Eleanor Nieman Portfolio

ELEANOR NIEMAN

Product Design Engineering (BEng) Student

Loughborough University

Product Design Portfolio

get to know eleanor

I am a Product Design Engineering student with a passion for making things functional and beautiful.

My Norwegian roots have fed my love for the Scandinavian design philosophy and fuelled my appreciation for products that exist in harmony with the user and their environment to enhance the way we live.

education

Currently studying Product Design Engineering BEng at Loughborough University (2022-Present)

First year result, 68%

A Levels at the King's School Canterbury (2019-2021)

Product Design (A*), Biology (A), Maths (B), Extended Project (A)

relevant work experience

Work at The Oak and Rope Company

CNC operator: writing files, setting up and operating the CNC router
Hand carver: hand carving letters onto bespoke items
Sales and customer service: building relationships with customers over the course of several interactions in order to secure large, bespoke, luxury orders with complex specifications

Present-day Skills

A strong background in product design and development
Knowledge of mechanical and manufacturing engineering, as well as ergonomics and usability
Conceptualizing, sketching, and rendering designs by hand and using CAD
Ability to work with a range of materials, from wood to metals to textiles
A keen eye for detail and a commitment to the making and designing of high quality products

period poverty project

eleanor nieman

Project Brief

"Design a product to make the uncomfortable comfortable"

Design Mission Statement

To create product to help with period poverty for people in refugee camps by making the use of reusable menstrual cups a viable option by providing a discreet, easy means to sterilise them, through the use of UV-C radiation.

Project grade: 84%

period poverty project

eleanor nieman

Communication

Looking into the commercial viability of LILY, I designed a logo, and explored how the product could be distributed to woman in need, whilst still being a viable product.

period poverty project

eleanor nieman

Communication

Rendered images done using NX 12 showing LILY in use.

period poverty project

eleanor nieman

Communication

Exploded view showing all the components of the product.

period poverty project

eleanor nieman

Development

Page showing some of the initial development behind the form of the product. This was later refined using anthropometrics and technical requirements.

Designing for manufacture was an important consideration

"under the sea" conceptual design

eleanor nieman

Project Brief

A group project to design a concept for a product to be used by people living in an underwater dome habitat.

Problem

Poor air quality due to an enclosed habitat.

Unhealthy: poor circulation can encourage the spread of viruses and bacteria.

Unpleasant: can lead to a smelly, stuffy environment.

Project grade: 78%

Final concept drawing

"under the sea" conceptual design

eleanor nieman

Iterations

Here are some of my initial design concepts.

We were focused on designing a product that could integrate seamlessly into the users home to improve their quality of life.

"under the sea" conceptual design

eleanor nieman

Development

We focused heavily on ensuring that all materials included in the product would be readily available in the underwater environment.

The main body of the final product was to be made out of Furolite, a bio composite made from seaweed.

We also ensured that the product would function correctly, providing a sufficient level of air filtration

Final Concept Communication

These sketches break down our final concept, showing how it would work and fit together.

It also shows a logo I designed to fit the product.

CAD visualisation project

eleanor nieman

Project Brief

To create 4 photorealistic images of a chosen product using NX 11.

Project grade: 76%

CAD visualisation project

eleanor nieman

Problem Solving

In order to achieve these final images, the challenges faced included initial modelling of the product, selecting appropriate backgrounds and materials, setting up the correct lighting, displaying the product in a range of different settings

A LEVEL PRODUCT DESIGN COURSEWORK

eleanor nieman

Context

Sustainable living can be difficult and expensive on a small scale.

Project Brief

This project aimed to reduce food waste in the home by educating young children about the value of their food through providing an easy, sustainable and hands on way for them to grow their own food in the home.

Project grade: A*

A LEVEL PRODUCT DESIGN COURSEWORK

eleanor nieman

https://www.businessinsider.com/mycoworks-2016-7?r=US&IR=T

Materials & Sustainability

To maximise sustainability the product was designed to be made out of mycelium using sawdust as the substrate.

A LEVEL PRODUCT DESIGN COURSEWORK

eleanor nieman

Development

Here are some initial concepts, as well as some development of my chosen concept.

HAND RENDERING PROJECT

eleanor nieman

Project Brief

To study a product and produce a range of types of drawings from the chosen product.

I chose a set of headphones.

Final fully rendered perspective drawing using alcohol markers and fine liners.

Guidelines for, and the final version of my perspective line drawing.

Storyboard

I drew upon my own experience to highlight the key features of this interaction.

Project grade: 78%

HAND RENDERING commission

eleanor nieman

Task

To draw up site design concepts for a potential new café location to be shown in planning meetings.

This required communication with the client in order to ensure that the drawings were exactly as they wanted

View from carpark to front entrance of site

Site plan

View of entrance gate

View of dog groomers room in a 'Shepard's Hut'

MANUFACTURING EXPERIENCE

eleanor nieman

AIR ENGINE GROUP PROJECT

Manufacture of the manifold, flywheel, backplate and baseplate components of this air engine.

This required reading engineering drawings, and then using a lathe and milling machine to manufacture these components within tolerance,

PROBLEM SOLVING:

After quality control checks, I also remade another component, the threaded pin, as I found that it was not within tolerance.

MANUFACTURING EXPERIENCE

eleanor nieman

Design and manufacture of an aluminium bridge model made from sheet metal that held 73kg

Woodwork and rope work for The Oak and Rope Company, making a number of products including swings and doorstops.

MANUFACTURING EXPERIENCE

eleanor nieman

Design and manufacture of my GCSE DT project using steel and MDF.

This product won my year's DT prize.

Manufacture of a lamp for project.

Design and manufacture of the base using CAD and a CNC router.

Hand turning of metal fixings.

Lamination and painting of the neck.

Wiring of the electronics.

ongoing project:

CAD model done by Josh DeCaux, rendering done by me on Siemens NX

Logo designed by me on Canva

Our first functional prototype, using toilet brush heads, cardboard, duct tape and a dustpan, powered using a drill.

DIY Project: 'magpie'

(group project)

Mission Statement

To design and make a product to reduce the unnecessary waste of reusable components after a DIY task, through the simultaneous clean up and organisation of mess.