Design Project I
24th June 2020
Course: Simple Product Design
Product: Ice Cream Scoop
ATTRIBUTES
We thought of various keywords which could help us conceptualize the concepts.
CONCEPTUALIZATION
CONCEPT-1
CONCEPT-2
CONCEPT-3
After looking at the concepts, I made an assessment matrix to understand them better. It helped me to understand the criteria better and look at how different parameters are fulfilled and so I rated them based on their desirability.
Concept-1 seems to fulfill most of the parameters and hence, I’ll improvise and explore more on the concept.
But after assessing all the concepts, certain questions popped up.
- How much threading is required in the second concept?
- What if the threading is inside the tube? Will it be more safe and efficient?
- How do you clean and store the scoop?
- Can ice cream be dispensed in different shapes?
- What if the first two concepts are combined?
- Does the scoop require assembly before use?
After thinking more on the concepts, I doubted that “When we redesign an existing product, do we also look at how it will impact the existing version of it?”
This is when another concept came to my mind where I thought of designing a new part to the existing design that could be attached to any existing scoop and would increase the efficiency while scooping ice cream. This would not only save the material and cost of production but also ensure that the existing scoops are not discarded with the introduction of the new ones.
CONCEPT-4
For Concept-2 and Concept-4, I tried to test the mechanism of the threading by screwing a screw in the ice cream. It worked pretty well but there was a problem that while I pulled the screw back, some ice cream got stuck on the outside because of the compact threading. Therefore, the distance between the threading will also have to be kept in mind while working on the concept.
Moving forward with the improvisation of the concepts, I decided to work in two directions — CONCEPT-1 and CONCEPT-4. One scenario is focused on redesigning the scoop whereas the other scenario demands an attachment to the existing scoop.
EXPLORATIONS OF CONCEPT-4
The added part had to be trimmed from one end otherwise the handle would interfere while placing it. I’m yet to work on figuring out the threading part of it — angle of the threading, distance between the threads and how much of it is required.
After the form exploration of the concept, I tried to make a sketch model of the form. I used a balloon for making the form (green part) and attached it with the lip of the balloon (yellow part) to an existing scoop.
This helped me to understand the overall form of it and made me understand the distance for the strap for which I was initially struggling with.
For studying the threading part of the screw, I looked at various diagrams that depicted how something is coiled on a spherical surface.
While keeping the distance between the threads in mind, the angle also is an important aspect to judge the force ease while inserting the scoop.
I decided not to coil the threads too compactly as a screw because ice cream would stick in the grooves making the cleaning difficult.
I finally came up with three iterations of the concept inspired by a winter headscarf, a biker’s helmet and ice cream topping with sprinkles. The first one was explored with the help of keyword mapping (Ice cream — Cold — Winters — Head Scarf), the second one was derived as a result of the first one and its form (Head Scarf — other head protection — Helmet — similar hemispherical form), and the third one related to the ice cream (Dripping — Melting — Topping — Garnishing).
I decided to explore in terms of existing forms because my target group is children which could help them relate to the form and learn better. (For instance, the scoop becomes cold while scooping ice cream and adding the newly designed part with resemblance of a headscarf can ensure that children do the same and wear a headscarf in winters to protect themselves from the cold).
While exploring the third iteration, I broke the continuous threading from a line to a dashed line, inspired by the matchbox’s phosphorus dotted strip, to see if more friction eases the process of rotational and linear movement while using the scoop. This dashed line would add to the aesthetics of the product as well, camouflaging with the sprinkles.
MATERIALS
- Silicone:
I decided to use silicone as the base material because it displays viscoelasticity — viscosity and elasticity — and hence could be attached with ease. Its fitting will just be like how the lip of the balloon fixed itself to the scoop in the sketch model explored before. Another reason for choosing silicone was because of its non porous characteristic. It doesn't retain odors or colors and it is easier to wash or clean, and hence it is widely used in kitchen products and utensils.
- Stainless Steel:
The threading part will be of stainless steel (as the screw) to ensure durability and strength, and coated with color to maintain the aesthetics of the product.
For a better understanding, I drew the orthographic view of the headscarf concept. Other two will have similar views with a difference in their forms.
After drawing the orthographic view, I noticed that the hollow section resembles like a smiling lip which can add on to the sales of the product if manufactured. Smile, there is nothing ice cream can’t resolve!
I tried to make a software model and render it. It was my first attempt with Autodesk Fusion 360 but tutorials helped me throughout the process. One of the models is still in process.
I also tried to place the rendered part (attachment) with the product (ice cream scoop) to see its overall preview.
Concept-1 is still in process and will be updated soon.
