Thursday, September 4, 2008

Experience Enrichment: Grater




I have redesigned the grater for my experience enrichment project. I decided that my target market would we mid to late age women. I defined this market as women between the age bracket of 35-60 yrs. These women that i have designed for are not short of money, and status is important to them. The first and most important thing they consider when buying is the appearance of the item and second they consider the functionality.
This grater was not made to be folded up and stuffed in a drawer. it has been specifically been made to be a center piece in the kitchen never to be hidden (my target market have spacious kitchens so a lack of counter top space is not an issue). When i designed this grater i wanted to make the monotonous task of grating more enjoyable. Having not done much grating before, i went home and experimented with different graters and grating techniques. I noted what i liked and disliked from each of the graters i trailed. I found that all graters are hard to hold and unstable when you need the stability the most, to combat this i began the design with a wide sturdy base. The next major thing i noticed is that graters are either flat (horizontal) or nearly vertical, neither was comfortable to use. I positioned the face of my grater at an angle (approx 60 deg.) ,which allows the most natural movement of the arm and shoulder, making the grating easier for the operator. I shaped the handle so the user could keep a firm grip at all times, the handle was designed specifically for smaller hands (my my hands it doesn't quite fit), it works for both left and right handers. To avoid slipping the handle is made of rubber.
I was primarily inspired by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, i thought it was intriguing to see his curvaceous and dynamic designs. For the form i wanted the grater to look simple, intriguing and feminine. I wanted my grater to be a sculpture centerpiece first, and a functional grater second.
I think that when people see the grater they are interested. " what is that?", "it's so wild" i think that it is a definite talking piece in the kitchen plus i believe that its is an improvement on the existing grater.


6 comments:

uel said...

that grater looks awesome dude!

Anonymous said...

Derek successfully presents his target audience with a product design that considers both form and function. His concern and research into a grater's use and athetics are clearly illustrated through his choice of materials, product shape and colour.


One way his design may have been improved is if varying hole sizes were offered to the user. As the size of a foods shavings largly depend on the type of food being greated the product could offer additional inter-changeable metal sheets. Each sheet presenting a different grating thickness and size.


Otherwise great design =)

Tyler K said...

This design has very elegant curvature and this allows the form to directly relate to the intended market. the form makes the product very functional, being able to go over bowls and easy to maintain.

The colour is standard, and i can see the product being colour co-ordinated to the consumers needs.

A very beautiful design andis is also functional and compatible to it's intended users. well done

Ben Kagan said...

This grater effectively gives consumers both a visually appealing and extremely functional hand-tool. It is great to look at and appears to be very ergonomic.

I think your target market should be re-thought. It is a great design however it does not appear to be something i could see someone like my mother picking out. It appears to be slightly masculine.

Andrew Cook said...

first of all i love the model its a great looking product with a cool design. it represents your target market well. it looks really comfortable and would not be out of place in the kitchen. it looks sculptural and comfortable to use. i believe it would turn a mundane task into something more pleasureable well done. explore different grateing holes for different foods ect.

Gabriel Ly said...

Haha if i was a mid to late aged women i'd buy that but i'm not...

The grater does in my opinion capture the target market, whilst providing the ergonomics and features for a grater in the kitchen.

Nothing really from me to improve but overall, great work!