The Push Pin
Personal Selection
My design object of choice is the push pin. I ended up choosing this object because as I was brainstorming what to use, something that wasn’t on the list, it was just sitting right in front of me on the wall. I thought this was a tiny thing that most people ignore and just use every day without thinking about it, so it was the perfect object.
History
The push pin was invented by Edwin Moore in 1900 in Newark, New Jersey. He founded his own company, called the Moore Push Pin Company, where he wanted to make and sell his new invention. When he started out, he only had $112.60 in his bank account. He used up all of his time making push pins out of glass and steel to sell the next day. He began to sell more and more and made lots of money doing it. What motivated him to make it was that with plain nails, it was hard to get a grip on them and pull them out of the board without ruining what was being hung up. Instead, a pin with a good grip makes it easier to pull out and less likely to rip the work.
Function
The main function of the push pin is ease. It is used to put things up on a wall or board easily so everyone can see it. The plastic part that we grab is what makes it safer and easier to push and pull out of the wall.
User
The people that usually use a push pin are really everyone. Children and teenagers use them to hang up drawings and pictures on a bulletin board, adults use them to hang up papers at work for a meeting, and the elderly use them to hang up their grandchildren’s art. Students, teachers, and others in the category of art tend to use push pins a lot more because they are always hanging up artwork.
Materials + Production
Push pins were originally made from glass and steel. Nowadays, they are still made from steel, but we now use plastic. The steel is used in the point, and the part we hold on to is made from plastic. They also used to be made by hand, but now, they are made in a factory by big machines.
Affordance
I think that the shape of the push pin easily shows how to use it without having to ask how. There is a thin part where your fingers can fit to grab it. You see the pointy end, and you know not to touch that part of it because it looks sharp and dangerous, so that must be the part that goes into the board. The design of the push pin makes it easy for everyone to use every day.
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