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hourglass bumbler
Fun-filled way for kids to make their own drinks
WHAT
Background:
Developed as part of my coursework for Studio Foundations class, the Hourglass Bumbler project aimed to innovate the traditional steeping process. Focused on a child-friendly design, this project challenged us to create a steeping product that is not only functional but also educational and engaging for young children.
Steeping is the process of soaking tea leaves, fruit or coffee grounds in water to extract their essence - flavors, aroma, caffeine, antioxidants, etc. It's a key step in making beverages like tea, fruit infusions or coffee, where the water absorbs the taste and aroma of the leaves, fruit or grounds.
Challenge:
Designing a steeping device that caters to the unique needs of children under 10 — safe, engaging, and educational, while making the steeping process appealing.
Solution:
An innovative, hourglass-shaped steeping bottle that allows children to actively participate in the steeping process. Its design is intuitive, incorporating a transparent bottle for visual engagement and interchangeable lids for versatility.
How
Research Insights:
Our research uncovered the importance of low-temperature steeping for children and the need for a product that is safe, easy to use, and visually appealing. Insights into children's preferences for vibrant colors and interactive experiences guided our design process.
Design Process:
The journey began with ideation, focusing on safety, functionality, and appeal. The final design is a testament to the iterative process, balancing aesthetics with practicality. The hourglass shape is not only visually appealing but also serves as an educational tool, teaching children about time and change through the steeping process.
We began by conducting secondary research and creating a collaborative mood board for inspiration, just to get a feel for the market and what products are out there. When we decided to proceed with the 'Kids' category, my mate and I were thinking of creating something fairytale-like, thus the numerous potion images on our board. For primary research, we spoke to a couple of kids ages 5 - 10 and learned about their interests and habits.
Most of them shake their drinks (for fun) and many of the children like to play with their bottles in different ways. We also learned there's a lot of bottle-dropping involved, accidentally and sometimes on purpose. The majority of them believed they were grown enough to do things (like making their own drinks) independently, without the help of an adult. These insights helped inform our design decisions.
After ideation, we got to work. My mate, Yoojin, drew everything (2D) as I explained the ideas I had, to her. We worked very closely together, from ideation, documentation to presentations. There were several iterations of our designs and we adjusted them as we received feedback from our professor and peers. Although, the third critique session did not go so well for my team - we came to the realization that we had been focusing more on the fairytale theme than the human factors. 😱
So we took their feedback, threw the fairytale theme out the window, conducted more research and came up with the idea for the Hourglass Bumbler. Yoojin and I had a very long meeting that night until we finalized the design, as seen in the sketches. These were my first two iterations of the Bumbler on Fusion 360:
The story is about a parent and a child who wants to make a drink. This kid feels they're all grown up and don't need any help from their parent. That's where the Hourglass Bumbler comes in to play. Kid puts tea leaves into the cloud compartment, fills the Bumbler with water and flips it upside down. Fascinated by the transformation, they watch the as the essence seeps out of the compartment and how the color changes. Kid enjoys the fruit of their labor, feeling a sense of achievement and confidence.
I used Form3 3D printers and three different materials (resin) to print out the mini prototype - Clear resin for the transparent body, Elastic resin for the translucent detachable sleeve, and White resin for the cloud compartment & cap. The sleeve was particularly interesting to me as I had never worked with elastic material before. Please enjoy this very short clip of the sleeve fresh out of the oven (3d printer). ➪
We began by conducting secondary research and creating a collaborative mood board for inspiration, just to get a feel for the market and what products are out there. When we decided to proceed with the 'Kids' category, my mate and I were thinking of creating something fairytale-like, thus the numerous potion images on our board. For primary research, we spoke to a couple of kids ages 5 - 10 and learned about their interests and habits.
Most of them shake their drinks (for fun) and many of the children like to play with their bottles in different ways. We also learned there's a lot of bottle-dropping involved, accidentally and sometimes on purpose. The majority of them believed they were grown enough to do things (like making their own drinks) independently, without the help of an adult. These insights helped inform our design decisions.
After ideation, we got to work. My mate, Yoojin, drew everything (2D) as I explained the ideas I had, to her. We worked very closely together, from ideation, documentation to presentations. There were several iterations of our designs and we adjusted them as we received feedback from our professor and peers. Although, the third critique session did not go so well for my team - we came to the realization that we had been focusing more on the fairytale theme than the human factors. 😱
So we took their feedback, threw the fairytale theme out the window, conducted more research and came up with the idea for the Hourglass Bumbler. Yoojin and I had a very long meeting that night until we finalized the design, as seen in the sketches. These were my first two iterations of the Bumbler on Fusion 360:
The story is about a parent and a child who wants to make a drink. This kid feels they're all grown up and don't need any help from their parent. That's where the Hourglass Bumbler comes in to play. Kid puts tea leaves into the cloud compartment, fills the Bumbler with water and flips it upside down. Fascinated by the transformation, they watch the as the essence seeps out of the compartment and how the color changes. Kid enjoys the fruit of their labor, feeling a sense of achievement and confidence.
I used Form3 3D printers and three different materials (resin) to print out the mini prototype - Clear resin for the transparent body, Elastic resin for the translucent detachable sleeve, and White resin for the cloud compartment & cap. The sleeve was particularly interesting to me as I had never worked with elastic material before. Please enjoy this very short clip of the sleeve fresh out of the oven (3d printer). ➪
why
Impact:
The Hourglass Steeper revolutionizes how children engage with steeping beverages, making it a playful learning experience. It promotes healthy drinking habits, introduces children to natural infusions, and transforms steeping into an interactive adventure.
Reflection:
Working on this project highlighted the importance of user-centered design, especially when catering to children. The challenge of creating a product that is both fun and functional was a valuable learning experience, emphasizing the need for thorough research and iterative design to meet user needs effectively.
What else
Here's a life-size version of the Bumbler, which I designed for display at the Jacobs Winter Design Showcase 2023. Due to time constraints and limited resources (everyone was using the 3D printers), we had to print this version using just one material, which is why I designed it as a single unit. It was displayed side-by-side with the original set, at the showcase event. I received a lot of questions and feedback, which was great because most people seemed to understand and appreciate the design.
And this here, is the finished 3D model that I originally designed using Fusion 360. You can view it on Autodesk's web viewer: