Nerf gun redesign
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Contents |
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
<list of ideas>
<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
insert picture here post editing
