Weed whacker redesign
From DDL Wiki
(→User Testing) |
(→Brainstorming Ideas) |
||
| Line 54: | Line 54: | ||
= Brainstorming Ideas = | = Brainstorming Ideas = | ||
| - | <!-- | + | <!-- 14--> |
Weed whacker head | Weed whacker head | ||
*Blades instead of wire | *Blades instead of wire | ||
| + | *Plastic Blades | ||
*Heavier wire | *Heavier wire | ||
*Metal wire | *Metal wire | ||
| Line 66: | Line 67: | ||
*Automatic line feed | *Automatic line feed | ||
*Heavier shield | *Heavier shield | ||
| + | *Disk shield located higher on shaft | ||
| + | *Laser cutting | ||
| + | *Scissor | ||
| - | <!-- | + | <!-- 13--> |
Shaft/axle/power transfer | Shaft/axle/power transfer | ||
*Length adjustable | *Length adjustable | ||
| + | *Telescoping shaft | ||
*Hula hoop weed whacker | *Hula hoop weed whacker | ||
*Rotatable shaft | *Rotatable shaft | ||
*Clear plastic shaft | *Clear plastic shaft | ||
*Angled shaft | *Angled shaft | ||
| + | *Bendable "snake" | ||
| + | *U shaped weed whacker | ||
*Locking positions | *Locking positions | ||
*Torsion cable | *Torsion cable | ||
| Line 80: | Line 87: | ||
*Electric cables | *Electric cables | ||
| - | <!-- | + | <!-- 10--> |
Handle | Handle | ||
*Clamping handle | *Clamping handle | ||
| Line 89: | Line 96: | ||
*Shoulder strap | *Shoulder strap | ||
*Strap to arm | *Strap to arm | ||
| + | *Shoulder mounted weed whacker | ||
| + | *Arm attachment weed whacker | ||
| + | *Split weed whacker (dual wielding) | ||
<!-- 9--> | <!-- 9--> | ||
| Line 95: | Line 105: | ||
*Self-starting engine (no pull cord) | *Self-starting engine (no pull cord) | ||
*Electric motor | *Electric motor | ||
| - | *Power source closer to head | + | *Power source closer to head of weed whacker |
*Back pack style power source | *Back pack style power source | ||
*Solar powered | *Solar powered | ||
| Line 107: | Line 117: | ||
*Vacuum attached to whacker | *Vacuum attached to whacker | ||
*Blower attached to whacker | *Blower attached to whacker | ||
| - | *Wheel on bottom | + | *Wheel on bottom |
*Plastic whacker | *Plastic whacker | ||
*Tripod whacker | *Tripod whacker | ||
*Robotic | *Robotic | ||
| + | *Remote controlled | ||
*Auto kill-switch | *Auto kill-switch | ||
*Attachments for other lawn care | *Attachments for other lawn care | ||
*Hovering weed whacker | *Hovering weed whacker | ||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
*Magnetic weed whacker | *Magnetic weed whacker | ||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
*Collapsible for easy storage | *Collapsible for easy storage | ||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
*HUD for weed whacker properties | *HUD for weed whacker properties | ||
*Built in safety goggles | *Built in safety goggles | ||
*Safety goggle compartment | *Safety goggle compartment | ||
| - | * | + | *Mp3 player |
| + | *Beverage holder | ||
Revision as of 14:54, 6 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
- Plastic Blades
- Heavier wire
- Metal wire
- Weed “vacuum”
- Opposing rotation whacker heads
- Full shield (360 degrees)
- Adjustable shield
- Clear shield
- Automatic line feed
- Heavier shield
- Disk shield located higher on shaft
- Laser cutting
- Scissor
Shaft/axle/power transfer
- Length adjustable
- Telescoping shaft
- Hula hoop weed whacker
- Rotatable shaft
- Clear plastic shaft
- Angled shaft
- Bendable "snake"
- U shaped weed whacker
- 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
- Shoulder mounted weed whacker
- Arm attachment weed whacker
- Split weed whacker (dual wielding)
Power Source
- 4 stroke engine
- Self-starting engine (no pull cord)
- Electric motor
- Power source closer to head of weed whacker
- 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
- Plastic whacker
- Tripod whacker
- Robotic
- Remote controlled
- Auto kill-switch
- Attachments for other lawn care
- Hovering weed whacker
- Magnetic weed whacker
- Collapsible for easy storage
- HUD for weed whacker properties
- Built in safety goggles
- Safety goggle compartment
- Mp3 player
- Beverage holder
