When Elpitha Tsoutsounakis, assistant professor in the U’s multi-disciplinary program, asked students to design a toy for a user of their choice, most students chose human subjects. Jilea Fobair, a junior in pre-multidisciplinary design, chose a dog.
“She was really designing for two users,” Tsoutsounakis said, “the dog as the primary user and the dog’s human companion, who would also interact with the product.”
Fobair’s product, a toy capable of withstanding five medium-to-large-sized canines, focuses on eliciting dogs’ instinctual curiosity.
“For me, choosing to create a dog toy had to do with more than just designing a toy,” Fobair said. “It was the idea that I could design an experience with a user that I knew I would love to connect with.”
Tsoutsounakis offered critiques on Fobair’s progress during class and helped her to increase the durability of her product. Other students and instructors within the department offered guidance and feedback crucial to the final product — Fobair progressed through seven different prototypes before arriving at the finished one.
“I am proud to say that besides some spit and dirt, the toy still looks brand new,” she said.
Though Tsoutsounakis thinks the dog toy was successful enough to “be viable in the market,” Fobair does not plan on pursuing it as a business venture. She believes there is still work to be done on it to make it market-ready and would prefer to continue with her academic career instead.
“Right now, I am satisfied with keeping the toy on the shelf,” she said. “I’m just getting started in design, and honestly I’m not quite sure where my place in this community is.”
Fobair may return to the product once she is more established in her design career, but first she intends to see where the program takes her. The project served to convince Fobair of her abilities.
@sarahnlegg