01
Sketching the family
The project began with broad sketch exploration. Different tool shapes, grip zones, and product directions were drawn to understand how a jewelry tool family could feel functional, soft, and visually connected.
Biyou
A joyful family of jewelry tools.
Biyou is a family of ergonomic jewelry tools designed for hobby jewelers. The project explores how functional tools can become more intuitive, comfortable, and expressive by combining hand testing, ergonomic studies, playful form language, and a coherent product identity.
- Role
- Product designer
- Type
- Bachelor 2 / Group project
- Year
- 2023
- Focus
- Ergonomics, product family, prototyping, visual identity
- Skills
- Sketching, clay modelling, ergonomic testing, prototyping, rendering
- Duration
- 2 months
Process
From sketch to hand-tested form.
Biyou started with an exploration of how hobby jewelers hold, grip, control, and interact with small hand tools. Instead of designing only from appearance, the project moved through physical testing, quick models, and repeated ergonomic checks to understand how the tools should feel in the hand.
The process helped translate rough ideas into a coherent product family. Sketching defined the direction, clay models made the ergonomics tangible, testing revealed what needed to change, and the final render phase brought the functional and visual identity together.
02
Testing ergonomics in clay
Clay models made the first ideas physical. By shaping and holding the forms by hand, it became possible to test comfort, grip thickness, finger placement, and the value of soft ergonomic transitions early in the process.
03
Refining through use
A more robust model was used to test the tool in a realistic hand position. This helped evaluate control, pressure points, movement, and whether the form supported precise jewelry work without feeling forced.
04
Detailing the final concept
The final direction combined ergonomic grip areas with a clearer product language. The technical detail view shows how functional parts, handles, and visual accents come together in a more finished product proposal.
The product
A family of tools for precise handwork.
The final Biyou proposal is a four-piece product family for hobby jewelers — Onyx, Kunziet, Opaal, and Calcite. Each tool has its own function, but they share the same visual language: soft flowing lines, bright blue accents, clean contours, and ergonomic grips that support delicate manual work.
The goal was not only to make the tools more comfortable, but also to make them feel inviting. Biyou shows how a functional object can become part of a more joyful and personal making environment.
Onyx & Kunziet
Opaal & Calcite