The problem
My team identified that messy, shared sink spaces were a problem in our lives, especially when it came to roommate relations. Our created problem statement was "How might we keep shared kitchen sinks in the RPI dorms usable and clean to ease roommate tensions?".
The solution
Our final design of the kitchen sink basket consisted of a foldable basket with extendable handles with clips attached to these handles. The user is able to extend the handles to the desired length and place the basket in the sink to then load dirty dishes into. The folding mechanism is also attached to these handles, where the user can interact with this mechanism and set the basket to any depth they want or just use it for easy storage. The product is a great way for busy college roommates to keep their messes out of the way through organizing dirty dishes and keeping them from cluttering the sink, creating a better living atmosphere.
Original pin-up, pivoted from this idea based on user feedback.
THE FEEDBACK PROCESS
This project taught us to present our ideas and receive feedback. Pictured here is our original design. After a round of critiques, we did away with the tension rod, the numerous holes, and the counterweight strap system based on feedback about user needs and ease of use.
THE PROTOTYPING PROCESS
This project introduced us to rapid prototyping. We were tasked with creating a rough prototype solely out of cardboard and paper. To prototype our design best, we used paper to represent our product in a high visual fidelity, low depth of functionality production. We were required to use paper as the medium to represent the design but recognize that it's useless in the creation of the actual product, as paper and cardboard react poorly with water, the main component of the sink.
To read the full report, click here.