Keg tap redesign
From DDL Wiki
(→Design Concepts) |
(→Keg Use Survey) |
||
| Line 36: | Line 36: | ||
3. What events would you purchase a keg for? | 3. What events would you purchase a keg for? | ||
| - | + | # Any large, casual party | |
| - | # Any large, casual party | + | |
# Tailgating | # Tailgating | ||
# Barbeques | # Barbeques | ||
Revision as of 19:06, 5 October 2009
Contents |
Executive Summary
Market Research
Provide description of market research and observations. Include pictures to communicate key observations where possible. Summarize top stakeholder product needs in a list.
Keg Use Survey
In order to determine the market need for kegs and taps, the following survey was distributed. We collected over 100 responses: approximately 85% from college students, 10% from young professionals, and 5% from adults. About three-quarters of those surveyed drink from a keg a few times a month; the remainder reported consuming beer from a keg on a less regular basis (a few times a year, used to in college but no longer do, and never). The questions are based on home keg use as opposed to beer on tap at bars.
1. What issues have you experienced getting beer out of a keg?
- Too much foam
- Some taps dispense too slowly
- Long lines to fill cup
- Having to continuously pump the keg
- Difficulty getting the last bit out of beer out of the keg
- Trouble with keg stands
- Tap breaking
- Difficult to pump
- Bad seal which makes it hard to get pressure from pumping
2. What are some advantages/disadvantages to buying a keg instead of cans or bottles?
Advantages: much cheaper than cans/bottles, reduced waste and smaller environmental impact, easier to clean up, carbonation level better from keg, assuming the keg is new/has been well taken care of, the beverage quality is generally higher (less chance of skunking or tasting like metal), easier to provide for large groups of people, can be delivered, don’t need to search for a bottle opener.
Disadvantages: have to return keg, keg needs to stay cold until you’re done with it, less variety with kegs than bottles and cans, may be tougher to monitor consumption i.e. not knowing what is in a certain guest’s cup and harder to keep track of the number of beers you’ve had when refilling a cup, negative perception of “keggers” versus a more mature party with premium beers, finding a place to put the keg, accepting that kegs are unattractive, tap could break, if keg isn't finished the beer will go bad and be a waste, kegs are heavy and hard to move, issues with foam, kegs are banned at some schools
3. What events would you purchase a keg for?
- Any large, casual party
- Tailgating
- Barbeques
- Camping
4. Have you ever tapped a keg? What problems did you have, if any?
- The tap would not stay screwed into the keg (may have been broken)
- Difficult to screw the tap on properly
- Not familiar with type of tap (keg tap not intuitive)
- Beer sprayed all over the place because of old or broken seal
- Pressure lost so the keg had to be retapped
- Incompatible tap-keg connections
5. What would you look for when purchasing a keg tap?
- Large, stationary upright tap as opposed to a long tube and tiny nozzle
- Sturdy feel (the piston doesn’t wobble)
- Low cost
- Durable
- Good pumping and dispensing mechanisms
- Quality materials
- Intuitive/Easy to use
- Multiple nozzles
- Good grip on the dispenser
- Lightweight
- Easy to wash
- Long hose with a sturdy nozzle
- Compatible with a broad array of kegs
- Maximum beer flow
6. How could your overall keg experience be improved? Please include any suggestions you may have.
- Way to chill keg
- Pressure gauge to prevent over pumping
- Make a keg like a Gatorade cooler with a spigot at the bottom and no tap
- Handle that doesn't protrude so far off the keg (pump handle like most large ketchup dispensers)
- Eliminate foam
- Multiple hoses
- Push a button to automatically pump the keg to an optimal pressure
- Stronger flow from tap
- Way to preserve beer left over in keg so it doesn't go bad
- Keg with wheels for ease of transport
- Add light so that you can see where you’re pouring at night
- More suitable for keg stands
- More intuitive
- Rubber on keg handles to make carrying it easier
- Have only open or closed option for nozzle
- More pressure per pump (foot pump?)
- Keep cost down (no CO2 canisters)
Design Concepts
Provide sketches and descriptions of top 3-5 design concepts, describing what opportunities have been identified and how they will be addressed.
Issue 1: Foam Reduction
Concept Solutions:
- Pressure Gauge
- Separate Beer Reservoir
- Straightened beer outlet tube
Issue 2: Keg refrigeration
Concept Solution:
- Coiled tubes in ice bath
Issue 3: Distribution Improvement
Concept Solution:
- Multiple hoses
Competitor Products
Identify relevant competitor products from your patent searches, commercial searches, web searches, and expert interviews. Compare pros and cons of each concept on a standard Pugh chart against your top stakeholder needs, and benchmark against the most relevant competitors. If your concepts are better on some attributes and worse on others, identify any market segments likely to value the tradeoffs you can offer.
Design Plan
Provide a Gantt chart to map out the team plan for design and prototyping through the remainder of the semester. Be detailed about our particular project and member contributions.
Key Findings
Summarize findings and recommendations. In particular, identify which concept you recommend pursuing for the remainder of the semester. Provide a hypothetical user scenario representative of our target market from our research findings to motivate top solution concept.
Team Member Roles
Include process summary.
References
Appendix
Brainstorming Ideas:
- Pressure meter
- Pressure release valve
- Flat surface to put cup on
- Multiple cup holders
- Adjustable cup holder
- Multiple hoses
- Instead of hoses have a reservoir with spouts
- Flatten the keg on one side
- Carbon Dioxide canister
- Keg stand helper
- Wheels on keg
- Flatter, more rectangular handle
- Strap for carrying keg
- Motorized keg
- Tubing to cool beer
- Cooling Koozie
- Insulated keg
- Instructions for tapping
- Larger diameter hose
- Empty-full gauge
- Cup dispenser
- Pong ball dispenser
- Quarter dispenser
- Fold-out table
- Keg grill
- Pump into separate reserve
- Cooled reserve
- Hose-less nozzle
- Breathalyzer
- Flow straightener
- Separate center cylinder
- Way to suck out foam faster
- Button to tap keg instead of pump
- Recirculate foam back into keg
- External primer
- Internal chamber to recirculate foam
- Different locking mechanism
- Self-assembled tap (compact packaging)
- Put some substance into keg to reduce foam (like Guinness bottles)
- Put some substannce into tap to reduce foam
- Keg can play music when pumped
- Charges ipod with pumping
- Nozzle only open or close
- Koozie to insulate keg
- Beer counter
- Pump counter
- Measuring device to dispense only certain amount of beer
- Plastic keg tap
- Novelty keg taps with different characters (ie. Peter Griffin, Ninja Turtles, Statue of Liberty)
- Keg tap with audio
- Voice-activated pressure gauge
- Magic 8 ball keg tap
- Sanitizer
- Glow in the dark keg tap
- Flashlight attached to nozzle
- Attach different beverage to nozzle to make mixed drinks
- Different nozzle heads (Spray, jet)
- Foot pump tap
- Electric motor
- Multiple kinds of beer in 1 keg
- Disco-light tap
- Fog machine
- Foam machine
- Gargoyling assist
- Turn a wheel instead of pumping
- Clear tube to see foam
- Plexiglass keg
- Strip of plexiglass to show beer level
- Plexiglass top only
- Recognition system (Only one person can tap keg)
- Theft reduction system
- Vending machine keg (Quarter per beer)
- Tells alcohol percentage
- Removable hose, different attachments
- Water fountain tap
- Beer flows out over fountain
- Disposable nozzle cover
- No lever arm on tap (twists into place)
- Make everything stainless steel
- Diamond keg tap
- Bigger center cylinder
- Hose attachment at angle or straight up
- Offset pump so beer comes out straight
- Double barrel pump (balances out moment)
- Use outlet tube to pump (no turns)
- Pump like ketchup dispenser
- Universal attachment (works for all kegs)
- Ice container with coils for cooling beer (sits on keg, attaches to tap)
- Dishwaster safe
- Garden hose nozzle adapter for easy cleaning (flush with water)
- Retractable hose (like in sink)
- Hose comes coiled, tap has holder
- Instead of flowing through coils, beer flows over cold surface into cup
- Handle turns red when keg nears empty
- Rack for holding keg
- Container that has drain for water when ice melts
