WORK ABOUT CONTACT

Optic engraving a large octopus design onto a plywood sheet

HARDWARE · PACKAGING · WEB

Rendyr

Optic is the first portable laser cutter with built-in filtration and infinite workspace capability. My work focused on getting it built and into people's hands: assembly documentation and process changes that took build time from over 30 hours to under 15, packaging, a custom brush accessory, and the maker projects that showed what it could do.

Illustration of the Optic portable laser cutter

Optic folding into its compact storage form

Portability

Switches easily between compact storage size and a generous 12 × 18 in base work area.

Smoke and fumes pulled through the built-in filter

Built-In Filtration

HEPA and high-activity carbon media capture laser-generated smoke and fumes as they're pulled through the filter.

Laser head moving freely in any direction

Infinite Workspace

Detach the cutting mat to work directly on surfaces of any size, aligning multi-part cuts in software.

WHERE I JUMPED IN

Funded, ordered, and not yet buildable at volume

I joined after the Kickstarter campaign closed. Optic was funded and over 300 units were on order, but the processes to build, document, pack, and ship them at that volume did not exist yet. That is the work below.

300+

OPTICS ORDERED

$738K

RAISED ON KICKSTARTER

MY ROLE

From assembly line to unboxing moment

Industrial Design Lead, 2022 to 2024

I care about how a product feels to everyone who touches it, including the people building it. At Rendyr, everything I worked on had eyes on three worlds at once: the user experience, scaling production, and marketing. So I treated the bench, the documentation, and the box as one experience: rewriting any step that fought the builder, drop-testing the packaging, and designing the first power-on moment. That is what took assembly from 30+ hours to under 15 and got 300+ Optics to their backers.

UX for the builders on the bench and the people unboxing at home

Scale: processes that could keep up as orders grew

Marketing that showed the Optic at its best

UX · BUILDERSSCALE

Led creation and editing of assembly documentation, cutting assembly time from 30+ hours to under 15.

UX · END USERS

Gathered user feedback and proposed design changes directly to the engineering team.

UX · END USERSSCALE

Established and managed the packaging department, from drop testing to the unboxing and power-on experience.

SCALE

Developed and optimized the manufacturing processes for in-house production of 300+ units.

MARKETING

Collaborated on the website UX/UI and led content projects that showed the Optic at its best.

DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING

Sophie assembling an Optic lower body at the production station

Early Production Builds

I learned every assembly process, then defined the build sequence and the consistency and accuracy tests that let us make more than one at a time. Space and system planning became part of the same job: the bench layout decided how fast a unit could move through it.

I treated the building experience as a UX problem of its own and pushed design and process changes wherever a step fought the person doing it, cutting tens of hours from assembly time and taking the frustration out of the steps that remained.

ASSEMBLY PROCESS

Heat forming

Using a heat gun to fold a 3D printed part to shape.

Board soldering

Soldering a PCB at the bench vise.

Hinge plate install

Installing the hinge plate that lets the upper body pivot.

Carriage mount

Bolting the laser module carriage to the linear rail.

Power button wiring

Soldering ribbon cable to the power button.

X-axis rail

Bolting the X-axis linear rail onto the upper body.

Comprehensive Assembly Documentation

As the business scaled, documentation became required to support the manufacturing process, preserve consistency, and record process changes along with tool and material requirements. I led the creation and editing of hundreds of pages of documentation, from laser diode focusing to soldering cables and boards to part installation.

Through design for manufacturing and process optimization, we took the assembly time of an Optic from over 30 hours to under 15 hours.

USER EXPERIENCE

User Profiles

Using customer feedback, industry research, and my own user experience, I strategized communications with current users and potential customers through customer support, social media engagement, and advertising. User profiles aided in decision making.

Allison

36 · Librarian · Lima, OH

"I'm a hobby maker with a busy life and a small home. I can't have a large machine that sits idle 90% of the month."

Daily life — Works at the local library, crafts custom wallets and keychains in her free time, visits her elderly mother in the evenings.

Needs — A machine she can iterate on quickly in leather, acrylic, and thin wood, then clear away.

Frustrations — Residue and debris on the cutting mat between runs; no space for a machine that stays out.

LASER EXPERIENCE

WHAT I DESIGNED

Fast cleanup between iterations led to the custom brush accessory.

Louis

42 · Craftsman · Burlington, VT

"Now it's a brilliant tool I've started using in client projects that looks good in use and when wrapped up to take up less space."

Daily life — Works on woodworking projects all day at his shop, comes home late to a family, cooks dinner.

Needs — Precise curvilinear repetition and stenciled guides into wood, with a tool that packs up like his others.

Frustrations — Bulky machines that take over the bench; setup steps that slow down paid work.

LASER EXPERIENCE

WHAT I DESIGNED

Taking it out and putting it away like a power tool shaped the packaging and storage.

Jason

28 · Web Developer · Seattle, WA

"I have never used a Laser Cutter but program was super easy to start playing with if you follow the videos."

Daily life — Works a full-time job during the day, takes public transportation home, lives in a small apartment, chats with friends.

Needs — Clear steps for a first project, and a machine he can pull out of the closet a few times a year.

Frustrations — Forgetting setup steps between long gaps in use; unclear focus and alignment.

LASER EXPERIENCE

WHAT I DESIGNED

First-time users like him drove the setup documentation and unboxing order.

Off the Shelf

Optic folds down small enough to live on a shelf and come out only when it's needed, which is exactly what someone like Allison needs from a laser cutter in a small home.

User Optic Project Journey

Using my own experience along with others, I mapped the process of beginning a new Optic project. This helped me identify pain points and strengths of using the Optic in comparison to other laser cutters. It aided project planning and customer advice, and informed the engineering team of areas of improvement.

SEAMLESS

FRICTION

PAIN POINT

SETTING UP OPTIC

PREPPING FOR PROJECT

SETTINGS TESTING

Clear Off Workspace

Open Optic

Clean Cutting Mat

Clean Laser Module

Place Scrap Material

Remove Shield & Prefilter

Check for Prefilter

Set Laser Module Height

Replace Shield

Check Support Wheel

Run Settings Tests

Locate a suitable place to run the Optic

Clear off the work area

Pull the Optic from storage

Set on table, power button facing you

Unwrap the cutting mat

Rotate upper body and set down

Wet a magic eraser

Wipe down with isopropyl wipe

Wipe down the mat

Use a paper towel to clean steel hinges

Release CAM lever and pull out the laser module

Blow out dust

Wipe exterior and bottom with isopropyl

Look for a dirty rectangle on the laser lens

Line up on the cutting mat, keeping desired orientation in mind

Pull from underneath the bottom lip to remove shield

Pull prefilter tab with fingers to remove

Assess if you want to use a prefilter

Determine if the prefilter needs cleaning

Loosen CAM lever so the module can slide

Identify the height gauge step to set to

Slide gauge under module, tighten at height

Hold module in place while tightening lever back down

Place shield with corners over the magnet holders

Ensure the shield is sitting correctly

Compare support wheel height to the upper body's left side

Use H3 key to adjust the support leg height

Check height by the support wheel; adjust as needed

Locate settings in the material library to start with

Informally test to refine quality

SMOOTH

TRICKY

PAIN POINTS

—Locating position to run the Optic

PAIN POINTS

—Upper body moves too freely (feels insecure)

—Hard to know which direction to maneuver it

PAIN POINTS

—Some residue is harder to remove completely

—Sponge is hard to use without water access and doesn't last long

PAIN POINTS

—Hard to view the lens inside the laser module

PAIN POINTS

—Knowing to line up with the center of the line, engravings, or edge

PAIN POINTS

—Hard to remove shield if there's material under the slot

PAIN POINTS

—Prefilter is difficult to fit in place

—Annoying to wait for it to dry before another project

PAIN POINTS

—Hard to access CAM lever without your arm blocking the view

—Hard to hold it flat while tightening

PAIN POINTS

—Sometimes the shield doesn't engage the shield switch

PAIN POINTS

—Height gauge's upper-body lip isn't always accurate to that Optic

PAIN POINTS

—Material library isn't obvious in the software

—Not easy to quickly learn without guidance

FIRST-RUN EXPERIENCE

Introducing Users to the Optic

We treated a new owner's first hours with the Optic as one curated experience: opening the box, the welcome envelope inside it, and a first project that confirms everything arrived working. The envelope is the first physical point of contact with a customer, and the first item they see when opening an Optic box.

1Custom branded envelope

2Getting Started Guide

3Order confirmation slip

4Sticker with logo

5Protective aluminum card

6Completed 'Hello World' benchmark

7Blank 'Hello World' project cards (×3)

PACKAGING

Custom Cutting Mat Brush

Designed with ergonomics and scalability in mind, the brush targets the steel hinges that let the Optic fold up. It clears debris from the hinges and is sized for exactly that part of the maintenance process.

Designed for the Print Bed

First iterations took up too much of the print bed and needed post-processing after printing. I explored magnets because that interaction is nice, but gluing them in simply took too much time. We landed on this design because six fit on one print bed, and the sliding back piece that holds the replaceable scouring pad needs no post-print process or assembly.

BRUSHES PER PRINT

Six cutting mat brushes laid out on a Prusa Mini print bed

The finished brush resting on a workbench beside a bottle of adhesive

Overview

The printed body with its replaceable scouring pad.

Side view of the brush held in hand showing the pad edge

Brush side

The scouring surface sits proud of the body for full contact.

Thumb sliding the end cap off the brush body

Releasing the end cap

A thumb push frees the slider that retains the pad.

End cap removed, held alongside the open brush body

End cap off

With the cap removed, the pad channel is open.

Worn scouring pad being slid out of the brush channel

Pad removal

The worn pad slides straight out of the channel.

Fresh scouring pad being fed back into the channel

Pad replacement

A fresh pad feeds in the same way.

End cap being pressed back onto the brush body

Closing up

The cap snaps back on and the brush is ready to use.

SHIPPING PREPARATION

Designing the Path to Unboxing

I designed the process of prepping Optics to ship. Every unit was tested before it left, so I carefully tightened bolts, cleaned each machine, and used protective paper and foam so that unboxing felt exciting and satisfying. I also created the packaging instructions and a packaging Bill of Materials, and redesigned some of the product stickers to fit the brand language.

Sophie cleaning a tested Optic at the packing bench, stacked shipping boxes behind her

Optics tested and ready to ship.

PROJECTS & INSPIRATION

PROJECTS AS RESEARCH

Inspiration That Taught Us the Product

I designed and built projects on the Optic that did double duty. They gave us content to showcase the product and, more importantly, inspiration to get people's creativity growing. Making them also taught us about the Optic itself:

—Where it shines, and where its limits are

—A second, more curated starter material kit for first-time users

—How often filters need to be changed

—What ongoing maintenance might look like

Project Content Gallery

I designed targeted content that highlights the benefits and applications of laser cutting technology, appealing to current users and potential customers.

Diversity

With e-commerce sales impending, not all materials and use cases had been investigated or displayed online, so I focused on a diverse variety of projects.

Highlights Optic

The Optic has several distinctive features, so I honed in on projects that either can only be done with the Optic or work particularly well with the machine.

Inspirational

I wanted my work to evoke curiosity and inspiration through unique designs that stand out online or are easily modifiable for users.

Octopus Coffee Table

30"x60" plywood coffee table engraving with hairpin legs

Acrylic Earrings

1/8" pink acrylic cut and engraved into stud earrings

Engraved Flask

Engraved teal flask (one of a set)

Hexagonal wooden wall clock with engraved numerals

Geometric Clock

Wall clock cut and engraved from 1/4" plywood

AirPods Case

Laser cut leather case with key ring and snap

Wedding Invitation

Cardstock invitation suite cut with a ginkgo leaf pattern

Engraved metal USB drives with icon labels

Engraved USB Drives

Anodized aluminum drives engraved with icon labels

Bottle Rack

Sparkling water rack made from spray painted 1/4" plywood and dowels

Resolutions Journal

Kraft cover journal engraved as a New Year's gift

Cornhole Boards

Full size boards engraved with a Virginia Tech crest

Jellyfish and squid designs engraved on denim

Engraved Denim

Jellyfish and squid designs engraved directly onto jeans

Ceramic Trinket Trays

Rocket and star motifs engraved through red glaze

Website Development

As fulfillment of Kickstarter orders neared completion, my focus transitioned to project development and web design. I initiated the homepage design by creating a foundational structure that integrated existing content and prioritized new additions. Based on user and competitor research, I supported the design of an intuitive, inspirational website. I also managed communications with our partnered marketing firm and participated in early marketing strategy meetings. My efforts then shifted to designing and implementing Optic projects that effectively highlight the machine's capabilities.

Sophie sketching homepage wireframes on large paper at the packing bench

A screen recording of the Optic website. I mocked up the pages in InDesign first, and the site was built on Shopify.

BRAND LANGUAGE

Sticker Redesigns

I redesigned the rating, tension, and filter labels to fit the brand language. Select one to see it larger.

SHIPPING PREPARATION

Prepping Each Optic to Ship

Select a step to see it larger.

PACKAGING VALIDATION

Drop Testing

To ensure the packaging design was sufficient for protecting the Optic during shipping, we completed drop and vibration testing. The Optic functioned after these tests, and the packaging was approved for use.

Packaged Optic dropping from the test rig onto the impact floor

A packaged Optic released from the drop rig.

Engineer running an Optic after a drop test to confirm it still works

Testing the Optic after a drop test to confirm it still runs normally.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX

Cleaning + Maintenance Kits

The brush ships in the box to complete the Cleaning Kit. I ordered parts and accessories and helped decide what went into the cleaning and maintenance kits. Their boxes fit the bottom cavity of the Optic box and carry on the brand language of simple recycled cardboard and simple labels, dimensioned to fill the box exactly.