SMACK - smack hard and bring smile to your face

Yoyo, a tradition at PHOENIX Design since 1987, is a week-long offboarding project where interns apply what they've learned. I drew inspiration from the vinyl industry’s use of the phenakistoscope and arcade games to develop SMACK, a project designed to bring joy to its players.

Time

Fall 2024

Skill

Woodwork

Arduino UNO

Lighting Design

01

Showcase

To interact with SMACK, the user must smash the squishable hard enough to trigger the winning state lighting. The motor then rotates at full speed, making the animation visible.

02

Ideate

Given that I had only a week to explore, create, and present my final product to the team, I approached it from two angles: first, interpreting the three keywords, and second, identifying the form or medium worth dedicating a week to. I then combined these intentions to shape my final product.

The keywords that guided my project's development are:

Sports

&

Yoyo

• is the thing that orbit around

• is a form of balance

• is the toy that helped me make • friends and cheered me up

&

Interest

topic I hope to explore in one week & reflect my learning at PHOENIX

03

Define

By defining my motivation and goals, I decide to make something that can:

interesting enough for me to explore

The Phenakistoscope has captured my interest, particularly due to its application in the vinyl industry. I aim to explore the mechanism that laid the groundwork for modern motion pictures.

cheer people up

Agency work often brings heavy workloads and client emotions. My project aims to address these challenges and uplift spirits.

Something playful to interact with, even in an office setting.

be enjoyable

reflect my learning at PHOENIX

Xiaomi speaker's lighting prototype for PHOENIX's marketing narrative

AIGC graphics with UI design to quickly visualize the concept

04

Process

By defining my motivation and goals, I decide to make something that can:

01.trial

I used a screwdriver to test if different graphic loops on the same disc would be visible to the human eye at the same orbiting speed

my selfies modified by AI tools, then animated into GIF sequence by PIKA

02. prototype

I developed a minimal viable prototype using a motor and FSR sensor to ensure the disc rotated fast enough for the animation to be visible.

Next, I did some woodworking for the exterior design.

03. adjustment

Tested the effect of different lighting designs on the box cover

Adjusted the motor speed for different disc sizes to achieve optimal animation

05

Component

What is inside the box?

Appreciate the Scroll!