Dishes

8 min readOct 4, 2017

interviews —

Most of the questions I asked:

Sami- Is a college freshman, lives in an apartment with 4 other girls and shares one kitchen. Her interview gave me a perspective of the use of dishes in a cramped and busy environment.

~Sami prefers bowls over plates, specifically larger, shallower bowls because they “keep the food more contained than plates do” as well as they are easier to eat out of when there is no place to set her bowl down to eat due to lack of counter space and no table in their apartment.

~Sami hand washes all the dishes she uses because “the dishwasher takes too long and the dishes don’t always come out clean”

~she likes square Tupperware over round Tupperware because “its easier to stack in the fridge”

~she keeps silverware and utensils in jars on the counter due to limited drawer space. she “likes [her] Utensils in the jar because they are easily accessible when cooking” but “[she] does not like silverware in the jars because it is hard to see what you are grabbing and the silverware will poke you”.

utensils are in the jar and silverware is in metal cylinders

~The pans she most frequently uses are nonstick because “they are easier to clean”

Julie — is my neighbor in my suburban neighborhood. She is a stay at home mom of a friend and cooks for a family of five. She has a big kitchen and doesn't live a busy lifestyle. I chose Julie’s kitchen because she has the opposite lifestyle of Sami and this will give me a different perspective.

~Julie also likes bowls better than plates because “they hold things better and it helps keep a smaller portion”

~she likes having a variety of dishes for different occasions

~For everyday use of dishes she will use smaller dishes because she will have smaller meals and she doesn't sit down to eat all the time.

~ she likes using smaller pots because “they are easier to clean”

~I asked if I can see her Tupperware and she responds with “are you sure?” the Tupperware is so disorganized that she makes her husband find the right Tupperware and a lid that fits.

~The worst dishes to hand wash are the ones with things stuck on them.

Julie has a disorganized utensils drawer

Julia — friend that is still in High school. She is very busy with sports and clubs and school but still lives at home. I choose her because she is in the middle of the two previous people I interviewed. She has a busy lifestyle but is still in a comfortable kitchen.

~Julia also likes using bowls over plates “they are easier to just eat snacks out of” and most meals she eats go in bowls anyways; bowls contains food better.

~she does not like running the dishwasher because “it’s hard to fit everything in and stuff doesn't always come out clean”

~she uses a lot of Tupperware for leftovers and always puts the Tupperware in the fridge

observing Heidi’s house —

Observing Kathy’s house —

Macy’s

dishes:

Silverware:

Pots and Pans:

Target

Dishes:

Silverware:

Utensils:

Cups:

Pots and Pans:

Tupperware:

Pottery barn Online:

Pottery barn does not offer as much online as in stores and it is more decorative and seasonal than Macy’s or Target

Unpacking:

I organized all my notes from each interview and the kitchens and marketplaces I observed into two categories: potential problems and things that seem to work. This organization gave me some insights.

Insights:

~The people that are the busiest don’t use Tupperware very often. (Sami and Julia)

~Busy people don’t have time for the dishwasher. (Sami and Julia)

~Bowls are a favorite dish. (All)

~Tupperware is mostly used in the fridge. (All)

~Square Tupperware is most convenient when fitting it in the fridge. (Sami and Julia)

~Keeping dishes right where they are needed is most popular. (Julie and Sami)

~Keeping utensils out rather than in the drawer is easiest. (sami)

~The use of dishes depends a lot on the cleaning of them. (Julie and Sami)

~Washing less dishes results in more dishes bought. (Julia and Julie)

~The dishes that are not used as much are typically the most disorganized. (all)

~The dishes that are not used as much do not get sold in packs. (all stores)

Problem Statements

~Utensils need a way to consolidate because of the kitchens and stores I observed there are too many utensils for singular unpopular needs that make kitchens messy and disorganized.

~Mugs need a way stack because they take up too much space.

~Tupperware needs to be easily put away because of all the houses I observed and interviewed Tupperware storage is the messiest and hard to match lids with bottom.

interviews: i will work on conducting those throughout the week and get the three interviews done by Friday. oct 4–6

Observe: i will observe peoples kitchens and dishes throughout the week and over the weekend. oct 6–8

market observation: i will go to target and observe something online oct 8

unpacking: once i have done my observing i will gather all my information oct 8

major insights: oct 9

problem statements: oct 9