Refinement

8 min readNov 16, 2017

the best gets even better!

The GRID (Genius Roomage Improvement Device)

NB: my home scanner is broken. I will be unable to add scans of sketches until tomorrow early afternoon when I get to Rapson.

SCAMPER

With your selected idea use the SCAMPER prompt questions (substitute, combine, adapt, magnify/minify, put to other use, eliminate, reverse/rearrange) to generate ideas for improvements or changes to your product concept. For each letter of SCAMPER, list at many variations/improvements on your idea as you can (at least 7 per letter). For each letter, select the best concept and make a higher quality drawing (full page, title). Scan these 7 sketches and present both the lists of ideas and the sketches in your blog.

substitute

what if the material was soft, like silk bands or rope?
how about a bamboo material? Is bamboo a sustainable source? (note: this product on client’s website)
what if the divisions were strictly illustrative (like Destiny’s whiteboards)?
instead of cubby holes, what about a grid of clips that keep the items separated?
is there a better acronym for GRID? Is it important for there to be an acronym? Is it important for it to be all-caps? (“Grid” vs. “GRID” vs. “grid”, etc)
why does it need to be in the shape of a box? What if instead it was a nebulous, squishable shape to organically fit the user’s space?
is this a good fit as a dresser drawer product? What if instead this hung from a closet hanger?

combine

what if this was a product that could be thrown into the washing machine? Saving the users steps on a weekly basis
could we integrate odor-removing properties to the product?
could the product fold up like an accordion? It would then be much more flexible and fit many shapes and areas.
does it need an outer edge? what if instead the inner grid components were strong enough to support the product’s weight even while standing vertically?
to expand upon the above idea, what about a combination of materials? Something like a rigid outer component to provide structural integrity, but a stretchy inner material to accommodate various-sized accessories.
make the GRID stackable, allowing a customer to purchase & use multiples of the product at once.
a material that’s intended for DIY-style projects (unfinished wood, for example) both encourage user engagement

adapt

drawing from tool storage systems, what about a lazy-susan style self-standing turnstile?
if this product is changed to be a hanging-style product, a rotation system would make it more compact.
honeycomb structure for strength (especially for stand-upright situations). (see: “bees”)
actually, the same example of the IKEA bookshelf could apply to this idea as well. A manufacturing process drawn from how modern doors are made would potentially apply to a [rigid] GRID product.
compare to MadeSmart’s pre-existing adjustable bamboo drawer organizer — instead of a single rigid piece that was the product, a tinkertoy-esque construction system for building the grid system in a form that is appropriate to the user’s space.
I have a sliding jewelry tray in my new dresser. I think adding this feature to the GRID might make it more valuable to users (video below)

my dresser. I may steal this.

compare this product to a shoe cubby. What works well in that product space that may translate well here? I found an interlocking shoe cubby product on amazon. I think that an interlocking design could be an interesting direction to take.

magnify / modify

the imagined size is something that could fit in a dresser drawer. What if instead it was larger? If it was something like a back-of-door hung grid system? It could fit socks, underwear, as well as other items like shirts and pants (with appropriately-sized cubbies).
turn this adjustable grid system into a linen rack (making it even bigger). Make the grid cubbies even larger, and storage in a closet or the back of a door.
make it faster — a system for accessory storage with built-in rare-earth magnets to catch jewelry.
make it exaggerated — the actual dividing materials are thicker, and contain grooves for jewelry storage
what can we add — how about 1/2 watch-storage boxes with winding mechanisms?
make it thinner — what are ways to minimize the grid components of the product? large grid components make the drawer space smaller, taking away storage area
do more things — add a hidden compartment for storage of sensitive documents (like passports, etc)

put to other use

use the product for glassware instead of clothing? the grid components could store and protect various-sized fragile glassware
potential other use: spice drawer organization
possible other use: in an office location. Expandable compartments, in a grid on a larger scale, could work well for floor mail center with individual employee’s boxes
if the organic, customizable cubby-sizing method works, it could work well as a book shelf. Could have a really nice aesthetic
like above, this system could be great for home gyms, storing athletic and exercise equipment. A grid storage system with a positive aesthetic and customization could be very attractive.
with a shallower depth and smaller boxes, this would be great as a strictly-jewelry & makeup organization product.
angled, it would be a great space-saving indoor plant trellis.

eliminate

this was especially hard to do. My product already is very very simple. I struggled to find things to eliminate.

does it need a backing? Standing up or laying down, it doesn’t really need one.
simplify — larger, uniformly-sized cubbies
“rules eliminated” — make it just a box. Socks (et. all) don’t need to be separated from each other.
make it smaller — small to just fit jewelry and makeup.
“split into separate parts” — each cubby is a separate container. They can stack or join together (like hollow LEGO bricks)
“compact it” — utilize the shape of the perquisite drawers and create a “bookend” product that utilizes drawer corners as sectionized cubbies.
no moving parts. The GRID is a uniform size. Its non-customizability makes it much easier to use and derive value.

reverse / rearrange

instead of a series of cubbies, the GRID is a series of tubes that the accessories fit into. It’s not a product containing empty space, it’s a product of a series of containers.
the product mounts on the ceiling, or underneath furniture such as a desk or table. Accessories are held in place by friction, and removed simply by grabbing and pulling down on the object.
a series of pegs. The items are not necessarily separated from each other, but still held in place by the product. This makes it much easier to fit various sizes of items into a uniformly-spaced product.
instead of a grid system, build the product to be shaped like a series of open-top tubes. The items will sit next to each other but still be easily accessible and easily organized.
“inside out” — a system where folded clothing clips onto the perimeter of a piece of furniture.
the folded pieces of clothing go into piles. Each pile is sorted into separated sections.
changing arrangement — instead of a strict 2-dimensions of storage, utilize 1 degree of storage. Everything gets stored in a line at the back of a dresser drawer.

TRIZ

With TRIZ, use your problem statement or a variation of it. Convert it into a contradiction. Determine the problem parameters, the key innovative principles related to it, and then make a list of five new ideas that come from this process. Describe your process, sketch the best idea in your notebook (full page, title), and scan it [and present it on the blog].

Problem statement: How might we organize socks and underwear in a compact and stylish manner?
Contradiction: ease of operation while not decreasing productivity
solutions: (15) Dynamics; (1) Segmentation; (28) Mechanics substitution

Process

after reading through the 39 parameters as listed in the class handout, I decided that the parameter to improve would be ease of operation, and the parameter to preserve is productivity.

I then used the chart to identify the Triz40-identified methods of solution: (1) Segmentation; (15) Dynamics; and (28) Mechanics substitution. Reading through these entries, I came up with the following ideas:

make the GRID to be a set of straight-lined materials with quick-connect joints for easy customization and flexibility.
each rod piece of the GRID system has an adjustable length. This will make it expandable to fit the required space.
build the GRID cross sections out of weak magnets. This makes the systems especially flexible and easy to manipulate.
make the product out of a balloon-like material. The amount of air pumped into the product will define its exact shape, rigidity, height, etc.
Sub-divide the rail components to allow them to be interlocking pieces. This will make the device much more flexible to fit various spaces.

Presentation Material

Using your best version of your idea after this session (which could be the original idea), create two slides that can be used to pitch your idea to the client. One slide should focus on the problem/market/state of the art/ user and one should focus on your solution. These slides should be thematically unified and feel as if they are part of the same presentation. They should neatly and clearly summarize your work without being overly detailed or text heavy. You can use any means to create these slides, however the final submission will be two pages of PDF that are 11”x8.5” landscape orientation that can be printed. Solution slide should focus on your final idea and can feature hand drawings, renderings, photographs, photoshopped images, etc. Images of these two slides should appear in your blog post and you should physically bring in copies [to class] that can be drawn on.