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Contents 1 Executive Summary 2 Market Research 2.1 Keg Use Survey 2.2 Result Summary 3 Design Concepts 4 Competitor Products 5 Design Plan 6 Key Findings 7 Team Member Roles 8 References 9 Appendix

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.

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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?

Of the approximately 100 people surveyed, 90% has issues with too much foam, 81% experienced long lines to fill up their cup, and 50% found it difficult to pump the tap. Other issues included:

• Tap dispesing beer too slowly
• Difficulty getting the last bit of beer out of the keg
• Trouble with keg stands
• Tap breaking

2. What are some advantages/disadvantages to buying a keg instead of cans or bottles?

Advantages:

1. much cheaper than cans/bottles
2. reduced waste and smaller environmental impact
3. easier to clean up
4. carbonation level better from keg
5. 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)
6. easier to provide for large groups of people
7. can be delivered
8. don’t need to search for a bottle opener.

Disadvantages:

1. have to return keg
2. keg needs to stay cold until you’re done with it
3. less variety with kegs than bottles and cans
4. 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
5. negative perception of “keggers” versus a more mature party with premium beers
6. finding a place to put the keg
7. accepting that kegs are unattractive
8. tap could break
9. if keg isn't finished the beer will go bad and be a waste
10. kegs are heavy and hard to move
11. issues with foam
12. 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?

1. The tap would not stay screwed into the keg (may have been broken)
2. Difficult to screw the tap on properly
3. Not familiar with type of tap (keg tap not intuitive)
4. Beer sprayed all over the place because of old or broken seal
5. Pressure lost so the keg had to be retapped
6. Incompatible tap-keg connections

5. What would you look for when purchasing a keg tap?

1. Large, stationary upright tap as opposed to a long tube and tiny nozzle
2. Sturdy feel (the piston doesn’t wobble)
3. Low cost
4. Durable
5. Good pumping and dispensing mechanisms
6. Quality materials
7. Intuitive/Easy to use
8. Multiple nozzles
9. Good grip on the dispenser
10. Lightweight
11. Easy to wash
12. Long hose with a sturdy nozzle
13. Compatible with a broad array of kegs
14. Maximum beer flow

6. How could your overall keg experience be improved?

1. Way to chill keg
2. Pressure gauge to prevent over pumping
3. Make a keg like a Gatorade cooler with a spigot at the bottom and no tap
4. Handle that doesn't protrude so far off the keg (pump handle like most large ketchup dispensers)
5. Eliminate foam
6. Multiple hoses
7. Push a button to automatically pump the keg to an optimal pressure
8. Stronger flow from tap
9. Way to preserve beer left over in keg so it doesn't go bad
10. Keg with wheels for ease of transport
11. Add light so that you can see where you’re pouring at night
12. More suitable for keg stands
13. More intuitive
14. Rubber on keg handles to make carrying it easier
15. Have only open or closed option for nozzle
16. More pressure per pump (foot pump?)
17. Keep cost down (no CO2 canisters)

Result Summary

Through the multiple questions asked in this survey there seems to be some common complaints with the current design of keg taps. Many of these complaints can be chalked up to simple user misuse, which could be resolved with a set of directions, though they would probably never be read. The largest complaint we thought we could actually make a difference with comes from the amount of foam that the tap creates. Other interesting complaints included the rate at which you can access the beer and the users ability to keep the beer cold. Due to the large percentage of people complaining about the foam, you can see that many of our brainstormed ideas were wrapped around fixing that problem. We also had multiple ideas to access the beer more quickly and keep it cold more efficiently, and decided to include at least one of each in our design concepts. Because of the glaring complaint of foam you can see that many of our brainstormed ideas were wrapped around fixing that problem.

Design Concepts

Based on our survey results, the key areas of improvement are foam reduction, keg refrigeration, and line reduction. While the 5 main concepts below fulfill these specific areas, other improvements will also be made. Ease of use, environmental impact, cost, and aesthetics will all be taken into account, and general improvements in these areas will be automatic. A more comprehensive list of ideas can be found in the appendix.

Issue 1: Foam Reduction

Concept Solutions:

• Pressure Gauge

A simple pressure gauge is something that could limit the chance of misuse by telling the user when the keg is at the ideal pressure. If we also added a release valve, this would take it a step further by entirely preventing the user from over-pumping. Ideally the gauge would be attached to the tap at the point where air is coming back out of the keg. An illustration of this is shown in Figure 1.

• Separate Beer Reservoir

A separate beer reservoir is another concept idea that would reduce foam. By having the beer enter a separate container at a high point and exit at a low point, the foam would ideally rise to the top, while the beer would exit out the hose. Whether the separate reservoir is internal or external is yet to be determined. An illustration of this general concept can be seen in Figure 2.

• Double Barrel Pump

The Double Barrel Pump is a concept that could potentially both reduce foam and facilitate pumping. With more air going into the keg, less pumps would be necessary. Also, this design would change the center cylinder, which is a key source of turbulence. In the Double Barrel Pump design, the beer would flow in a straight path, while the air flow would have a curved path. This is the opposite from standard center cylinders, where the beer is forced around many sharp turns and tight corners. An illustration of the double barrel pump is shown in Figure 3.

Issue 2: Keg refrigeration

Concept Solution:

• Coiled tubes in ice bath

Since finding containers to hold a keg can often be difficult, and the ice can be messy, this solution would minimize these issues. A container would be placed on top of the keg with the beer tube coiled around a centered cylinder. The container would then be filled with ice in order to cool the beer flowing out of the tube. It would probably take quite a length of tubing, but this could be determined by applying heat transfer calculations. Also, the shape of the container might change depending on whether it is manually pumped (there would need to be a hole to access the plunger), or if it would have a built-in C02 canister to regulate the pressure. A general illustration of this concept is shown in Figure 4.

Issue 3: Distribution Improvement

Concept Solution:

• Multiple hoses

Multiple hoses is a relatively simple solution to minimizing the waiting period for a beer. This is an idea that would definitely have to be paired with another concept, as it doesn't help to limit foam. While the illustration shows hoses coming out of the same opening in the tap, this might not be the case. Also, the tubing could potentially be elimated in favor of a series of spouts. A concept sketch is shown in Figure 5.

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.

By looking at the results for user testing, survey, and Pugh chart, we have found that a combination of our concepts is necessary. Specifically, we recommend combining the pressure gauge, to limit misuse, the double barrel pump, to facilitate pumping and improve the center cylinder, and a multiple hose attachment to accomodate more than 1 person at a time.

Team Member Roles

While the majority of the sections were done by the group as a whole, each person helped in the following areas:

Dan Boljonis: Gantt chart

Keith Haselhoff: Pugh chart

Abby Morrell: Design Concept sketches and descriptions

Julia Weirman: Compiled survey results

References

Appendix

Brainstorming Ideas:

1. Pressure meter
2. Pressure release valve
3. Flat surface to put cup on
4. Multiple cup holders
5. Adjustable cup holder
6. Multiple hoses
7. Instead of hoses have a reservoir with spouts
8. Flatten the keg on one side
9. Carbon Dioxide canister
10. Keg stand helper
11. Wheels on keg
12. Flatter, more rectangular handle
13. Strap for carrying keg
14. Motorized keg
15. Tubing to cool beer
16. Cooling Koozie
17. Insulated keg
18. Instructions for tapping
19. Larger diameter hose
20. Empty-full gauge
21. Cup dispenser
22. Pong ball dispenser
23. Quarter dispenser
24. Fold-out table
25. Keg grill
26. Pump into separate reserve
27. Cooled reserve
28. Hose-less nozzle
29. Breathalyzer
30. Flow straightener
31. Separate center cylinder
32. Way to suck out foam faster
33. Button to tap keg instead of pump
34. Recirculate foam back into keg
35. External primer
36. Internal chamber to recirculate foam
37. Different locking mechanism
38. Self-assembled tap (compact packaging)
39. Put some substance into keg to reduce foam (like Guinness bottles)
40. Put some substannce into tap to reduce foam
41. Keg can play music when pumped
42. Charges ipod with pumping
43. Nozzle only open or close
44. Koozie to insulate keg
45. Beer counter
46. Pump counter
47. Measuring device to dispense only certain amount of beer
48. Plastic keg tap
49. Novelty keg taps with different characters (ie. Peter Griffin, Ninja Turtles, Statue of Liberty)
50. Keg tap with audio
51. Voice-activated pressure gauge
52. Magic 8 ball keg tap
53. Sanitizer
54. Glow in the dark keg tap
55. Flashlight attached to nozzle
56. Attach different beverage to nozzle to make mixed drinks
57. Different nozzle heads (Spray, jet)
58. Foot pump tap
59. Electric motor
60. Multiple kinds of beer in 1 keg
61. Disco-light tap
62. Fog machine
63. Foam machine
64. Gargoyling assist
65. Turn a wheel instead of pumping
66. Clear tube to see foam
67. Plexiglass keg
68. Strip of plexiglass to show beer level
69. Plexiglass top only
70. Recognition system (Only one person can tap keg)
71. Theft reduction system
72. Vending machine keg (Quarter per beer)
73. Tells alcohol percentage
74. Removable hose, different attachments
75. Water fountain tap
76. Beer flows out over fountain
77. Disposable nozzle cover
78. No lever arm on tap (twists into place)
79. Make everything stainless steel
80. Diamond keg tap
81. Bigger center cylinder
82. Hose attachment at angle or straight up
83. Offset pump so beer comes out straight
84. Double barrel pump (balances out moment)
85. Use outlet tube to pump (no turns)
86. Pump like ketchup dispenser
87. Universal attachment (works for all kegs)
88. Ice container with coils for cooling beer (sits on keg, attaches to tap)
89. Dishwaster safe
90. Garden hose nozzle adapter for easy cleaning (flush with water)
91. Retractable hose (like in sink)
92. Hose comes coiled, tap has holder
93. Instead of flowing through coils, beer flows over cold surface into cup
94. Handle turns red when keg nears empty
95. Rack for holding keg
96. Container that has drain for water when ice melts