This is not a complete redesign of a product but an opportunity for you to develop or improve a product in some way.
Example products
We observed this very basic product in use at a restaurant in Bangkok called 'Everyday Moo Krata'.
A person delivers some red hot charcoal pieces to place underneath the cooking plate to heat up the broth and be able to cook food on the metal surface. The charcoal pieces were carried in using a semi circular steel bar / rod, with no handle; no grip; no way of stopping it slipping out or falling; no H&S; no consideration of weight or support.
The handle and magnetic top of this water bottle is very clever but it is also in need of improvement as on a number of occassions fingers can be caught / trapped under the handle, due to the top being so close. The top can be attached to the stainless steel rotating handle which is a very good idea not to lose the top. The drinking area is on the top of the bottle and as such creates less space for fingers.
One Size Fits One is a collection of toothbrush accessories that help to expand the limited accessible design options on the market today. "Today's toothbrushes aren’t accessible for the 360 million people with dexterity challenges worldwide," said Landor & Fitch, "Because, when it comes to accessible design, one size doesn’t fit all. It takes bespoke solutions that adapt to individual needs, a one-size-fits-one approach."
To bring its concepts and designs to life, Landor & Fitch worked with a collective of people with dexterity challenges to create adaptive add-ons that can be applied to make everyday oral care more comfortable.
The Lumineux electric toothbrush is a powerful yet gentle piece of oral care equipment developed over the course of five years of research and development to ensure the utmost attention to consumer needs.
The toothbrush features the main unit that works with replaceable bamboo heads for an eco-friendly touch. The bristles on the brush heads are crafted out of castor oil to give them a soft profile that won't harm enamel with everyday use. This also makes the powered toothbrush suited for use around dental work.
The Lumineux electric toothbrush offers five cleaning modes to choose from and comes with an induction charging stand to allow for easy charging. The toothbrush is rated to provide up to six weeks of battery life.
Suri, a modern toothbrush company based in London, recently released a very innovative design with eco-conscious sensibilities—a sustainable electric toothbrush. The innovation came about after Mark Rushmore and Gyve Safavi, the founders of Suri, found out that " nearly every plastic toothbrush ever owned still exists in the world."
Suri's innovative and eco-conscious teeth-cleaning product is named the Sustainable Sonic Toothbrush. The modular design consists of an aluminum body that is highly durable and a brush head made with castor oil and corn starch. Because it is made with plant-based materials, the latter component can be easily recycled after the end of its life. Brush heads can be sent back to Suri in compostable paper bags that the company provides upon purchase.
The sustainable electric toothbrush comes in three muted colors.
Could you make the massage gun below more sustainable by changing the casing to a renewable material? Could you make it more ergonomic by developing a handle with an improved grip? Could you redesign it to be easier to take apart (sustainable) (note, you don't know how to do this unless you have one!)?
Note that this has won a 'Red Dot' award for design.
You need to look at products that you could improve in terms of: function, ergonomics, safety or sustainability
Headphones, Hairdryer, electric shavers - hairdressers, Kettle handle, toaster, cycle computers, bento boxes, etc.
Ergonomics is how a product works with a human i.e. how it fits the hand; how it fits; how comfortable something is; how easy something is to hold; how easy it is to see vital information; that the product is not too heavy.
Can this product be improved in terms of function if you were using it to place Airpod Max's on it? Could you add a charging port somewhere? What about the materials used... could they match the headphones more? Could you also charge a watch / phone / airpods at the same time, improving the function? Does this then make it a docking station? But does that improve the product? Could the case be held in some way?
Improve the design of hair clippers for product usage (function).
Improve the design of the hair clippers to enable it to be disposed of in a more sustainable way i.e. make it easier to disassemble the product and separate the parts or reuse parts if possible. Does this make it safer?
Could you modify or redesign the hair clippers to improve its' lifespan (Sustainability)?
Could you make the hair clippers more ergonomic and comfortable for the hairdresser? I.e. easier to hold - move the head so that it rotates on a ball? Move the buttons so they are easier to access.
Improve the design of the hot glue gun for product usage (function). Is there anything you could do to make it better? A longer nozzle so that it can get into small areas? A smaller stream of glue?
Improve the design of the hot glue gun to enable it to be disposed of in a more sustainable way if it breaks i.e. make it easier to disassemble the product and separate the parts or reuse parts if possible. Does this make it safer?
Can you modify the design to make it safer (so you don't burn yourself on the side or the end nozzle)?
Can you modify the design so that it stands better and has grip so that it will not slip?
Could you modify or redesign the hot glue gun to improve its' lifespan (Sustainability)?
Cold you modify the hot glue gun to make it more inclusive?
Could you make the hot glue gun more ergonomic and comfortable for the user? I.e. easier to hold. Could the nozzle / head move so that it can rotate into small areas?
When using workshop machines it would be really beneficial to have some laser sighting attachments so that we can see straight lines / saw cuts on the Bandsaw or a Center point marker for the Pillar Drill to know exactly that the mark is lined up with the drill bit. You could design an attachment to fix to a machine.
Could you design bespoke quick clamp grips for pieces of gym equipment to make gripping and holding the bars more comfortable or ergonomic? You could design them with a quick release system so that you can easily take them on and off the existing handles.
Click on any of the buttons below to see examples of products that have been made more ergonomic.
Safety visors are necessary for the protection of eyes when using workshop machinery.
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