GraceGerdes.com | Cleaning Tool Project

Cleaning Tool: Product Design | Fall 2019

Title

Overview

The main focus of this cleaning tool redesign was user research and ergonomics. Using insight documents such as white space matrices to analyze the current market and journey maps to highlight the pain points, I came up with a solution that efficiently cleans several types of crevices in kitchen accoutrement while minimizing the number of tools necessary to complete the task. This solution required several iterations of rapid prototyping using various types of brushes, and foam core. In the end, the final prototype was made of high definition yellow foam and 3D printed custom brushes.

Design Objective

To efficiently clean several types of crevices in kitchen accoutrement while minimizing the number of tools (handles) necessary to complete this task.

USER RESEARCH

Persona: Expert User

Kimberley

Journey Map

After recording a video of the expert user with a Vitamix, I identified the steps including the high points (highlighted in light blue) and pain points (highlighted in dark blue).

Journey

White Space Matrices

The first analysis of the current product market revealed that there are a wide range of kitchen accoutrements that vary in their level of use but are almost all hard to clean. This led to the question, what do we use to clean them? The second analysis of the current cleaning tools and brushes revealed that there is a “white space” or need for a tool that can reach a wide range of crevices but can be easily stored and have minimal parts. These analyses proved that there is a market for such a cleaning tool because there are so many hard to clean kitchen products found in a wide variety of households.

Whitespace

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Design Brief Criteria

After identifying the pain points, I decided which elements were a “must”, a “should”, or a “nice to have” in order to address the pain points. I also specified which types of crevices I wanted to prioritize based on the white space matrix that identified the hardest to clean kitchen accoutrement.

Design Brief Criteria

Types of Crevices

Crevice Types

Prototypes

I there were several iterations of prototypes before I began my final foam model. I learned a lot about the size of the various handles relative to their brushes, the orientation of the caddy on the counter, and drainage and placement for the sponge and brushes. The form development of the caddy itself evolved through several iterations as well.

Prototypes

FINAL PROTOTYPE

Design Elements

The final design incorporates three different types of brushes that attach along with a sponge to a sink caddy. The form is clean and pleasing enough to display even when you’re not washing dishes.

Nesting