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
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
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
