natalie quach

3 Week Project for the International Housewares Competition

saniscoop

Zoonotic Disease Persistence Disease sPreaD to owner or other cats

= an unhygienic and unpleasant experience for both cats and humans alike.

+ + airborne Fine Particulates

Cleaning up after feline companions is often messy, smelly, and unhygienic. It can negatively effect both the cat and owner. The market for feline care products is flooded with products that appeal to humans, but not cats. With more research, I decided to focus on improving cat hygiene and the experience for both cats and their owners.

How can I improve the user’s mental and physical wellbeing?

project brief

Litter Lifter Durascoop

To get a better understanding of the current market, I looked at a variety of products on amazon.com and noted the best and worst aspects of each product.

Scoop ‘N Hide Litter ScoopPureness Litter Scoop

$8.23

Small clumps of litter stay in, making scooping quick and easy.

Plastic wears out quickly and litter gets stuck on its edges.

Price Point

Best

Worst

$12.99

The handle is very solid and the scoop is made of a durable material.

The scoop cuts the litter box. It also is too big and awkward to handle.

$10.31

Nice place to hide the scoop away.

The scoop itself is too fragile to use when sifting or scraping the box.

$15.99

Functions well enough when used for one cat.

Some litter falls through the cracks. The scooper breaks easily.

Market research

StrongSlot-StyledWeak Sift-Styled

Time Efficient Easy to Clean

Time Intensive Waste-Retaining

TARGET TARGET

perceptual Maps

Meet Ginny

She represents the average cat owner. Ginny loves her cat, Rusty, but hates cleaning up after him.

She:-Cleans the litter box whenever she can remember. -Which ends up being once every three days. -Always puts off cleaning because it feels dirty to be near the cat’s waste.-Clumps get stuck along the sides and bottom of the litter box.

But most importantly,

she knows that she should clean after rusty more often, but will prolong cleanings for as long as she can.

Equipment used: -Plastic scoop-Re-purposed grocery bag

-used traditional scooping methods, which involves scooping the litter and then sifting it.

-Had to balance holding the grocery bag while aiming the scoop into the bag.

-Often had to reposition holding the bag in between scoops.

-When finished, the scoop was placed on top of the table.

-Small fragments of litter remained on the scoop or fell onto the table.

-Gross.

In order to understand user behaviours, I decided to observe someone cleaning their litter box. I took the fly-on-the-wall stance, and asked her to clean the box as she would normally while I stood quietly and took photographs.

user observations

1) Gather Materials

+0.5

-3

+0

+0.5

2) Mental preparation

3) scoop the poop 4) return scoop

5) dispose of waste

6) clean hands-Collect a waste bag and scooper. -Requires minimal effort and is clean.

-Need to get into the mind set of picking up waste.-Still feeling clean.

-Dirtiest part of cleaning.-Smells, looks, and feels unhygienic.-Focus on bagging waste without dropping it.

-Remaining waste can be stuck on the scoop.-Cross-contamination needs to be avoided.

-Cleanse hands of bacteria from close contact with the cat’s waste.-Feel relief.

-Make sure the bag is tied securely so no waste falls out.-Put the waste into a receptacle that is outside or away from any main traffic.

Mood Map

+0

+0.5

All owners had a designated spot for their scoop, but only 20% have a container to hold the scoop.

100% are aware that they should clean their litter box once or twice a day,

Out of these, 73% do not.

80% of them experienced difficulties with using the scooper.

100% described cleaning up cat waste as an unenjoyable process.

The main finding is that most users feel negatively towards cleaning up after their cat and often experience difficulties when they do.

survey results

Main problem areas:

1. Amount of possible disease contact between the scooper and animals and humans.

2. Questionable durability of existing scoopers.

3. Inconsistent flow in the process of scooping litter.

Exploration of scoop form through shape of the scoop bed and angle/form of the handle. I also considered how to attach or store the scoop when not in use.

forM exploration

I prototyped the forms and then tested them out on a litter box. The rectangular form worked best for scraping clumps in corners. I also found that using holes as the main sifting method led to litter being stuck in the scoop. The final form utilises slots completely, as they were able to hold small clumps and quickly sift through the litter.

air quality index test

I performed a rudimentary Air Quality Index test, in which I measured how much dust and fine particulates were in the air after I scooped litter using both a traditional (slotted) scoop and sift-styled scoop. To do this, I scooped a litter box as it would be done normally and then set out a strip of tape to collect dust from the litter for 24 hours.

The traditional scoop created air particulates in a small, concentrated area. The dust covers about 4.5 squares.

The sift scoop created airborne particles in broader area. There are about 13.5 squares that are covered in dust.

The dust that settled on the substrate is shaded inside of the dotted light green zones. The sift scoop has a far greater area of dust than the traditional scoop. From these results, I determined that it was better to use the traditional slotted scoop. If a sieve scoop were implemented, both the owner and the cat would be exposed to and inhale fine particulates, which could lead to health problems.

Trad

ition

al sc

oop

Sift-

styl

ed sc

oop

-Studies have shown that brass metal, even when tarnished, will completely disinfect itself of bacteria and viruses in a number of hours. In contrast, stainless steel never disinfects itself.

-Sheet metal stamping will offset the cost of using metal.

-naturally clean and durable material with little effort on the user’s part.

Material study

-Easily cleaned with soap and water.

-Does not promote microbial growth

-Easily moulded onto metal.

-easy to completely clean with household products.

-Has antibacterial properties. Studies have shown that wood retains less bacterial growth than plastic

-Has naturally occurring insect-deterrent and odour-deterrent properties

-will keep away bugs that are attracted to cat litter.

silicone rubber cedar wood brass Metal

Main problem addressed:

1. Brass used will constantly sanitise scooper, eliminating any bacteria that could come into contact with humans or animals.

2. Brass is durable enough to withstand scooping.

3. Streamlined process created from the moment waste is scooped until it is thrown out.

refined ideation

1. Scoop waste. 2. Pour waste into bag. 3. Remove bag from holder. 4. Tie bag and throw away. Mission accomplished!

-Improved durability helps scrape away stubborn clumps.

-Slots help retain small clumps.

-Minimise time for users to spend scooping.

-No need to aim the scoop into the bag as much.

-No need to constantly reposition.

-so easy that it can be done with one hand.

-Scoop will disinfect itself in a matter of hours.

-streamlined process makes for more efficient scooping so users can get in and get out.

-An uncomplicated procedure.

-hardly any risk of contact with waste or possible disease.

user scenario

1) Gather Materials

+1

-1+0 +0

2) Mental preparation

3) scoop the poop

4) return scoop

5) dispose of waste

6) clean hands-New tools are together already.-Requires no effort and is fast and clean.

-No need to touch anything unhygienic. -Less stress on the mind.

-Easier to pour waste into bag with the holder.-Durability and strength of the Saniscoop helps scrape away clumps and heavy litter.

-Scoop is isolated in the new waste bag.

-Clean hands out of habit.-Feeling of being clean is a relief.

-Feeling of security because the waste is already contained in the bag.

iMproved Mood Map

+0 +0

Through improved equipment materials and consolidation, the Saniscoop improves users’ mental and physical wellbeing.

Summer Internship

neutral cycle

Working at Neutral was the first time I learned what a team of designers really is.

We came together for the principles of function and beautiful form, our love of cycling culture, and the eagerness to explore realms of product design that we did not know.

Together, we worked together to design for the cycling community.

Our main query was:

How can we improve on urban cycling lifestyle products?

this is neutral cycle Design.

Target User: • Urban cyclist• Approximately mid twenties-thirties • Incorporates practicality into their lifestyle• Values aesthetics

Design Goals: • Practicality • Professionalism • Ease of use

Based off local community feedback, we settled on making a commuter bag.

We modelled our design dynamic after Chrome Industries. Chrome does an excellent job of serving the urban cyclist community. They create durable and rugged products for a fast paced market.

The price of Chrome cycling bags average around $300 and are built to be industrially strong. We wanted to create something more affordable but with the same quality.

Learn from the masters.

We settled on creating a panier backpack for commuter cyclists. Initial sketches considered how the bags could convert themselves into a panier bag.

Going backpacking.

Rough Prototypes

MINIMAL Inc. x Method Bikes CU Bike Polo Urbana Summer Movie Night

After knocking out three actual sized prototypes, we went to a number of events to see how the public reacted to the design. After attending cycling events, we learned how we could better our backpack design.

Collecting User Feedback

The Panier Bag uses a snap Fidlock mechanism to quickly and easily attach and release from the panier rack.

The bag is divided into two main body portions and these fold over and hook into the rack.

The main purpose of the convertible backpack is to be portable and easy to carry in an urban environment. When the backpack is in panier mode, cyclists do not have to carry the weight of their bag while they ride.

how it works:

A lesson in perseverance

and knowing when to start anew.

After reviewing what we created, we realised our design was not going to succeed. We veered too far from our original design philosophy. In reality, the bag that was created was impractical for the user and only considered aesthetics. It was time to start over and reconsider our purpose.

Exploration through making.After rethinking our design goals, we launched right into rough prototyping. We became inspired, and were not going to let it get away from us.

Final manufacturing involved making efficient use of materials using a tech pack.

Rapid prototyping and development of over seven models.

We refined our skills on an industrial sewing machine.

Flexibility for the user.The final form was deliberately simple so that it could be applied to different locations on the bicycle. This allows the user to easily adopt the roll into their current lifestyles--promoting emergency preparedness on the road while looking professional.

Saddle Panier Rack

Handlebars Top Tube

Waxed Canvas

Elastic

Nylon Webbing

Materials

• Used for strength and durability

• To create a flexible band

• Freedom to hold any personal items

• Waterproof• Easy to clean• Adds a

premium feel• Easily repaired

other

Woodworking Projects.In my free time, I enjoy spending time in the woodshop handcrafting a variety of objects. I enjoy the physicality of making something with my hands.

Circuit Board Ben - Turned on the lathe. Fire Starter - Turned on the lathe.

Cutting Boards + Bottle Holder - Sawn and then laminated. Wood Rings - Hand carved from scrap wood.

Cycling Cup Holder.Using SolidWorks and Keyshot, I modelled a variety of different variations on the cycling cup holder.

The duration of the project was about one week.

Photoshop drawing of an underwater transport system.

thank you.