Hank Womble: Industrial Design Portfolio

Hank Womble
Industrial Design Portfolio

Hi there!
My Name’s Hank
In May of 2017, I finished my Bachelors in Industrial Design
from Auburn University and now I’m looking for a new challenge.

Work
EXPERIENCE
Love thy neighborhood
2 Month Internship
louisville, ky
McWane center
2 Month Internship
Birmingham, AL
auburn christain fellowship
12 Month Internship
Auburn, AL

more about me
Auburn Christain Fellowship, Auburn, AL
Campus Ministry Intern – Fall 2017-May 2018
>
Developing relationships with freshman university students
to connect them to an inter-denominational Christian community.
Love Thy Neighborhood, Louisville, KY
Graphic Design Intern – Summer 2017
>
Designed marketing graphics and other communication tools for nonprofit
organizations in Louisville, KY
McWane Science Center, Birmingham, AL
Exhibit Design Intern – Summer 2016
>
Aided in designing current and future exhibits at McWane Science Center
in Birmingham, AL.
Grand Bohemian Hotel, Mountain Brook, AL
Valet – Summer 2016
>
Provided parking services while successfully interacting with hotel guests
and staff.

Honors
Lead Designer on Patent
CSP Technologies – Spring 2017
>
A design developed for CSP Technologies will be patented and potentially implemented.
Studio Award for Excellence
Auburn School of Industrial + Graphic Design – Fall 2015
>
Awarded for outstanding work in the development of the MentalBloc (see project profile below).
Honorable Mention
IHA Student Housewares Design Competition – Fall 2016
>
One of 10 honorable mentions awarded for “Shepard Basket” in the International Housewares
Association Design Competition (see project profile below).
Skills and Interests
Interpersonal
>
Positive Attitude, Team Collaboration, Strong Work Ethic, Good Listener.
Technical
>
Metal/Wood Work, Rapid Ideation, Adobe Illustrator, Indesign and Photoshop, Keyshot, SolidWorks.
Personal
>
Ultimate Frisbee, Tabletop Games, Mentoring Others, Art Projects, Camping.

Shepherd Basket
IHA Housewares Competition
“
Laundry
Hassle Free

the problem:
laundry baskets
>
Laundry baskets have been a fairly static invention throughout
the years without a serious innovation. Because of this,
many users who rely on these baskets to do laundry must
cope with the areas where current basket designs fail.
There is a serious potential for imprvement in the design
of the laundry basket
"Difficult getting through doors"
"Clothes fall out when I carry it"

Area of oppurtunity
Added security
carry convience
Optimized Shape
"I bang my knuckles..."

user
research
In a survey of 250 people, laundry doers gauge which
aspects of laundry doing they find most troublesome.
77% say that carrying
their laundry basket is
uncomfortable
Larger Capacity 18%
21%
Compactness
Organizational Sections 21%
Folded Clothes Security 9%
What features
do you want in
a laundry basket?
18%
Security of Contents
42% Comfortable Handles
Wheels 29%

asket
comparison
With this comparative study of popular basket styles, superior traits of
each will be found and applied to the new design.
Clothing Security
Carry Comfort
Capacity
Secures clothing with hinged
lid and vertical orientation
Open top with 14” walls to
prevent dropped clothing
10” walls will allow the most
dropped clothing
13” walls and circular figure
allows average clothing security
Can be easily rolled around
but stairs would be an issue
Round handles and mid-range
size makes it very easy to carry
Most handle options but wide
figure can be awkward to hold
No designated handle but has
a sharp plastic lip for carrying
Lowest capacity due to slender
figure and vertical orientation
High walls and square footprint
allows 1.5 bushels* storage
10” walls with a wide footprint
allows 1.25 bushels* storage
Round footprint and 13” walls
allows 1 bushel* storage
*Bushel: a measure of capacity equal to 64 US pints (equivalent to 35.2 liters),

sequence
of use
Pick up clothing.
A piece of clothing
falls out.
Pick it up
now/later?
Now
Prop basket to
free a hand.
Pick up dropped
clothing.
Later
It is time to wash
dirty clothes.
Pick up the laundry
basket full of dirties
and go upstairs.
Pick up the
clothing later.
Open Open the laundry the
laundry
room
room
door
door.
Put the basket down
next to the washer.
Put dirty clothes
in washer.
To open: put basket
down or not?
No
Prop basket,
open the door
and enter.
Yes
Put basket down.
Open door, pickup
basket and enter.
Critical Path Terminator Process Decision Interruption
The most direct way to finish a
process without interruption
A trigger that starts or
stops the flow of actions
Shows an action
(most common)
A split in the flow with
multiple ways to advance
Something that interrupts
the critical path

eakthrough: Opportunity:
1.) Users want a basket that is comfortable
to hold.
2.) There is no existing basket with high
capacity and simple clothing security.
3.) Most interruptions to the laundry process
involve the user needing a free hand while
carrying the basket.
To design a basket with
simple clothing security
+
comfortable one-handed operation
+
large carrying capacity

sketch
ideation
inspiration

Model
Development
A functioning model of the leading concept was created using an existing
laundry basket to test functionality and identify areas that need improvement.

live
Tests
The model was then used in live tests to validate the concept
and highlight areas of the design that need improvement.
1.) The basket is placed in a room and
filled with dirty laundry.
2.) User closes lid and picks basket up
as he would a normal basket.
3.) As the user approaches the door, he lets go with
one hand and reaches to open it.
Takeaways:
The new basket eliminates
obstacles to transporting laundry
and deviates very little from
familiar processes.
Areas needing improvement:
-One-handed carrying ease
3.) User reaches the laundry area and opens the lid.
All clothes are safely inside.
5.) User loads the washer with the
dirty clothes
-Grip comfort
-Communicating intended use

design
solution
15”
13”
7”
17”
19”
0.1” Wall Thickness
3° Draft Angle
(TYP)

B. Attachment Hardware:
A two-part attachment system
that secures the lid to the basket
while allowing it to swing and move
up and down.
A. Swinging Lid:
This piece is attached to
the basket and secures
clothing inside.
C. Shepherd Basket:
This 1.5 bushel laundry basket
includes tracks for the swinging
lid to move on.
Clothes are stored safely inside while
being used one or two handed.

REBOUND Binder
Cradle to Cradle Design Competition
“
specialized
for sustainability

the problem:
Cradle to grave
>
The current lifecycle of many products is disturbing: a consumer
will buy a product, use it and then throw it away which often means
it ends up in a landfill. This “cradle to grave” mindset is trashing the
earth’s natural resources and, as a designer, I think it is an opportunity
to make an impact. The aim of the “Re-Bound” is to provide a solution
to a commonly broken and trashed item made of environmentally
harmful materials such as PVC.
?
?
?
?
? ? ?
Cradle

design goals:
Recyclable
PVC FREE
Repairable
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
Grave

design
Solution
A molded plastic tab keeps the ring
module in place.
When replacing, the tab is disengaged
and the ring module slides from the
molded rail and free from the binder.

1 aluminium Aluminum has many strengths over it’s
competitor, steel. Aluminum is stronger
than steel per pound and is much more
easily resmelted and remanufactured.
Conventionally used for food and beverage
2 PETg
packaging, PETG Is a recyclable plastic that is
injection moldable and widely available from
recycling centers or food industry waste.

The improved
system
The finished product is packaged
and delivered to the user
2
1
Re-Bound Binider is manufactured
out of renuable materials

The user purchaces a new ring
module and replaces the old one
(which will be recycled) with it.
The binder is used
3
4b
4a
The user recycles the Re-Bound
Binder and the material components
are processed for new life

mental Bloc
Auburn Sponsored Studio
“
building
is learning

the problem:
Modern Toys
>
In the past, there weren’t an endless variety of toy figures
and noise-making gizmos for children. In fact, the concept
of buying toys is only about 200 years old. Before then, anything
could be a toy to a child. Today, child development
specialists agree that this open-ended play style is superior
to more straightforward toys. So why do we keep making
and giving plastic junk to our kids?
Benifits of old toys

Natural
Open Long Visually
ENDED Material LifeSpan Simple

design
process
Other open-ended toys provided inspiration for the ideation process.

Design origin

Play
time

Branding
& Packaging
>
The final stages of this project involved
product naming, logo development and
creation of packaging suitable to deliver
this toy to the consumer. These elements
must be cohesive with, and organic to, the
product itself.

Thanks!
hankwomble@gmail.com
(205) 413-0346