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Plugboards are essential in our daily routines. Yet, traditional designs often make desk messy and present certain inconveniences. This project seeks to innovate and introduce a more efficient plugboard design that dynamically adapts to user's charging habits of mobile devices and get rid of unnecessary cables on top of desk, enhancing user's cable management and overall experience.

 

This project was asked to adapt to the Japanese consumer product style.

This is an undergraduate team project, I was the lead designer, researcher and visualizer. 

The cable management problem
 

 

The wires connected to the sockets and electronic devices create such a messy desktop which sometimes makes people struggle or even get mad.

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Analysis - categorize devices
 

 

They can work by relying on their batteries, but they need to be charged frequently. need to be charged flexibly, and the cables are necessary for people to reach easily. When not being charged, the existence of cord is not necessary.

Frequently recharged mobile device
 

 

They have to be powered by a socket all the time, and there is no need to move them.  Since non-mobile devices stay still, there is no need to unplug them. Then, there is no need to reach their powerful and big adapters. 

Powerful desktop device
 

Process

Value proposition
 

Market research (2020)
 

 

A prevalent issue with current power boards is their inability to accommodate users' varying cord needs. Consequently, unused cords often clutter the desk, leading to organizational challenges and a messy desktop.