Trevis Kurz

2011 SMA | Trevis Kurz, IDSA | The Ohio State University

Trevis Kurz, IDSA, is a tinkerer. He is also a problem solver. Both come to him very naturally. You might say he was born to be a designer.

Kurz first tinkered with remote control cars before moving onto bicycles then muscle cars. Kurz’ father—a tool and die maker employed by General Motors—encouraged the habit enlisting his help to rebuild a 1971 Chevelle. The duo partnered again to fix up a 1985 Monte Carlo that became the younger Kurz’ first car.

“My curiosity of how things work lead me to industrial design,” noted the 2011 Mideast Student Merit Winner.  “As a kid, I was always eager to help my friends modify their bike, car, or anything else they wanted to take apart.”

At The Ohio State University, Kurz’ curiosity compelled him to develop a deeply empathic approach to problem solving. During a Junior Year Studio with Scott Shim, IDSA, he and his classmates took turns drawing user groups out of a hat.  Kurz drew “Baby Boomers” and went to work figuring out what household problems might present a design opportunity. His research revealed that smoke alarms were commonly located in areas of the home that presented great accessibility challenges to Boomers. Those challenges became obstacles to battery management and effective maintenance practices. Too many users were fumbling with ladders and broom handles to quiet false alarms leaving some to disconnect their smoke alarms altogether.

Kurz worked through a series of concepts exploring hinges, retractable cords and other ideas that could bring the alarm to the user. He arrived at a sociable design that would employ a broom handle—readily available in most homes—to release the entire unit from a mounting bracket lowering it to the user while secured to the broomstick by a silicone target. Kurz’ final solution took first place in the 2010 International Housewares Association’s (IHA) Student Design Competition. After the IHA win, he obtained both provisional and utility patents on the design and has been working with Trident Design, a Columbus firm, to bring the product to market.    

For his senior thesis—which was still being completed at present time—Kurz sought to rethink the experience of the home pregnancy test. The project has taken him way outside of his comfort zone and has confirmed an insight he acquired during an internship with Procter and Gamble.

“I interned at P&G in Female Beauty,” Kurz reported. “I worked on hair coloring products for the Brazilian market. First, I’m a guy. Second, I’m bald. Third, I’ve never been to Brazil. Drawing from that experience, I learned that people will empathize with me if they know I can’t use the product.”

He added, “In researching the home pregnancy test, some women say, ‘I don’t know if you’re the person to do it because you’re a guy’ but they will tell me every little detail about their experiences because they really want me to fully understand the process. Those intimate conversations can be uncomfortable for both of us. It’s important to create a trust.”

Kurz’ stint at P&G contrasted sharply with a previous internship at Beyond Design.  "At Beyond Design, we were doing design work for outside clients and at Proctor and Gamble, we were the client.  This allowed me to see both sides of the spectrum.”

While Kurz is not exactly certain of what his dream job is, he is drawn to work that raises poignant questions. “I’d really like to have the ability to ask, ‘Why? Is this the best product? Is it necessary?’”

Trevis Kurz is a junior designer at Beyond Design. He can be reached via trevis.kurz@gmail.com.