tri-light
Role
Solo Designer
Duration
6 Weeks
Outcome
2024 LIT Winner
Lighting that teaches,not just illuminates.
USER
Amateur content creator
Amateur content creators struggle with lighting — not because good equipment is unavailable, but because existing tools assume knowledge they haven't built yet. tri-light was designed to close that gap
CONCEPT
Elevate beginner-level content creation
Design a product that delivers quality lighting on demand with customizable settings, intuitive physical controls, and a companion app — from casual vlogs to more complex scene compositions.
CONSTRAINTS
Physical design boundaries
Must fold flat enough to fit in a backpack. USB-C only for power and data. Controls must be operable single-handedly. Target under $80 retail.
OPPORTUNITY
Familiar interface vocabulary
Features must use recognizable affordances — labeled mode buttons, a tactile travel dial — so a first-time user can operate the product without reading a manual.
Insight 01
Direct Approach
Beginners need to see the effect of lighting changes in real time — not decipher a Kelvin number in a spec sheet.
Insight 02
True Value
The learning curve isn't the hardware — it's understanding key light, fill light, and backlight as a system working together.
Insight 02
Convinient
Every competing product either lives on a shelf (too big) or a phone dock (too limited). Portability and quality don't co-exist at this price point.
From triangle geometry to triangulated light.
The tri-shape emerged through rapid sketch exploration — a form that physically encodes the three-point lighting principle beginners need to learn. Early foam models proved the hinge concept before a single CAD line was drawn.
Three generations of physical proof.
One product. Three lights. Infinite setups.
Color gradient dial
Physical travel dial — warm to cool. One finger. Immediate feedback.
Light intensity slider
Linear slider with Kelvin spectrum control — 2800 to 6500K on-panel.
Mode buttons
Iconographic buttons — power, color, RGB — designed to be recognized without a manual.
✓ What worked
Starting with foam before touching CAD forced real spatial decisions early. The tripod-mechanism insight came from handling the object — not staring at a screen. Each prototype answered exactly one question.
→ What I'd change
The Mylar hot-spot failure cost two prototype iterations. With more material research upfront, I'd have specified a frosted polycarbonate diffusion panel — requires an air gap, engineered in from iteration 1.
Path to production
Define the final diffusion panel spec, reduce body volume 25% through material selection (carbon-fiber reinforced nylon vs. ABS), and manufacture a pre-production unit with proper electrical integration and app pairing
Eber Zamudio
ID Portfolio
Tri-Light Project