Erika Strazinsky

Industrial Design, 2023

Surge Connect is a tablet accessory designed specifically for Hyve-3D engagement. This iPad case and supporting stand aims at enhancing the user experience of the Hyve-3D; an immersive virtual reality system.

Surge Connect was developed in response to the creation of the Digital Public Participation Lab in Dominion Middle School, a living lab aimed at providing the community with a place to interact with emerging technologies, such as the Hyve. The Hyve interface works in conjunction with an iPad, where you can manipulate a 3D environment and create three-dimensional sketches. Because this is the first of its kind in the US, there is some hesitation and intimidation surrounding such a new technology. By targeting the iPad as the main touchpoint of the Hyve, the case and stand provides clear affordances as to how to interact with a three-dimensional cursor. The case allows for easy handling, signifiers for use, and an inviting aesthetic; while the stand provides an invitation into the Hyve as well as stability while sketching.

Creating an inviting atmosphere for the Digital Public Participation Lab begins with building infrastructure for what already exists in the space; empowering new users to step into an unfamiliar technology.

Erika Strazinsky is a senior Industrial Design major and Studio Art minor graduating in the Spring of 2023. She has a particular interest in sculpture, experience design, social justice, and sustainability. Her dreams after graduation include traveling the world & exposing different fields to the power of socially conscious and empathetic design.

View Erika’s other project at here!