This cute product is a small, child-friendly nutcracker. Cubie is made up of simple, recognizable shapes, and every part is perfectly sized for children to use easily. Made from metal and oak wood, Cubie has a simple, handmade look. These materials also offer stability and the hardwood can handle being dropped. This nutcracker also has minimal steps and is intuitive to use, providing a playful way for kids to get a healthy snack. 

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This individual project was an opportunity to design an unfamiliar and uncommon product. Designing Cubie involved many concepts and preliminary ideas. The making of this product also involved using a woodshop and machine shop to build a working model. From shop class throughout high school, building in a shop was not a new experience. However, this project required in-depth consultations with laboratory technicians to transform sketches and rough working drawings into a functioning nutcracker. This collaboration between designer and other professionals is imperative for good design.