Toaster redesign
From DDL Wiki
Contents |
Executive Summary
Research and Observations
In order to help determine potential and beneficial conceptual designs, our team pursued research on users, stakeholders, and started figuring out the extent of our what our current design problems are.
Users Study
Leigh
Expert Interview
Akshay Pamelas Guy
Design Problem
Akshay and Leigh
Modes of Dissatisfaction (MoD)
- Bread gets stuck in the toaster, and is hard to get out.
- Uneven toasting
- Extremely Burnt toast
- Toast does not pop up all the way
- Toast catching on fire
Pictures will be attached to describe each MoD
User and Stakeholder Needs
Leigh
Design Concepts
From our brainstorming and list of 100 ideas, we have narrowed down our ideas to 4 concepts. These concepts are the ideas that we thought were most tangible and were chosen based on user study research.
Concept 1: Clear Walled Toaster
Akshay
One of the concepts that was considered from the 103 brainstorming ideas was a clear walled toaster. The reasoning behind this was that from the data we gathered from the survey, it was noted that one of the issues that users has with toasters was that they had no idea how toasted the bread was, until it popped out. The concept of a clear walled toaster would alleviate this problem. The user would always know how toasted the bread was at any given instant, and if no more toasting was deemed necessary, the user could terminate the toasting process if he/she wished. This design would require higher maintenance compared to the other conceptual ideas and the stock toaster, as the user would have to continually clean the toaster to keep it looking its best all the time. This cleaning upkeep may not be all a waste of time though. With care and cleaning, the toaster would be a very chic addition to any kitchen, with its shiny glass walls and look of sophistication.
The glass walled toaster would have the following interesting features for practical operation:
- The glass used in the toaster would be tempered so it would be able to withstand the high temperatures of a toaster.
- The heating element would be stuck onto the glass sheets in a similar grid like arrangement like that of a normal toaster.
- Multiple layers of glass would be placed in between the heating glass, and the outside of the toaster (the user side). The layers of air in between the glass sheets would insulate the user from the heat of the heating glass. As glass and air are BOTH insulators, this would allow for safe operation of the toaster.
- A cancel button and toasting selection dial would also be standard. Everything else resembles a classic toaster.
This toaster would clearly be able to address some stakeholder needs, but we think that the cost of of manufacture would be higher than what we would like. The toaster does not address the scenario of what happens when the bread gets stuck in the slot, and it may be difficult to get out. The summary of advantages and disadvantages are listed below.
Advantages:
- Can see toast 'toast'
- Looks cool
Disadvantages:
- May be expensive to manufacture
- Toast may get stuck in slot
- High maintenance
Concept 2: Fold Out Toaster
The fold out toaster design is intended to solve several problems users have with toasters as well as major failure modes. The heating sides will use a solid sheet of conductive material to promote more even heating and protect the internal components. These sheets will also protect the user from internal components and make it nearly impossible for the toast to get caught and shred during ejection. Small shelves will run up and down the fold out sides to push the toast up, similar to a conventional toaster. This will allow the user to pick up the toast from the top of the ejected side.
This new toaster will begin operation whenever the user pushes the handle down OR closes the fold out sides manually. Pushing together the sides of the toaster is a much easier action than pushing down the small handle on conventional toasters. The inside heating panels will be able to "float", allowing various sizes of bread to be toasted equally. The fold out panel will push the bread flat against the inside panel, such that both sides of the bread are pushed up against the conductive material.
Fold out sides allow for much easier loading of toasting products as well. Different shape and size products can simply be placed on the diagonal panel and pushed in to toast. Smaller items that would normally be difficult to remove after toasting will be much more accessible. No more sticking a fork in the toaster to remove inadequately ejected food products.
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Advantages:
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Disadvantages:
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Concept 3: Enclosed Toaster
The enclosed toaster concept addresses certain, key stakeholder needs. Specifically, an enclosed design would allow for more uniform heat distribution within the toaster, helping to uniformly toast the food. Another important improvement over the standard toaster is that it would lessen the heat and power needed for each toasting cycle. In current toasters, energy is wasted because of the open toaster slots. Having a capping system would prevent much of this convection to the environment. Thus, the cycle times could be shortened, and less power could be used.
There are, however, issues with such a design. First, it does not address the issue of the bread, bagel, or pastry becoming stuck in the toaster. In fact, it would likely make removing such a piece of food even more difficult. Also, it brings about more complexity in a toaster. This has two effects on the stakeholders. For the manufacturer, it introduces more steps and parts to be assembled on the toaster, raising production costs. For the user, more complexity often decreases reliability. In this case, it may cause more nuisances with toasters; for example, the lid getting stuck closed.
The basic mechanism is shown below. Essentially, a thin rod would connect the bread holder to the lid. As the bread holder rises, it pushes up the lid. In this way, the main mechanism of ejecting the toast would not be modified, so it would be a relatively simple addition to the toaster and toaster manufacturing process.
To summarize:
Advantages
- More even toasting
- Less power consumption
Disadvantages
- Potentially more difficult to remove toast
- Adds complexity
- Reliability issues
Concept 4: Front Loading Toaster
A front loading toaster concept came from trying to change up how a toaster is traditionally used. By loading toast in the front, we are making the toaster more accessible and easy to use. to make it easier to work and in hopeswould be a toaster that
Concept Comparison with Pugh Chart
| Description | Standard Toaster | Clear Wall Toaster | Fold Out Toaster | Enclosed Toaster | Front Load Toaster | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sketch |  | | | |
| |
| Criteria | Weight | Datum 1 | Design 1 | Design 2 | Design 3 | Design 4 |
| Manufacture/Assembly | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| Affordable | 3 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| Toasting Consistency | 2 | 0 | ++ | 0 | + | 0 |
| Toast Retrieval/Ejection | 3 | 0 | 0 | ++ | 0 | ++ |
| Storage | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | -- |
| Maintenance | 1 | 0 | - | ++ | 0 | 0 |
| Safety | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | - | + |
| Easy to Use | 1 | 0 | ++ | + | 0 | 0 |
| + | 0 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 7 | |
| 0 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | |
| - | 0 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 | |
| Net Score | 0 | -1 | 3 | -1 | 3 | |
Design Schedule
Recommendation Summary
Team Members
| Leigh Fortenberry | Jon Goettler | Akshay Jayaram | Ian Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Front Loading Toaster Concept, User Study, Design Problems | Fold Out Toaster Concept, Recommendation Summary | Clear Wall Toaster Concept, Expert Interview, Design Problems | Enclosed Toaster Concept, Executive Summary, Patent and Market Research |
Appendix
Possible Innovations
List of 100 ways to innovate a toaster:
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Toaster Design Information
Ian
