Design Step 2

Overview: Throughout the next step of our capstone project, known as Step 2, we worked on improving our prototype. We did this by completing several tasks that helped us figure out exactly what we needed to include in the design. This involved creating a classification scheme to organize our ideas, coming up with different alternative concepts, and sending out surveys to get feedback from others. These activities gave us a better understanding of what was important for our project. These efforts helped us make our prototype much stronger. The surveys gave us useful input from people who would actually use the product, which helped us make changes to improve it. Testing out alternative concepts also opened our eyes to new ideas that we hadn’t thought about before. The classification scheme we created helped us stay organized and gave us a clearer direction as we worked. Overall, all of this work made sure that we were on the right track and helped us create a prototype that was both useful and practical for the people who would use it.

Classification Scheme: 

A classification scheme is a method of organizing information or items into categories based on shared characteristics or functions. In the context of the design process, it serves as a valuable tool for sorting ideas, identifying patterns, and prioritizing features. By using a classification scheme, we were able to break down different user needs, product features, and design considerations into clear groups. This helped us better understand what aspects were most important, who our target users were, and how to make our product more effective and user-friendly. Ultimately, it brought clarity and structure to our decision-making throughout the development process. 

Concept 1: low, medium, and high heat settings + remote on/off switch + graphene heating element + and removable battery pack

Concept 2: gradual heat increase + touch sensor + metal wire (nichrome) heating element + USB-C charging

Initial Prototyping: Reverse Engineering, LED light with push button, and temperature controller 

1) Reverse Engineering - To get started on developing our wireless heating pad, we decided to order a standard heating pad and reverse engineer it. We figured the best way to really understand how it works was to take one apart and see the inner systems and functions. This hands-on process gave us a much clearer picture of the internal components, how heat is generated and distributed, and how everything is wired together. It also helped us identify which features we wanted to keep, improve, or completely rethink for our own design. Breaking down an existing product like this gave us a solid foundation to build on and helped us feel more confident as we moved forward with designing a version that’s more portable and user-friendly. Below, are a few photos we took throughout this process... 

2) LED light with push button - The push button is used to turn the heating pad on and off, making it easy for anyone to use. To show whether the pad is active, we added an LED light as an indicator. When the LED is on, it means the heating pad is heating. When the LED is off, the pad is turned off. This helps users quickly see if the device is working or not. The button and LED together make the heating pad more convenient and clear to use. This is a system very similar to the one we will eventually be using in our heating pad, but we will make it more confined and accessible by using a temperature control system along with this mechanism. 

Market Research and Survey Results: To learn more about our customers values we sent out a survey and posted it on our social media stories. We asked a few more questions than these, but they were the ones with the most value to our buyers. Here you can see charts of the percentage of people who own a heating pad, the ideal range for a heating pad, the percentage of people who would be interested in purchasing a pad, and the pains people have experienced. These insights helped us better understand our target audience and confirmed that there is real interest and need for a product like ours. The feedback also guided some of our design choices, such as pricing, portability, and which features to prioritize.

Design Step 2 was highly focused on gaining a clearer prototype and developing a connection between the work we have already finished and our physical abilities to create something like our final product. Through many different research techniques such as various surveys and a classification scheme, we were able to gain a better understanding on how we will eventually make our idea a reality. This step brought together our early concepts and practical skills, setting a solid foundation for building and testing our first functional prototype in the next phase of our project.