Amanda-Kante Cham
Product Engineering and Sustainability
About Me
I am a product development engineer based in Stockholm, originally hailing from Rättvik, Dalara. I have collaborated with both small businesses and large enterprises on projects of diverse scales and complexities. I possess a strong enthusiasm for development projects and I have a passion for sustainability and user centric design. Beyond my professional life, I find joy in cooking, painting, making jewelry and immersing myself in the beauty of nature.
EDUCATION AND ExperienceS
MSc. SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY
KTH, Royal Institute of Technology
(2020-2022)
BSc. DESIGN AND PRODUCT ENGINEERING
KTH, Royal Institute of Technology
(2014-2018)
ENGINEERING CONSULTANT
Scania
(2022-Present)
MASTER THESIS PROJECT
Teenage Engineering AB
(2022)
AFTER SALES AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Teenage Engineering AB
(2018-2021)
AMPLIFIED MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Spotify
(2020)
Things I have Done
The next section presents samples, illustrating my past work. These projects aim to visually provide an overview of my experience in product development, project management, user research, and sustainability practices.
User Research Project
Waste management is a critical component of urban sustainability and the establishment of a circular economy. In this context, the process of waste separation at its source presents a compelling domain for research and analysis. This research project concentrated on identifying and addressing the central challenges associated with waste sorting at source within student accommodations in Stockholm. Leveraging my proficiency in user research, this study contained surveys and data analyses to pinpoint the primary issues. These findings formed the cornerstone for developing solution models and prototypes.
DESIGN PROCESS
Literature Review
User Survey
Stakeholder Interviews
Data Analysis
Prototyping
USER RESEARCH
A user survey was crafted to address key challenges faced by students residing in accommodations across Stockholm. Additionally, interviews with representatives from student housings provided insights from a landlord's perspective.
The findings, derived from 130 survey responses and interviews, revealed that 80% emphasized the importance of household waste sorting.
48% of the participants faced challenges in sorting their household waste due to language barriers, unclear bin labeling, and insufficient information on packaging and waste disposal in their living spaces.
SOLUTION MODEL
A comprehensive guide that equips tenants with information, complemented by visual aids and real-world examples, to help them sort waste into different categories.
EcoDesign Project
This research aimed to bridge the gap between theory and practice by applying established EcoDesign principles to a furniture product. I collaborated with Teenage Engineering, specifically analyzing one desk along with its packaging. Through interviews, I gained insights from the designer's and product manager’s perspectives. Additionally, I conducted a comparative life cycle assessment, comparing the original desk design to my proposed redesign.
DESIGN PROCESS
Literature Review
Case Analysis
Data Collection
EcoDesign Integration
LCA
Analysis
CASE DESCRIPTION
Within Teenage Engineering, creativity thrives through iterative and explorative processes, unbounded by limitations. Originating predominantly from internal ideation rather than external influences, the design ethos focuses on crafting niche products tailored to specific customer segments. My collaboration aimed to infuse EcoDesign strategies, providing a designer's perspective and exploring whether comprehensive EcoDesign guidelines could yield a product proposal with enhanced environmental performance.
THE DESK
The designer of the desk under study, elucidates that the concept of the desk evolved in response to employees pinpointing specific needs in their workspace. Notably, whenever an in-house test or workstation was required, the staff had to devise a tailored solution from the ground up. Subsequently, a sturdy desk with a modular structure was crafted to adeptly address diverse needs and situations.
DATA COLLECTION AND MATERIAL FLOW
The product system was modeled using primary data collected directly from Teenage Engineering and its suppliers. Information sourced from Environmental Product Declarations, worksheets, and direct correspondence with company representatives formed case-specific datasets. I then used these details to structure a material flow analysis, visualizing the desk's materials, manufacturing processes, transports, and packaging.
ECODESIGN CHECKLIST
The EcoDesign Checklist by Hans Brezet and Caroline van Hemel begins with the module 'New Concept Development,' incorporating a needs analysis for the product's functions. The guide then poses questions targeting various life cycle stages of the product, each accompanied by suggested EcoDesign strategies. These strategies aim to enhance product design in stages such as production, distribution, utilization, recovery, and disposal. The environmental product profile quantifies the result, leading to the recommendation of evaluating the product or comparing the original design with a redesigned version. Additionally, it suggests validating checklist results using another tool or framework for a more nuanced understanding of the output data—Life Cycle Assessment, for example.
COMPARATIVE LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
I conducted a Life Cycle Assessment following ISO 14040 standards, comparing the environmental impact of an existing product with a redesigned EcoDesign Checklist-aligned version. The study aimed to assess design changes on the product's environmental impact and compare it with materials/design options, validating the potential usefulness of EcoDesign Checklist strategies for product design improvement.
Global Warming Potential
The results showed a 44% reduction in the global warming potential for the redesigned desk and 33% for the redesigned packaging.
Energy Footprint
The redesign achieved a 35% reduction in energy footprint, and the packaging saw a 9% decrease compared to the original design.
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