TiltMaster

Kitchen Appliance Redesign

Auburn University

Inside-Out Project

Duration: 4 Weeks

Semester: Spring 2022

Project Outline

Each student was assigned to one of four appliance categories: Blender, Coffee Maker, Stand Mixer, or Toaster.

Given the Blender category,  the goal of this project was to redesign kitchen appliances from the “inside-out” with an emphasis on function.

Consumer Studies

• Most blender components are difficult to clean
• Ninja and NutriBullet blender brands are the highest rated, yet typically the most expensive on average.
• At-home chefs, nutritionists, and fitness enthusiasts prioritize performance over price.

The uneven/inconsistent distribution of a blender’s contents is where most blenders fall short

To learn more about the mechanical inner workings of a blender, I took the time to disassemble existing appliances and document the internal components.

Thinking Inside - Out

Solving user's top concern:
Blend Consistency (Blend Quality and Even-ness)

Common Pain-Point:
The blended contents tend to stay near the bottom while the unblended parts stay at the top.

Solution:
Tilt the blender at a 30-degree angle and let gravity do the work.

Prototyping

To test the performance of the inner mechanics and analyze the product's ergonomics, it was crucial to build functional scale models out of foam core and plexiglass. 

The model uses a set of foam input/output gears that are controlled by hand using a wooden dowel.

What I learned from this prototype:

• The carafe handle can be uncomfortable
• There’s a lot of unused internal space
• The button layout/interface isn’t very intuitive

Thinking Inside - Out

Form follows function. Only after the functions/mechanics are thought out can we begin to develop the visual aesthetic.

TiltMaster

"A sideways take on culinary blending"

 This final version focuses on product semantics with extra emphasis on dial UX design.

It also streamlines the outer geometry while also eliminating wasted internal space.

Control Dial Semantics + Visual Hierarchy

Traditional blender interfaces lack visual hierarchy and use the same sized buttons. This version simplifies the boring, button layout in a simple yet intuitive dial system.

Carafe breaks down for easy cleaning.

The wide-bottom cone shape keeps the blended product settled towards the base while the blade spins - preventing those pesky empty pockets of air that tend to form at the bottom.  

Stay Tilted