Executive Summary

Product Purpose

Hand-Operated Bilge Pump: The primary purpose of a bilge pump is to remove water from a maritime vessel. However, the pumping function of the device makes the hand-operated version useful in a range of applications where a liquid must be drawn out of a source and relocated to a different area. Although the use of a device to remove accumulated water from a boat evolved from buckets, to hand-operated bilge pumps, and finally to electric bilge pumps, the hand-operated version of this technology is widely used on vessels as a backup in the event of an emergency. In addition to small boats, hand-operated bilge pumps are used in kayaks, canoes, rowboats, lifeboats, and a host of other personal watercraft applications in which a compact, light-weight, easy to use, and economical pump is required.

Siphon: The purpose of a siphon is to transfer water from a fish tank to a bucket located at a lower elevation. In addition, the attachment allows the rocks to become dislodged into the turbulent flow, thus cleaning off the algae, then returning the rocks to the bottom of the aquarium.

Customer Needs

Hand-Operated Bilge Pump: The principal user needs for a hand-operated bilge pump (as used in its original design context) are as follows:

Ability to pump large quantities of water in a short period of time
Compact shape to facilitate storage (especially in the cramped confines of a kayak or canoe)
Light-weight design for convenient travel
Ease of use
Durability (to withstand common use and wear)
Low cost (to encourage widespread use)

Siphon: The principal user needs to a water siphon (as used in original design context) are as follows:

Allow you to create a siphon
Allow you to maintain a siphon
Not get clogged
Compact shape
Durable
Low Cost
Attachment shaped to pick up rocks, but not allow them to enter the tube

Stakeholders

As entities (either individuals, businesses, or groups) that have some degree of dependency on the product, the following entities are possible stakeholders for the products listed below:

Hand-Operated Bilge Pump:
- Users
- Designers, engineers, managers, and other employees at company where product is made
- Suppliers of raw materials
- Boating, sporting goods, and outdoor stores
Siphon:
- Users
- Designers, engineering, managers, and other employees at company where product is made
- Suppliers of raw materials
- Aquarium Stores

Consumer Demographics

Hand-Operated Bilge Pump: In its original design context, the primary users of this product are individuals who participate in maritime activities in a small vessel or personal watercraft. However, the hand-operated bilge pump can be employed in other settings as well, which would suggest that the targeted demographic could change depending on the application of the device. For instance, if the pump is being modified to empty an aquarium, fish-owning individuals would become the new primary consumer demographic. Siphon: The primary users of this device are individuals who own aquariums. Secondary users could be those to wish to transfer any amounts of liquid that would be difficult to transfer by buckets. Some examples of this are to empty a clogged sink, empty a small pool, or empty a gas tank.

Product Function