LaunchPad PC

by Timothy James

Abstract

The electronics industry has consistently made design decisions to discourage users from repairing their own products, thus forcing complete replacement. A simple example would be if your smartphone stopped working right now. You might let out a disappointed sigh, knowing that you have to decide between purchasing an expensive new model or exploring the complicated road of getting it repaired. Even through it’s quite likely that only a single component has failed, empires have been built to force us into seeing ‘product failure’ as the reason for replacement and not repair. The vast majority of consumer electronic products for the masses are purposely designed to prevent users from diagnosing what part has failed and to integrate design decisions that make the repair process exclusive to those with specialised knowledge and tools. 

Custom built computers, however, remain a thriving pocket of the market where user-upgrading is embraced, as new video game and software releases often require a new part to function optimally. Custom built desktop computers were selected as a project focus because development could build upon pre-existing, robust modularity systems. This project involves the design of a desktop computer workstation as a vehicle to explore how to best support users to work through every step of the upgrade process, from choosing components and installation to ethical disposal.

Design Intent

The ‘LaunchPad’ PC enclosure explores how any consumer electronic product could be redesigned to invite the user to engage with the individual components that make up the system. As technology rapidly evolves and the average lifespan of an appliance decreases, we are becoming more concerned about the environmental consequences of purchasing products that are designed to be replaced rather than repaired. 

By presenting internal components in a “naked” enclosure, already existing modularity structures are revealed and communicated clearly to the user. The computer is redefined from being a locked box that is replaced in its entirety once every few years, to a growing, shifting organism, where some parts are changed more frequently while others might continue to function for many years. This concept applies particularly well in the field of desktop computers because there are already robust modularity standards in place. Some components can be replaced by a superior model as little as six months later, while other parts such as the power supply can see a computer through several generations of other components. 

The soft cover of the system redefines the computer as an approachable household appliance. The soft feeling of the fabric and colours help to differentiate the product from traditional desktop computers, which often look masculine and cold. The user can remove the softcover easily and take a peek inside at all of the components or use the machine without a cover at all. 

The ability to add a strap facilitates easy transport, but also encourages the user to see the desktop computer as an object that is not chained to a desk, but rather can be taken from place to place. Its high-performance parts are no longer locked in a heavy box below the desk but rather are free to go where the user goes. 

By adopting the design principle of using flat pieces and bolts, the LaunchPad becomes a viable candidate for an open system. By distributing design drawings and encouraging users to design their own parts, the computer can take on a new life after it has been customised. Users can develop superior parts that offer better performance or function to the original designs, and share their designs with other users. Those with laser-cutting hardware or 3D printers can download a new part and integrate it into their system to add a function or new capacity for more components. 

The construction from flat pieces and rods also benefits retail inventory in a massive way. Fully assembled computer cases are so large that any computer store can only ever have a few in stock at a time. With a ‘LaunchPad’ enclosure, the PC store could have many combinations of flat-packed, easy-to-store parts and simply assemble them into a full-size enclosure only when the customer has decided they want to buy a computer.

Bio

I am Timothy James, a Product Design Honours Student at the University of Technology Sydney. My deep relationships with products from a young age has helped me to understand the fundamentals of building lifelong, resilient product-user relationships. 

By inviting products into our homes, they become inherently personal. I throughly enjoy seeing people interact with my products and love to discuss how core interactions can be improved. I look back on products I’ve spent significant time with, like my brothers PlayStation 2 or the beige Apple Macintosh computers in my school class rooms with gratitude to them for bringing me so much enjoyment. 

Prior to my study in Product/Industrial Design, I maintained a YouTube channel called “Green Ham Gaming” that focused on restoration and upgrading older desktop computer hardware. This helped me to nurture a deep love for electronic products as well as a deeper understanding of how a user can become closely bonded with a product once they have began to engage with its maintenance and repair. My creative output often combines playful interactions with classic, subtle product design motifs like gentle curves, streamlining neatly arranged geometric shapes. The results are products that delight the senses while feeling at home in any surrounding.  

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