I usually don't drink coffee on the go and for the caffeine, but I do love the smell and taste. When I drink coffee, I like to sit and enjoy it while either reading, listening to a podcast, or watching a movie or TV show. I got the idea for my project by brainstorming how I could improve my personal coffee drinking experience. 

I first sketched a few ideas and tried to put my ideas onto paper. This way, it would be easier for me to get feedback from my peers and the TAs.

After sketching and deciding on a project idea, I went to Solidworks to start designing the product in more detail. I tried to stay away from having to bend acrylic because of how hard and messy that process can be. I first designed the coaster using quarter inch thickness acrylic. After actually seeing how thick the material was in real life, I decided eighth inch acrylic would suit the product much better. 

I made some small tweaks throughout my Solidworks session to improve the product and make it more practical. I then made two dimensional drawings, converted the files to DXF and got to printing on the laser cutters.