Infinity Mirror Clock Final Report Part 2

I really liked the pace of this project.  Whenever I had enough free time I could devote hours to working on this project then set it aside for a while once my other classes started to require the majority of my time.  This down time gave me the opportunity to reflect on my current progress and figure out how to overcome the challenges I came across while I was working on it.  This process not only worked perfectly with my schedule but it also allowed me the necessary down time to reflect upon my progress and visualize how I wanted the final product to look and work.  This approach really helped me when I had to scrap my original idea which was to create a large rectangular infinity mirror with maybe a center piece in it.  Through unfortunate events turned fortunate I was able to come up with a project idea that I liked much more that had more potential and uniqueness.

I definitely ran into many challenges along the way with the different design but I think that makes a project much more valuable and significant when you have fantastic challenges that you can overcome to make something really amazing.  I plan on working on more infinity mirror projects and using the knowledge, skills, and equipment from this project and make the next ones progressively better.

So far the people that I have showed the clock to love it and some even asked if I could make them one.  When I told them how much it will cost to buy all the materials they responded with “um, probably not…”. So that is something I really want to improve upon is getting the cost down.  Granted, I do have quite a lot of extra material left that I can definitely use for the next project so that will help minimize the cost.  The one thing I don’t particularly like about my clock is the mirror on the clock face.  Because I used the mylar film it doesn’t have the same quality as a real mirror, but given the limitations working with the clock, I don’t think a real mirror would have been a feasible option.  That is just something I will have to keep in mind for my future projects when I start considering the direction I want to take them in.

Ultimately what I learned from this project is that working at a slower more flexible pace works best for me.  This includes the design process and the development of the project.  I like having the flexibility to work at my own pace and figure out the design as I go along.  I find I am much happier with the result when I do this and I don’t feel like I have to do something a certain way just to stick to the original design.

I really enjoyed all the lessons we learned throughout the semester.  It definitely gave me a different perspective when working on this project.  A specific example was when we briefly discussed in class how the human eye prefers curved edges rather than straight edges.  I definitely took this into consideration when I made my new design decision after scrapping the old one.  I think the other lessons we learned throughout the semester will really help me approach a design with that different perspective and consider the “theme” that it works best with and how people generally react to that theme.

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4 Comments. Leave new

  • Laura Bonney
    May 2, 2016 12:09 am

    Rachel, it was nice chatting with you at the Atlas Expo. You did a really nice job on your infinity clock. I like how the lights change color and the infinity aspect it all had. Nicely done.

    Reply
  • Joseph Yoshimura
    April 29, 2016 10:06 pm

    This was one of my favorite looking projects. The infinity aspect of it had an incredible effect to it. If you were to make more of these, so that you could buy the material in bulk rather than buying a little bit at a time, how much would it save? A lot of these projects ended up being more expensive than planned, but since so many people were interested in buying them, maybe it could be a side hobby if you could indeed lower the price. Overall, great job! I’m glad that you enjoyed this project so much.

    Reply
  • The mirror turned out nice! I can see how cutting mirror glass could be complicated, great work around! loved the demo music played with it too.

    Reply
  • Ryan Yankowsky
    April 27, 2016 12:47 pm

    Great work, like the final design, has a great depth of feel, and now that it’s wired to batteries, it can hang freely and act as a porthole to infinity. Love that it responds to music and changes colors. Do you plan on closing the back so it sits tight against the wall?

    Reply

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