TimeTabby

The Problem

Household items like kitchen timers often lack personality, making them mundane and forgettable. There’s an opportunity to transform these everyday objects into something that brings joy and delight.

The Solution

TimeTabby aims to inject personality into a common kitchen tool, turning an ordinary timer into a delightful companion in the kitchen.

Discovery

Secondary Research

I began by exploring existing kitchen timer designs, analyzing their form, function, and user interaction. I noticed that while most timers were functional, they lacked a playful element that could make them more appealing. I defined the project goal as creating a kitchen timer that not only served its purpose but also added a touch of joy to the cooking experience.

Define

Storyboard

I sketched a storyboard to define what I would need to model in Rhino and animate in Keyshot. This storyboard helped me to plan the work, which was crucial due to long rendering times.

Develop

Modeling

I modeled the design in Rhino3D, carefully replicating the internal mechanisms of a kitchen timer to ensure functionality.

Animation

I animated the shots in Keyshot, according to my initial storyboard.

Key Insight

I learned persistence and patience during this portion. Animation is new to me, and I gained a new appreciation for every piece of animation I saw moving forward. The rendering times were long, but I pushed through, which was a valuable experience.

Editing

I taught myself Premiere Pro in order to add as much professionalism as possible. The music choice took a long time, as I wanted to inject the animation with as much energy and personality as possible. I made sure to edit the clips I'd animated to the beat to maximize this energy.

Insights

Film is a fantastic medium.

I discovered a passion for product animation and film work. Despite being new to this medium, I found it to be an incredibly effective way to present my designs. Moving forward, I plan to create more videos like this to highlight my work, as it adds a dynamic dimension to product design that static images alone cannot achieve.

Personality is a trademark of my designs.

This experience also reinforced the importance of injecting personality into everyday objects, a principle I’ll continue to explore in future projects. I loved how TimeTabby made the audience feel something, and that's always my design M.O.