Nerf gun redesign

From DDL Wiki

Revision as of 11:01, 2 October 2009

Executive Summary

Market Research

Because Nerf guns are so established in the marketplace, there are many groups and communities with products similar to Nerf's. In order to conduct our market research, we first defined the specific areas of the market we wanted to look at. These include: Nerf weapons, off-brand Nerf weapons, online Nerf modification communities, patents pertaining to toys, and youtube videos of children with their modified weapons.

Nerf Weapons: There is an incredible amount and variety of nerf weapons available. Just looking at the guns that shoot darts, there already exists a gun for just about every purpose. There are small guns, large guns, guns with massive ammo clips, battery powered guns, two in one guns, guns with electronic games/scorekeeping, and guns with interchangable parts. See this page for all the guns listed on Nerf's website. Because of the shear number of Nerf guns that already exist, it is clear that they have filled their own niche very well. A better product might be able to distinguish itself by appealing to a different age group, or by having a very unique design (or combination of designs).

User Study

Redesign

Nerf Gun Product Improvement Ideas

Below are a list of ideas brainstormed for way to improve performance of the NERF gun. The ideas are categorized by the specific area of performance that they would improve.

Usability:

1. More intuitive to use, operation should not require instructions

2. Add indicator to let user know when gun is ready to fire

3. Make easier to disassemble for repair/adjustment

4. Make easier to assemble during manufacture/during reassembly post-repair

5. Make gun more robust

6. Secure internal components

7. Function as a crossbow

8. Create quiver to carry bow and “arrows”

9. Function as a bow & arrow

10. Function as a shotgun

11. Modify firing mechanism to pull back to cock rather than pushing forward to cock

12. Modify ergonomics so that gun is easier to hold/maneuver

13. Add grip tape to grips

14. Make easier to store

15. Make bow arms collapsible

16. Make gun more compact

17. Make gun mountable

18. Add a strap to sling gun over shoulder or back

19. Make gun soft so it can be used to hit opponents (melee weapon)

20. Make gun customizable with modular parts that can be added to the gun

Environmental Impact:

21. Bio-degradable ammunition

22. Use “green” plastic

23. Mark gun and packaging as recyclable

Aesthetics:

24. Give gun a better name

25. Make casing clear so that operation of internal mechanisms can be viewed

26. Make internal parts that are visible more aesthetically pleasing

27. Reduce noise made when firing gun

28. Make noise made by firing gun more interesting

29. Change barrel lock design so that they do not stick out of sides of gun

30. Make decorative feature more clearly decorative so that they aren’t confused with functional parts

31. Re-design front handle so that it does not look like it contains the trigger

32. Change color scheme so that gun is more concealable (camouflage, “invisible”, etc.)

33. Change color scheme to appeal to target audience

34. Make themed guns (ie Halo)

35. Make guns that interact with user by talking

Ammunition: 36. More rugged ammunition

37. Heavier ammunition to increase accuracy

38. Re-design fins on dart

39. More aerodynamic ammunition

40. Add suction tip to dart

41. Make ammunition that sticks to people

42. Smaller ammunition

43. Use ball ammunition

44. Bouncing ammunition

45. Skipping ammunition

46. Ammunition with erratic flight behavior

47. Whistle-tip ammunition

48. Beeping ammunition

49. Ammunition that plays a song

50. Washable paint-tipped ammunition

51. Ammunition with colored LED tip

52. Projectile net

53. Tethered ammunition (with break-away tether)

54. Put metal in ammunition for use with metal detector to locate darts

55. Magnetic darts

56. Heat-seeking ammunition

57. Homing ammunition

58. Embed RFID in ammunition for tracking

59. “Smart” ammunition, know if it hit someone

60. Add streamers to end of dart

61. Customizable ammunition (color, size, etc)

62. Message in a bottle ammunition (ammunition can be used to store & deliver small objects, messages, etc)

63. Self-propelled ammunition

64. Spreading ammunition (shotgun style)

65. Exploding ammunition

66. Water friendly ammunition

67. Water balloon ammunition

Ammunition Use:

68. Make reloading faster

69. Magazine feed for ammunition

70. Belt feed for ammunition

71. Motorized loading mechanism

72. Automatic reloading

73. Add ammunition storage

74. Re-design ammunition storage so it is less likely to damage the ammunition

75. Use a universal nozzle that can shoot many types of ammunition

76. Make gun able to shoot multiple round

77. Load ammunition from rear instead of from front

78. Make single action cocking mechanism

79. Ammunition vacuum

80. Ammunition-retrieving claw

81. Ammunition-retrieving robot

Fire Power: 82. Make gun shoot further

83. Add a stiffer spring

84. Add a better air seal

85. Make gun able to fire multiple shots simultaneously

86. Add variable pressure system to control shot distance

87. Add different power levels to control shot distance

88. Design separate attachments to improve gun performance

89. Compressed air firing mechanism

90. Motorized firing mechanism

Accuracy:

91. Design better aiming mechanism

92. Remove plastic lens

93. Replace plastic lens with magnifying lens

94. Add laser sight

95. Flashlights mounted on gun

96. Night vision sight

97. Mount mirrors on gun to see behind user & around corners

Warfare/Game play:

98. Nerf game rule book

99. Nerf game variations card

100. Nerf arcade game

101. Nerf video game

102. Nerf mines

103. Nerf mortars

104. Nerf grenades

105. Body armor

106. Riot gear

107. Shield that darts stick to so users can block, capture, and user opponents ammunition

108. Shield that attaches to side of Nerf gun

109. Nerf spy equipment

<our 5 new ideas>

Plasma Double Shot:

This weapon was designed to be simple, effective, and fun. In order to use this two barreled gun, the user simply places the green foam balls (~1.5" diameter) in the either of holes at the top of the gun, and gravity then lets them sink into the ready position (one ball per barrel). From there, the user pulls back on the bar on the bottom of the gun, which compresses two large springs. When the user pulls the trigger, both springs are released simultaneously, and hit both of the loaded green balls.

One of the key differences with this weapon, is that is uses green foam balls instead of the usual foam darts. This was specifically chosen to allow the gun to be loaded by gravity, rather than user action. One of the downsides of a foam ball rather than a dart is the increased profile which suffers from air resistance. To compensate for this, the gun was designed to contain a very large springs which directly contacts the balls, minimizing energy losses and ensuring a powerful shot. The gun is also very easy to use, with the user only needing to put foam balls into the hole at the top (which will be able to hold at least 6 per barrel), then pulling back the bar, and then hitting the trigger. There are no other motions necessary.

Aesthetically, the gun is appealing due to it's minimalist nature. There are no extra parts, no sharp edges, and the color scheme can be something simple to go along with that. This is on thing that should be able to set it apart from other guns, especially Nerf's guns.

The top picture (below) is a side view of the gun with most of the interns drawn out. The cavity the balls fall through, the spring, and the handles are all visible. Other things that are not drawing in this view include the trigger mechanism (which works the same way as the Big Bad Bow) and the fasteners. The bottom picture is a simple front view, illustrating both barrels, and the general shape of the gun.

Needler:

As an inspiration for this weapon, users were asked what could be done to make Nerf guns more fun to play with as part of a game. Many users commented that they thought Nerf guns would be more fun if they were more like weapons from the Halo video game series. The design and function of weapons in Halo were investigated to determine how these principles could be applied to improving the design and function of the Nerf gun. It was found that several of the Covenant (ie bad guy) weapons resembled toys and would be a good source for visual design inspiration. The needler gun, a purple and blue gun that fires pink spikes, was chosen as the basis for the design. The ornamental design of the needler gun was modified for the Nerf gun to create a more ergonomic design that users less material. The ammunition was designed with a geometric design (resembling the shape of the spikes fired by the needler) on top of a traditional cylindrical shape so that the ammunition would be easier to load and fire. In Halo, the needler feeds spikes that stick vertically into the the top surface of the gun through the weapon to fire them through the front. To simulate this ammunition loading design, ammunition is stored in several clips of 4 darts that fit into the top surface of the gun. A clip is then removed from the top of the gun and loaded into the front of the gun to prepare for firing. The gun would then be able to fire either all 4 darts and the same time, or each of the 4 darts in succession. The internals of the gun would be designed to significantly increase firing distance over a traditional Nerf gun to further increase user satisfaction with the product

Side

Top

Bottom

Ammunition