Tanya Cardoza

Luma

More than a magnifying glass but your enchanted gateway to a world of knowledge.

Overview

In today’s digital age, Lumiscan bridges the gap between screen-focused kids and grandparents seeking meaningful connections. For this project, I developed the Arduino coding and created the 3D-printed design using Blender, bringing the device to life. Lumiscan is a handheld tool that transforms everyday exploration into an interactive learning adventure—kids simply wave its magnifying glass to uncover fun facts about objects around them, delivered through an engaging voice feature. It’s a blend of technology, creativity, and hands-on discovery, designed to spark curiosity and connection.

Approach

Client:

SCAD StartUp

My Role:

Product Designer

Year:

2019

Service Provided:

Arduino coding/Blender Modeling and 3D printing

Challenge

In today’s digital age, children are spending an average of 4-6 hours daily on screens, leaving grandparents struggling to find meaningful ways to connect and engage with them. With 72% of grandparents believing it’s important to play a role in their grandchildren’s education, and 20% feeling disconnected due to technology barriers, the need for innovative solutions has never been greater. Lumiscan addresses this challenge by transforming everyday exploration into an interactive, educational adventure—creating opportunities for bonding, learning, and shared discovery that go beyond screens.

Research

Personas

Lumiscan is designed for two key personas: a grandparent seeking meaningful ways to connect with their screen-focused grandchild, and a teacher looking for hands-on tools to inspire curiosity and learning. It bridges the gap by turning everyday exploration into an interactive, educational adventure, fostering connection and discovery.

StoryBoard

This scenario shows Lumiscan’s exploration adventure, focusing on colors in nature, with Lumiscan guiding the kid to identify colors like pink, green, blue, and white, and praising the kid's exploration.

Design Process

With the help of children, the singular handheld design was chosen as the favorite for its simplicity and ease of use, making exploration feel both fun and effortless.

For our poster ideation, I chose to invoke a sense of greenery and exploration, showcasing the bond between a grandparent and child.

Final Design

The final form of Lumiscan was crafted with a polished wooden body, accented with gold elements and a ruby jewel embedded in the handle. This design choice was intentional, evoking a sense of magic and timelessness, reminiscent of an ancient artifact. The combination of materials and detailing not only enhances the aesthetic appeal but also reinforces the device’s role as a tool for discovery, blending functionality with a touch of enchantment to captivate users.

Conclusion

During this project, my primary responsibility was to lead the product design, ensuring the handheld form was both functional and engaging for kids and grandparents. As the Arduino coder, I programmed Lumiscan to map color wavelengths, enabling it to identify and share colors like green, blue, and pink.
I also modeled the final form in Blender, creating a warm, user-friendly design. The result is a device that transforms backyard exploration into a magical learning adventure, validated by user testing and fulfilling the needs of both children and grandparents.