Hello! My name is Alex Shook. I am from Las Vegas, NV, but I went to a boarding high school in New Hampshire for four years. I graduated in 2015 and decided to take a gap year, where I worked and traveled for three months. It was a really great experience. I am not sure my interests for a major. I really enjoy politics and love my political science class, but I want to take a bunch of things and see if something strikes me. I decided to take this course because it sounded really interesting. My roommate is taking an engineering class right now and really likes it, so I thought I would give it a shot. I have little to no experience with engineering, but am eager to learn.
When I think about a product with a compelling design, I think about my phone case. It is an OtterBox Commuter case with cardholder. The case is three layers, one made of rubber and two made of hard plastic. The interior is the rubber which cradles the phone and protects it from scratches. It also acts as a bumper along the screen to prevent cracks. The next layer is a hard plastic shell. It is the real protection of the phone and covers everything, leaving a space for the camera and charger ports. The last layer is the hard plastic cardholder. It snaps onto the other plastic layer and slides away from it. In between layers one and two is a space that can hold up to three credit cards. All in all, it is a pretty good design. The phone case is very protective and it holds my cards well. There is a chance for improvement in the cardholder glide. It catches and sometimes the cards themselves get caught farther up the case and are difficult to remove. Overall though, it serves its purpose successfully and is pretty to the eye. I find it an interesting product because it takes away the need to carry a wallet or purse. I can just grab my phone and go. In addition, the case is very durable. I have dropped it many, many times and my phone is still intact. I do like the way it looks. Although it is a little bulky, it is sleek and non-assuming, which I prefer. The size of it is reassuring and fits in my hand well. I enjoy the case and really appreciate both the functionality and look of it.
