Erin MacDonald

Wine By Design, Course: Design Optimization, 2004 - This 3-prong design of a portfolio of chardonnays for a hyptohetical winery investigated pricepoints/quantities, wine recipes, and bottle design. I used discrete choice survey analysis to match the shape of wine bottles with the flavors of the wine in the bottles, enhancing their semantic flavor messages. In the design optimization, pairing a wine flavor correctly with a bottle shape gave extra "'desirability" to the wine. Results are forthcoming in the Int. J. of Product Design.

Ambient Watt Monitor, Course: Analytical Product Development, 2004 - The color of the glowing frame changes as more electricity is used in the home, with more detailed information available on the inside of the frame. The frame can hold a picture that will inspire the family to conserve electricity and communicates wirelessly with four transmitters that are attached to the wall plugs of appliances. The device was part of an award-winning project entitled “AWARE@home” at the EPA's 2005 P3 awards in Washington, D.C. Designed with Josh Ravich.

Sunitizer, Course: Global Product Development, 2003 - The design and prototype of this solar-powered syringe sunitizer was created by a team with members in the countries of Germany, Korea, and the U.S. The main goal of the design project was to gain experience with the design collaboration in the emerging global design and manufacturing environment. In order to make the product viable in multiple economies, the sunitizer, could be configured for use in health clinics in sunny Ethiopia or as backpacking stove for sales in the western world.