Camilla Laing
I’m a product designer who loves working on challenging problems. I believe to keep improving we must accept continuous learning so I’ve built a skillset for analysing and understanding subjects that I have no expertise in to provide businesses a fresh perspective (I’m not afraid to admit I know nothing about a subject). This allows me to present user-centred designs to improve a range of industries and use my engineering knowledge to work through complex calculations from the bottom up. So far I’ve designed within pharmaceutical, artificial intelligence, environmental and construction industries. Working to bridge the gaps between fields of expertise with a love for building productive, efficient and enthusiastic teams is why I’m aspiring to become a Product Manager.
In 2023, I designed ‘High ‘N’ Dry’ as my Final Year Project. High ‘N’ Dry is a clothes-drying product and although it can be used in a range of accommodations, it’s been designed specifically for people living in flats.
High ‘N’ Dry
What’s the need?
High ‘N’ Dry is a clothes-drying product designed for people living in a range of accommodation but most specifically for those living in flats. These users often have no outdoor space to dry washing and because the accommodation is usually rented, landlords will ban residents from making fixings into the flat’s walls and ceilings. This means residents in flats must resort to drying their clothes indoors and are unable to use clothes pulleys (which are very useful and efficient) because they must be screwed into the ceiling and walls.
Because of these constraints, many residents employ the use of a clothes horse which have numerous issues. People living in flats also have limited floor space so a bulky clothes horse isn’t the best. They also struggle to dry clothes without turning up the heating because there’s too many clothes overlapping each other on the clothes horse. Additionally, clothes are drying at waist height which is less efficient than drying clothes at ceiling height where warm air naturally rises to. They also have no place to hang large items such as bedding, such large items completely cover clothes horses and trail on the floor. Without a product designed for these users, laundry take days to dry and ends up smelling from dampness.
Therefore, High ‘N’ Dry is an indoor clothes-drying product designed to have no fixings and dry clothes efficiently by using naturally rising warm air at ceiling height. Additionally, this product uses a small amount of floor space, uses zero energy, gives plenty space between items to ensure proper drying and provides enough space to hang large items such as bedding.
Unique Selling Points
Understanding the user group through interviews and prototypes, some key points for a drying product stood out:
1. No fixings required
Uses tension to hold product between the floor and ceiling
2. Indoor Use
Additional tubing for a range of ceiling heights between 2.2 and 2.8 metres
3. Uses Natural Heat
Elevates clothes up to ceiling height where warm air naturally accumulates
4. Space Effective
Vertically stacks clothing in levels which rotate around a central pole to prevent overlapping and reduce floor space usage
5. Large Capacity
Each arm can hold 5 hangers and provides enough space to hold large items such as bedding and towels
