Ayo Ranuh - Product Designer
about
Hi, my name is Ayo Ranuh and these are some quick facts about me, answered in the form of the classic who, what, where, when, and why format
Who?
My name is Ayo Ranuh. I was born in 2000, in Indonesia. I grew up moving between several different countries, attending a series of international schools along the way. I speak English, Indonesian, Norwegian, and Spanish. You can find my resume here.
What?
I am a student product designer in the Venlo campus of Fontys University of Applied Sciences. I am due to graduate in 2026.
Where?
I am currently based in Venlo, the Netherlands.
When?
I was first introduced to the subject in 2012 while I was living in Norway. The school I attended had an elective subject called Design Technology. I took it and was introduced to a field that had massive implications for every facet of my daily life, from mass produced cheap plastic chairs and cutlery to the smallest details of high end laptops and technology that no one thinks about. Between my formative design education in secondary school and my university studies, I have been involved in this subject for almost ten years.
Why?
As a child, I thought this subject was cool because of the flashing LEDs and, "we get to build stuff."
As an adult, I now know that as true as the above is, this field of product design is important for the same reason that a literature teacher believes reading is important - because our lives are so entwined and and tightly braided with what we make and the stories we tell and how we make these things and tell these stories. So only by taking the products we design seriously, by honestly reflecting with ourselves with why we like the forms and aesthetics we like, why we are inspired by them and why we design things the ways that we do - as individuals influenced by our material circumstances, and as groups influenced by culture, geography, and even shared traumas, (for example, what traits that define a design as "Dutch," or "Indonesian," or "Norwegian,") we can know what that says about ourselves, what that says about how we think about others and ourselves and each other. By knowing ourselves we can start to think about where can we be better, which parts of us can be changed, and how, and why we should change it. If our reflections reveal that the way we do something is because of fear of something, or someone, or someones, then why do we fear them? What can we do to understand them better so that maybe we don't fear them anymore or come to a mutual understanding? If we imagined the absolute best case scenario, what would we need to do to get there? So what if they don't reciprocate, these questions are about what we can do.
The Bic ballpoint pen is what is referred to as a design classic. This means that it is a product that is so recognisable as to have a life of its own beyond its original trademark. For Bic, they designed a pen that was basically so simple, that functions such that it only needs six discrete parts, four of which can easily be mass produced with injection moulding. The other two are a tungsten carbide ball and a brass bearing - first is milled and second one is stamped. That was the exposition and rising action. In the climax, the pen is then assembled, the ink shot into the feeder tube, and packaged. In the falling action, the pen is used and the story is resolved with its disposal and materials recycling to begin again. The fact that it has been a mainstay of working life all over the world is not only an epilogue, but makes our story into a franchise with several sequels. This is a story. This is one of many stories that can be told in product design. This is also one of the most popular stories in the world. So by examining it, by reflecting on its popularity and what it says about us as the product users and the target audience of the story, we take the first steps into turning one of humanity's best stories an even better story, and making our world into a better place.
