Murphy
Professor: Alina Handorean
Section K2
Team: Trail Blazers
Problem Statement: How might we improve outdoor recreation for snowboarders and reduce knee pain from unloading and flat area traversal?
Members: Griffin Rutherford, Sierra Felix, Thomas McCoy, Jessica Fahrney, and Madelyn Riley
Professor: Donna Bodeau
Section L1
Team: Boys in da Fume Hood
Problem Statement: How can we improve the general quality of fume hoods in chemistry labs to best utilize materials and make them accessible and convenient for everyone to use?
Members: Nathan Asato, Tabby Brand, Hamilton Ferguson, Thomas Melius, and Genevieve Morrison
Professor: Yosef Allam
Section L2
Team: Team Anything
Problem Statement: How can we incentivize Colorado residents to utilize public transportation (PT) more often?
Members: Bryce Jewell, Aaron Siegle, Yoshi Tatiana, Jordan Lam, and Oscar Ambriz
Professor: Jack Bringardner
Section M1
Team: Helluva Havocs
Problem Statement: How might we reduce furniture-related contributions to landfills in the U.S.?
Team Members: Aragorn Wang, David Lluna Alvarez, and Molly Browning
Instructor: Jack Bringardner
Section M2
Team: Pandora’s Suitcase
Problem Statement: How can we increase the durability of wheels and security of user’s belongings.
Members: Avi Aggarwal, Bella Gray, Diego Heredia, Josh Kempe, and Taylor McEnaney
Professor: Mike Davis
Section N1
Team: Avalanche Safety
Problem Statement: How might we increase the survival rate of a buried avalanche victim who typically dies of asphyxiation in 15 minutes?
Members: Marilynn Stephens, Cameron Coulter, Matthew Johnson, Luke Jennings, and Miguel Arreola-Hurtado
Professor: Tony Vandenberge
Section N2
Team: Freezer Geezers
Problem Statement: How can we improve the quality and usability of household ice from automatic ice makers?
Members: Dylan Fowers, Leah Maier, Madeline Molett, Derek Rael, and Ignacio Serrano
Professor: Mike Davis