Iterative Prototyping
Industrial Design
Fabrication
Cup Carrier
A compact, collapsible single-cup carrier — shaped entirely by three rounds of prototyping and hands-on testing, each one fixing a specific failure in the last.
Line-art illustration of the cup carrier concept, hand study and full-form sketch
Role
Industrial Design & Fabrication
Timeline
3–5 Weeks
Tools
Card Stock & Cardboard Prototyping
Method
Three-round iterative testing — card stock and cardboard prototypes refined through hands-on carrying trials.
My process

From first sketches to a tested, working prototype — the full arc this project moved through.

Line-art illustration of the cup carrier concept, hand study and full-form sketch (process thumbnail)
01
Brainstorm
Sketched compact carrier concepts for transporting a single drink without needing a full cup holder. Studied the form from four orientations to plan the fold.
Hand-drawn pin-up sheet of cup carrier concepts (process thumbnail)
02
Research
Looked at existing single-cup carriers and packaging fold patterns to find an efficient, low-material structure worth fabricating by hand.
Card stock cup carrier prototype with tabbed handles, wrapped around a disposable cup (process thumbnail)
03
Prototyping
Built three iterations, starting in card stock, then revising handles, then testing cardboard and hinge durability with cut base stencils.
Second iteration prototype being held around a coffee cup (process thumbnail)
04
User Testing
Had people carry drinks with each iteration to see where handles slipped or folds failed under real weight and movement.
Final cup carrier prototype holding a drink, held by the handles (process thumbnail)
05
Iteration
Refined the fold pattern and hinge design across three rounds based on carrying and durability tests, until the base held securely without flexing.
The problem

Students carrying drinks around campus face a persistent inconvenience — no free hands, unstable cups, no compact solution. The goal: a single cup carrier, aesthetic and compact, that frees the hands while transporting a drink — with stability, easy sipping, and collapsibility for storage.

Ideation

Many concepts were explored before settling on a design where the base provides stability at the bottom and mid-section, an indentation allows easy insertion and removal of the cup, and long handles clear the straw. The key move: the base folds into itself and the handles fold down on either side, making the whole carrier collapsible for storage.

Sketch of the cup carrier from four different orientations
Fig. 1 — Different orientations
Hand-drawn pin-up sheet of cup carrier concepts
Fig. 2 — Pin-up
Iteration 1 — card stock

The first prototype used card stock to test visual fidelity and measurements against a 16 oz disposable cup. The base worked well, but the tabbed handles stiffened as they wrapped around the base, preventing smooth folding.

Card stock cup carrier prototype with tabbed handles, wrapped around a disposable cup
Iteration 2 — revised handles

New card stock handles were attached with card stock joints, and a tab connecting the base together was added for durability while maintaining collapsibility. The handles, though, were still in the way and flimsy when reaching for the drink.

Card stock base stencils cut and laid out on a cutting mat
Fig. 4 — Base stencils
Second iteration prototype being held around a coffee cup
Fig. 5 — 2nd iteration
Iteration 3 — cardboard & hinge testing

Switching to cardboard, Panera cup-carrier–inspired supporting folds were added to the arm areas for comfort — but a critical flaw emerged: the carrier rotated freely, causing the drink to topple. The fix: connect the base to the handles with smaller, fixed tabs to eliminate rotation entirely.

Third iteration cardboard prototype, side view
Fig. 6 — 3rd iteration
Third iteration cardboard prototype, detail of base and cup
Fig. 7 — 3rd iteration detail
“The fix was simple: eliminate rotation entirely. Smaller fixed tabs between base and handles made the carrier stable, compact, and clean.”
Who I worked with

Cup Carrier was designed and prototyped by a team of two, from the first sketches through all three rounds of physical testing.

Final product

The final cup carrier is a compact, collapsible single-cup carrier with a stable base, fixed handles, straw clearance, and a clean aesthetic — solving the everyday problem of getting a drink across campus hands-free.

Final cup carrier prototype holding a drink, held by the handles
Fig. 8 — Final prototype, in use
Next Project
MiniMart
→