Product Designs
Product Design
EkoHome
Concept
EkoHome—originally GreenHome—is a startup founded by Mere during her time at USC.
For
EkoHome began as a research passion project by Mere, which eventually became multiple class papers for USC, including for a human-factors design class and a project management class. Mid-to-high fidelities were created for the Min Family Challenge Program and Grand Challenges Scholars Program.
UX / Ui Tools
Figma
Goal
Create an MVP for EkoHome, complete with direct utility data access from APIs, bill tracking, energy advice, flexible engagement tiers, notifications, and payment portals.
Challenges
I faced the challenge of simplifying a wealth of complex data points—including time-of-use rates, optimization timings, and disparate utility bills. The goal was to present this information in a way that was both comprehensive and user-friendly, minimizing cognitive load and enhancing overall usability.
Creating detailed wireframes and prototypes allowed me to visualize complex user flows and iterate on design ideas. This process was essential for refining navigation and ensuring that each interaction was both intuitive and effective. Designing for intuitive navigation meant prioritizing the user’s journey and ensuring that every aspect of the app was centered around their needs. By employing design thinking, I focused on creating a user-centered experience that streamlined interactions and made managing utility data as effortless as possible.
Result
The result was a functioning mid-fidelity MVP for EkoHome, complete with user-centric notification alerts and digestible energy data. The MVP allows for direct utility data access, bill tracking, energy advice, flexible engagement tiers, notifications, and payment portals.
Target User Research:
Slides designed using Canva
Product Design
Pinterest Visionary
Concept
Visionary is an innovative product that seamlessly blends digital and physical vision boardings as a sleek physical tablet that may be wall-mounted or upright in display, updating automatically with Pinterest app feeds, and allowing users to visualize their goals and inspirations in a tangible way.
For
Visionary was designed to meet the needs of Pinterest users who want to blend digital convenience with the motivational impact of tangible vision boards.
UX / Ui Tools
Figma, Spline
Goal
The value proposition hypothesis is based on helping users create a tangible vision board that keeps their goals and inspirations front and center—since 76% of people feel more confident when they visualize their goals, with a majority favoring physical vision boards due to the tangible nature of interactions and the ability to easily display them in prominent locations, all while digital vision boards are increasingly popular due to their accessibility and ease of editing.
Research shows that while digital platforms like Pinterest are useful for inspiration, some users feel disconnected from their goals when viewed solely online. Physical vision boards offer a more impactful visual reminder, but can be costly and limited by image quality and customizability.
The Visionary board addresses the gap by combining Pinterest's digital convenience with the motivational benefits of a physical vision board, making personal goals more accessible, visible, and engaging.
Challenges
One of the main challenges in developing Visionary was balancing digital and physical interaction. Creating an engaging experience required careful attention to design and functionality, ensuring that both novice and experienced Pinterest users would find the device intuitive and inspiring. Technical limitations related to researching Pinterest's open-source API also presented unique obstacles, as integrating with it will require adapting to certain constraints without compromising Visionary’s core functionalities. Additionally, designing for an accessible and user-friendly customization process within the Pinterest app required multiple iterations to refine.
Result
This project provided a comprehensive framework for a unique, cross-medium Pinterest experience. The Visionary concept successfully merges physical and digital vision boarding, resonating with user preferences for tangible goal-setting while providing digital convenience. The design effectively integrates with Pinterest’s aesthetic and functional standards, creating a seamless bridge between app use and physical engagement. Initial feedback suggests a strong user interest in a device that visualizes aspirations in a tangible format, and the prototype's adaptability indicates future potential to expand the Pinterest ecosystem into home and workspace environments.
3D Product Design
Perfume
Concept
3.4 Oz iridescent wavy perfume bottle
Client
Aidan Niswender's start-up business, "Kaleidescopeus"
XR Design Tools
Designed with Spline
Goal
Designing the first 3D mockup of a 3.4 Oz perfume bottle, using the CEO's inspiration and my own creative freedoms.
Challenges
Creating a 3D mockup that closely resembled a real perfume bottle posed significant challenges. I worked on achieving photorealism through meticulous attention to detail in texture, lighting, and material representation, making the mockup visually striking and true to life. Capturing the intricate lighting and reflections of the perfume bottle, especially to achieve a wavy, shiny, and iridescent effect, required careful management of lighting effects. This added complexity to the rendering process, enhancing the realism and visual appeal of the final product.
Balancing render quality with performance was essential, especially for showcasing the mockup on my Framer website portfolio. I had to adjust the quality settings to ensure the mockup looked impressive while maintaining efficient load times.
Result
Successful 3D mockup of the 3.4 Oz perfume bottle to be used on the website.
Design Inspiration:
Book Design
West 'Til Morning
Concept
West 'Til Morning is more than a poetry collection; it beckons readers into a profound meditation on the quest for fulfillment, encouraging a deep connection with the tapestry of shared human experiences.
This anthology invites you to traverse the intricate paradoxes of life, where the captivating allure of dreams contrasts sharply with the raw realities of existence. It guides you through a landscape of disillusionment, urging a deep dive into the pursuit of authenticity amidst the facades that pervade our world.
Challenging the enduring myth of a promised land, West 'Til Morning offers a critical examination of societal illusions, prompting a thoughtful reflection on the essence of the human condition and our inherent desire for true connection.
With each poem,West 'Til Morningserves as a gentle reminder toquestion the notion of progressand to ponder whether our journeys truly lead to advancement.
Link to Purchase
https://a.co/d/1DxHjDg
Design tools
Designed for publication using Canva, Photoshop, Pages, and AI. 3D prototype created using Spline.
Book Design
Midnight Trepidations
concept
Delve into trials of growth, memorializations of love and grief, and identity trauma in the 21st century.
Midnight Trepidations is a poetry collection that explores self-realizations through a boundless mind.
Accompanied by surreal illustrations of personal photography and artificially generated art, this candid book brings you a powerful message; Trepidating can lead to meaningful self-realizations, but it is important to set boundaries to far-flung imaginations, in order to protect your real mental health.
Written to remind all late-night overthinkers that the mind is wild, but tamable.
You control your thoughts.
link to Purchase
https://a.co/d/93dDfe5
Design tools
Designed for publication using Canva, Photoshop, Pages, and AI. 3D prototype created using Spline.
AI Integrations
The illustrations accompanying all poems in this book are collages of personal photographs and art created by artificial intelligence. Although the author considers herself a capable artist she believes that the book’s narrative is best illustrated through a dichotomy between earthly images, and art created by machines. Most of us have experienced the weariness of staying awake as imagination dances us through memories and ideas. Though we are human, our minds can seem uncontrollable. While artificial intelligence similarly twists human ideas, it is more inhuman in its creation of art without a soul; AI is the dizzying dreams of real painters, swirling faces of lost photos, and haunting possibilities for future worlds. It is the art of letting a machine’s “mind” run wild. Understandably, many of us fear that there is a lack of humanity in allowing AI to create soulless art. Modern AI could use the emotional breadth of guilt, or at least further restrictions, to prevent plagiarism of real artists. The author hopes that her illustrations continue to spark conversations around AI art
What my
reviewers say
Deep and Inspiring Poetry
West Til Morning is a subtle and enjoyable look at the world. The author looks at ordinary scenes of real life and paints a lyrical picure of life beneath the obvious. Simple street scenes, home life, people, airplane rides or sitting in a restaurant are looked at with fresh eyes and imbued with their less obvious realities. A deeply felt book from a new and inspiring author
Amazon Book review
Topcat
INCREDIBLE
Absolutely lovely! Extremely thought provoking and well written. Looking forward to more works from this author!
Amazon Book review
Llama
A wonderful poetry collection!
This is a wonderful poetry collection! It really encompasses the experience of overthinking late at night and I love the surreal art pieces that go along with with each poem. Definitely recommend :)
Amazon Book review
Thomas Peters
Drink this book like finely aged wine
M.E. Lapidas offers a profound meditation on life, love, and loss through her lyricism. This is not a book that you simply read; it is one that you savor, delicately sipping on each word. The overlapping juxtaposition of art and photography creates an ethereal and trippy realm, ripe for the exploration of one’s innermost thoughts and emotions. The visual element is expertly crafted to complement each poem, making this book a rich experience full of curiosity and play. The author gives the reader the gift of placelessness, suspending them from the reality that they know and embracing them into their world. Their expert grasp of diction and meter helps build an intimate repertoire with readers. Within the first few pages, the author establishes such trust through their vulnerability; it no longer feels like just some book written by just some author. No, in fact, it feels deeply personal, as if you reading the words fresh off the heart of a lifelong friend. With each poem, the relationship the author builds with the reader becomes more and more personal, blurring the lines between other and self. The work evolves into a cathartic release that you are experiencing with the author. M.E. Lapidas gives the gift of sharing life with readers. Her words will leave you raw and gutted with emotion, while simultaneously offering closure and healing; herein lies the artistry of her work. Her perspicacious understanding and love for humanity translate intuitively off each page. This book is a beautiful tapestry that reminds us of what it means to be human.
Amazon Book review
Lin
Beautiful poetry collection
A beautiful collection of poetry about growing up with the pressures of relationships, beauty standards, gender roles, mental illness, and navigating it all with an overactive mind. Really poignant pieces that can speak to the shared experiences of many; incredible art to boot. Would love to see more work from this author.
Amazon Book review
Lauren Silva
