Blender Redesign

3D Model Prototype, HCID 521 Prototyping Studio, at University of Washington

Background

This assignment is a 3-D lo-fi prototyping exercise for a couple of quick flagship designs to demonstrate how they might apply their core competency in new ways.I choose to design and prototype for the handheld immersion blender.

Design

The OXO brand is known for applying universal design to deliver well-designed, easy to use tools for cooking and food preparation. Focusing on the universal design, I was considering the design constraints:

Accessible: The blender can be held easily and comfortably, either for the right-hand or left-hand.

Safe: Protect user from being hurt, make sure the safety, especially if it is the children uses the blender.

Readable: The screen with digital readout can be seen by user directly, and the size, color, gradient etc should be readable.

Understandable: The button, digital readout should be understandable.

Efficient: User can perform (turn on/off, increase/decrease the speed) any action in a efficient way.

Simple: Keep it simple stupid, always.

Particularly, for the 3D model, there are also some considerations:

Do not too much like a real product.

The scale should be the same as the real one (as for the blender), cuz real users would try to user this product.

The weight should be similar with the real one, not too heavy or too light.

Sketching for Model 1, Model 2, and Model 3 (iterated).

Prototype

Model 1

the front, the digital readout screen, turn on/off and speed button, the side

1. This blender is very easy and comfortable to hold, both for right-hand and left-hand.
2. There are two speed — fast and low, presented as a large button and a small button, really understandable.
3. The digital readout is very clear and readable. The visualization of speed and viscosity are both simple and understandable.

Model 2

the front, the digital readout screen, the speed control

1. This blender is very comfortable to hold both by right-hand and left-hand.
2. Only one control panel for turn on/off and speed change, very simple, convenient, and understandable. User only needs to stroll the button to turn on/off or increase/decrease the speed.
3. The digital readout screen is so clear and visualized well.

Model 3

the front, the digital readout screen and the speed control, the side

1. This blender is mostly appreciated by the user. It is the most comfortable to hold, also both for right-hand and left-hand.
2. The turn on/off button with green and red color are very intuitive. And, the “+”, “-” seem mostly easy to understand and simple.
3. The digital readout also is very clear, using number instead of visualization has the same effect.

Evaluation

User Testing

User Testing demo

user testing flow

Result

These three blenders all worked well. User can hold the blender in a comfortable way, and can understand the button and the digital readout easily, also could be able to operate fast and effectively.

Improvement

Should improve the quality of the video, especially the background noise.

Reflection

1. Make full use of the materials in the surroundings, be creative and it will be magic!
2. Iterate, iterate, and iterate, either for sketching or prototyping, always helpful.
3. Think visually, try to make it early.
4. Make better video as possible as I can.