Weed whacker redesign

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Gas Powered:
Gas Powered:
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 +
Awkward holding position:  The design of the weed whacker forces the user to hold it in a position that has been reported to be very awkward to the user.  The right hand holds the handle where the trigger is located and the right arm is what holds most of the weed whacker's weight.  The left hand is located about ten inches down shaft of the trigger hand, and  The right arm is mostly kept bent and the left arm mostly kept straight throughout the usage in order to keep the weed whacker angled downwards toward the grass.  After a short time of use, the user's right arm would get tired and straighten, thus making the weed whacker hard to maintain over grass.
 +
 +
Weight Distribution:  Users complained about the weed whacker being heavy.  Also they didn't like how most of the weight was located in the back where the engine is.  Users found it unnatural to maneuver, and some muscles, such as biceps and back muscles, were being over used. 
 +
 +
Vibrations: The constant vibration of the 2 stroke engine proved to be quite an issue for users.  The engine is constantly erratically vibrating while idle and while throttled, which added to the inconvenience of holding the weed whacker for a prolonged amount of time in the holding position.  Also, when the trigger is pulled to throttle the engine, the sudden clockwise rotation of the axle creates an opposite reaction of the weed whacker being suddenly thrust in a counter clockwise moment.  This twisting of the weed whacker seemed to be small issue with some users. 
 +
Electric:
Electric:
 +
Awkward holding position: Similar to the gas powered weed whacker, the hand positions are awkward making the left arm completely extend forward and the right arm bent to the user's side. We observed this position made it difficult to sweep the device from side to side.
 +
 +
Weight Distribution: The electric weed whacker design had most of the weight too far forward as the motor was located at the head of the weed whacker. Although it is lighter, users experience that more effort is needed to hold the weight. Over time we observed the user resting the end of the weed whacker on the ground to rest their arms.
 +
 +
Power supply: The particular design used a power cord to supply power. This allowed the motor to spin at optimal speeds so we did not observe a lack of power. Vibration and noise did not seem to be a problem either. However the user constantly pulled and relocated the power cord while usage. This problem was not reported as a problem when asked. We observed that the cord could cause major injury if cut or caught on the user.
== Brainstorming Ideas ==
== Brainstorming Ideas ==

Revision as of 18:03, 4 October 2008

Contents

User Testing

Research and Observations

Shopping

After asking many potential customers who were looking at weed whackers we found that the main concerns of users were:

  • Cost
  • Maintenance
  • Safety
  • Ease of use

Other concerns included:

  • Weight
  • Noise
  • Vibration
  • Power

We noticed that many of them assumed characteristics of the design.

Gas powered:

  • High power
  • Noisy
  • Vibrates
  • Hot

Electric powered:

  • Not enough power
  • Low battery life

Usage

After observing a few weed whacker users, we asked them what their main complaints and difficulties of using their particular weed whacker.

Gas Powered:

Awkward holding position: The design of the weed whacker forces the user to hold it in a position that has been reported to be very awkward to the user. The right hand holds the handle where the trigger is located and the right arm is what holds most of the weed whacker's weight. The left hand is located about ten inches down shaft of the trigger hand, and The right arm is mostly kept bent and the left arm mostly kept straight throughout the usage in order to keep the weed whacker angled downwards toward the grass. After a short time of use, the user's right arm would get tired and straighten, thus making the weed whacker hard to maintain over grass.

Weight Distribution: Users complained about the weed whacker being heavy. Also they didn't like how most of the weight was located in the back where the engine is. Users found it unnatural to maneuver, and some muscles, such as biceps and back muscles, were being over used.

Vibrations: The constant vibration of the 2 stroke engine proved to be quite an issue for users. The engine is constantly erratically vibrating while idle and while throttled, which added to the inconvenience of holding the weed whacker for a prolonged amount of time in the holding position. Also, when the trigger is pulled to throttle the engine, the sudden clockwise rotation of the axle creates an opposite reaction of the weed whacker being suddenly thrust in a counter clockwise moment. This twisting of the weed whacker seemed to be small issue with some users.


Electric:

Awkward holding position: Similar to the gas powered weed whacker, the hand positions are awkward making the left arm completely extend forward and the right arm bent to the user's side. We observed this position made it difficult to sweep the device from side to side.

Weight Distribution: The electric weed whacker design had most of the weight too far forward as the motor was located at the head of the weed whacker. Although it is lighter, users experience that more effort is needed to hold the weight. Over time we observed the user resting the end of the weed whacker on the ground to rest their arms.

Power supply: The particular design used a power cord to supply power. This allowed the motor to spin at optimal speeds so we did not observe a lack of power. Vibration and noise did not seem to be a problem either. However the user constantly pulled and relocated the power cord while usage. This problem was not reported as a problem when asked. We observed that the cord could cause major injury if cut or caught on the user.

Brainstorming Ideas

Weed whacker head

  • Blades instead of wire
  • Heavier wire
  • Metal wire
  • Weed “vacuum”
  • Opposing rotation whacker heads
  • Full shield (360 degrees)
  • Adjustable shield
  • Clear shield
  • Automatic line feed
  • Heavier shield

Shaft/axle/power transfer

  • Length adjustable
  • Hula hoop weed whacker
  • Rotatable shaft
  • Clear plastic shaft
  • Angled shaft
  • Locking positions
  • Torsion cable
  • Hydraulic
  • Pneumatic
  • Electric cables

Handle

  • Clamping handle
  • Smaller handle
  • Ergonomic trigger
  • Button or slide instead of trigger
  • Grip trigger
  • Shoulder strap
  • Strap to arm

Power Source

  • 4 stroke engine
  • Self-starting engine (no pull cord)
  • Electric motor
  • Power source closer to head
  • Back pack style power source
  • Solar powered
  • Hydrogen powered
  • User powered
  • Corded

Miscellaneous

  • Night light
  • Vacuum attached to whacker
  • Blower attached to whacker
  • Wheel on bottom of whacker
  • Plastic whacker
  • Tripod whacker
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