Real Pugh Chart:

Product Selection- Disposable strainer bags!!

Product Name Brainstorming:
Similar Products
Ziplocks
Saran Wrap

Words that come to mind
easy
disposable
toss
bag

Product Names

• Strain N' Toss


• Strainer Bags


• EZ Strain


• Strain Aways


• Easy Strain

Elevator Pitch Video: Strain Aways by EZ Strain

*It got a little on the infomercial side, but it was really hard to not go down that route for some reason.

Initial Concept by Brandon:

Improved Detailed Design:

Sketch Model:

1. Liquid-Absorbing Powder
2. Disposable Strainer Bags
3. Liquid Removing Vacuum
4. Sink Strainer Shelf
5. Water Rock
6. Silicone Strainer
7. Table Top Strainer
8. Slotted Strainer
9. Food Blow Dryer
10. Strainer Cage

Background Research: Novel, Marketable, Feasible
*Required pricing (based on cost) was calculated using online pricing research of similar products. Pricing verification determined by asking 4-6 strainer-users, "How much would you be willing to pay for this?" and showing them a picture (or prototype).*

Liquid-Absorbing Powder
Benchmark Products

• Powder that absorbs liquid for cleaning up spills, $9/lb


• Diaper powder that turns into a gel when gets wet

• Cost would be approximately the same as spill cleaning powder since it would likely use a similar technology


• Pricing would be difficult to convince users to pay since every time you strained something, you would be paying for it. I would pay only a quarter or less for each batch of pasta even if it were extremely convenient and my survey results were even less with an average per use cost of 10 cents.

Disposable Strainer Bags
Benchmark Products

• Ziplock Bags are of similar material and size/structure


• Coffee filters are disposable and are porous to let liquid through without particles


• Hard plastic disposable strainer priced at $1 each.

• Prototype was made as a solid frame with hooks to mount bag to. Similar idea to garbage bags in the garbage can. The only issue was that it was difficult to attach the bag quickly. Hooks may not be the best solution for attachment.

• Pricing was estimated at $3.00 for a pack of 50 bags. In addition it would cost approximately $8 for the solid reusable frame.


• Surveyed people seemed willing to pay at least the estimated cost, so this could potentially be a successful product.

Liquid Removing Vacuum
Benchmark Products

• Syringes are used to place water, but in order to do so, you need to take in water. Using this same vacuum technology, it could be used to suck up pasta or potato water. Pricing was $1.00.


• Water cannon squirt gun designed to suck up water for bailing boats uses similar principles. It does not get clogged easily even though it takes in lots of seaweed and other such particles. Pricing was $15.

• Used syringe to prototype idea. Tested with spaghetti and seemed to work well. Needed to empty it out several times to get all the water. A filtered tip would probably help keep it from getting plugged, but did not have a big problem with it.

• Pricing estimated around $15 for multiple plastic pieces required.


• Pricing seemed reasonable based on survey results and strainer comparison price of around $15 as well.

Sink Strainer Shelf
Benchmark Products

• Sink basket that holds vegetables while drying. Priced at $50.



• Strainer/Cutting board that sits over sink when in use. Strainer was flexible to be stored in small space. Priced at $22.



• Corner sink strainer. Container that sits in sink and can be used at anytime to strain items. Priced at $19.

• Required pricing estimated to be $20, but possibly more if needed to be adjustable to fit in anyone's sink.


• Pricing verified as reasonable, but feedback was not positive. Most though it would get in the way more than be useful.

Water Rock
Benchmark Products

• Super absorbent polypropylene beads in "socks" made to soak up water in flood prone basements. Priced at $15 (for 2 large socks).


• Diapers contain a powder that is designed to absorb liquid. If placed in a permeable bag, it could stay contained from the food.

• Used cut up kitchen sponge in net bag to contain material. Sponge was not absorbent enough to produce the intended results. Would need special material that could absorb significant amounts of water rapidly.

• Pricing estimate of $8 per rock. Can be reused (similar to kitchen sponge).


• Pricing would need to be lowered to have strong market. Alternatively, reuse times could be increased.

Silicone Strainer
Benchmark Products

• Many similar existing products. Most are silicone in order to be collapsable. The typical market price is $15. There is definitely room for improvement in the cleaning focus though. Since silicone is flexible, it could be significantly easier to clean if designed right.

• Cost would be approximately the same as traditional strainers.


• Pricing was verified. Due to similar products on the market in addition to the surveys.

Table Top Strainer
Benchmark Products

• Similar product used for straining tea leaves. Has bowl underneath to catch drips from soaked tea bag. $13.50
  
  
  • Cost would be similar to traditional strainer, but slightly more expensive to include bowl.
  
  
  • Pricing was below required. There does not seem to be a large enough need for this to overcome the extra cost.

  Slotted Strainer
  Benchmark Products
  

  • Slotted strainer priced at $12. Although this product exists, I do believe there is a lot of room for improvement. I think that you could design a slotted strainer to be much easier to clean than a hole strainer, but the current designs do not seem to target this.
  
  
  Market Survey/Pricing
  
  • Cost would be approximately the same as traditional strainer (priced at $13)
  
  
  • Pricing was easily justified, especially if it was easier to clean.

  Food Blow Dryer
  Benchmark Products
  

  • Microwave is a similar concept to idea where you put items in and then push a button to dry them. It would use a fairly simple technology though, so should be cheaper than a microwave.
  
  
  • Hair dryer uses same technology. Priced at $20.
  
  Market Survey/Pricing
  
  • Cost based on technology would be around $30.
  
  
  • Pricing not verified. Use was not nearly as much as an appliance such as a microwave, thus not worth the same price. Price willing around only $17.

  Strainer Cage
  Benchmark Products
  

  • Pot and strainer cage sets made for draining. Expensive and only works with pot purchased. Priced at $150.
  
  
  
  • Similar to silverware holder I own that sits in sink to allow washed silverware to drain. Priced around $10.
  
  Market Survey/Pricing
  
  • Cost would be approximately $10-$15.
  
  
  • Pricing verified as reasonable. Average price willing to pay was $14.
  
  
  ]]> tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2011:/gilbe503/5701gilbertson//14216.314515 2011-10-10T04:27:02Z 2011-10-11T04:46:01Z
  Applying SCAMPER to the following idea, Liquid-Absorbing Powder, resulted in... SUBSTITUTE-Can I use other ingredients or materials? My ideal strainer solution does not involve a strainer. I do not like the idea of pouring out boiling water right next to...
  gilbe503 Applying SCAMPER to the following idea, Liquid-Absorbing Powder, resulted in...

  SUBSTITUTE-Can I use other ingredients or materials?
  My ideal strainer solution does not involve a strainer. I do not like the idea of pouring out boiling water right next to your hands. Instead of a powder, you could have a solid that expands as it absorbs water. This seems to mix with food better (won't change flavor). They could also be dishwasher safe so they were easy to clean.

  COMBINE-What can be combined to maximize number of uses?
  If the product was small enough to fit into a ziplock, it could be used to keep food like fruit fresh. When fruit or vegetables are washed and not dried completely they have a much higher chance to mold or go bad.

  ADAPT-What else is it like?
  I picture this product I saw on Kickstarter recently called Coffee Joulies. They are a specially designed material that absorbs heat at first and then slowly releases it to keep your coffee at a fairly constant temperature. This idea could also be used in this design in that it could also absorb and release heat if it's available. This could cool your spaghetti water so you do not get burned and then use the energy to keep the spaghetti warm.

  MAGNIFY-Can it be used more often?
  This product could be extended to other areas such as "sponging" up water in a boat. This is typically an annoying job, but could be very easy if it just required placing some "rocks" in the bottom of the boat and having them absorb the water. They would be design to have the water evaporate once the water source is removed.

  PUT TO OTHER USE-What else can it be used for?
  A powder could be used to dry your hands after washing them instead of drying them on a hand towel. This would be significantly more sanitary and could have lotion qualities as well. Picture a Purel-like product that would be rubbed in and the water would be absorbed.

  ELIMINATE-What if it had less of something?
  If the powder was super absorbent, it could potentially work with food as long as it became large enough particles that could be avoidable. For example, marble sized "sponges" that would also be safe to eat if accidentally consumed.

  REVERSE/REARRANGE-What if I consider it backwards?
  Instead of wanting to remove water, you could use a sponge-like material to purify water. It would take in dirty water and cause a chemical reaction or have a complex filter that would not allow particles in. Thus, the product would be purified water and the sponge would safely contain the contaminants.

  Product Sketches for SCAMPER ideas:

  

  HIT Matrix: Not all the resulting products were closely related to sink/basin theme, but some interesting results turned up.

  

  ]]> tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2011:/gilbe503/5701gilbertson//14216.311505 2011-10-02T15:01:12Z 2011-10-03T05:31:44Z
  I found an interesting page online about running a brainstorming meeting (see below). Research Link My intentions to get a group of people together that were not all alike was to have a brainstorming session via Skype. This idea was...
  gilbe503 I found an interesting page online about running a brainstorming meeting (see below).
  Research Link

  My intentions to get a group of people together that were not all alike was to have a brainstorming session via Skype. This idea was not encouraged though, so I ended up getting a group of friends together.

  I really enjoyed the series of events we did in-class for the tape dispenser brainstorming, so I tried to follow that as much as I could.

  
  Step 1: Get into the Brainstorming Mood
  First we did some exercises (volleyball warm-up) to increase our dopamine levels and then ate cookies to further inspire ourselves : )

  Step 2: Do an initial 10 minute speed session
  As in class, after each idea was drawn, it was quickly presented and then laid out onto a table for inspiration.

  

  
  Step 3: Encourage the Creative Juices
  To help mix things up and encourage that no idea is a bad idea, I introduced the negative brainstorming. This made everyone a lot more comfortable since there was no worry to be embarrassed.
  

  Step 4: Finally Cross-Producting
  To finish up the brainstorming, I used the same list of cross products I had found for the sink/basin theme and tried to apply them to the specific straining theme.

  Total Idea Count: 54
  IPM (Ideas per Minute-per person): 0.36 (5 people, 30 minutes)

  After all the ideas were formulated, we did some silent sorting. It is very interesting how everyone thinks similarly even when no words are being exchanged. We ended up with the following categories: Improved Classic Strainer, Process Changing, Niche.

  To narrow down the results, we each chose our favorite 5 ideas and then I selected 20 of those to be posted below. (each picture also has an added title below it to clarify those that did not get titled when drawn)

  

  
  Table Strainer- Sarah Gilbertson, Speed Session
  Interlocking Strainer- Brandon Nelson, Speed Session
  Jelly (silicone) Strainer- Sarah Gilbertson, Cross-Products

  
  Strainer Cover- Khushal Mehta, Speed Session
  Strainer Basket- Nick Kuehn, Speed Session
  Disposable Strainer- Brandon Nelson, Cross-Products

  
  Large Slotted Strainer- Chris Hui Luo, Speed Session
  Pot with Drain- Sarah Gilbertson, Negative Brainstorming
  Collapsible Strainer- Chris Hui Luo, Cross-Products

  
  Absorbing Powder- Sarah Gilbertson, Negative Brainstorming
  Spaghetti Strainer- Sarah Gilbertson, Cross-Products
  Bowl/Strainer Combo- Brandon Nelson, Speed Session

  
  Strainer Bag- Khushal Mehta, Speed Session
  Multi-tier Strainer- Chris Hui Luo, Speed Session
  Sword Strainer- Sarah Gilbertson, Cross-Products

  
  Multi-Purpose Strainer- Sarah Gilbertson, Speed Session
  The Evaporator- Nick Kuehn, Speed Session
  Sink Strainer- Khushal Mehta, Cross-Products

  
  Funnel Strainer- Chris Hui Luo, Speed Session
  Two Layer Strainer- Nick Kuehn, Speed Session

  
  Comments: It is a lot harder to actually organize a brainstorming session than it looks. I forgot to tell the participants to title their drawings at first, which made it much more difficult afterwards to remember what each did. Also, its really hard to keep people rapidly producing ideas when they are not used to it. I was a little disappointed that the quantity not quality message did not make it across as much as I would have liked. I think most people have been taught the opposite most of their lives and its a difficult thing to overcome in a half hour.
  

  ]]> tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2011:/gilbe503/5701gilbertson//14216.309984 2011-09-25T19:04:38Z 2011-10-03T16:41:13Z
  Bug List Shower curtains that touch me when I shower Glare on TV screen Having to plug in my laptop Burning my toungue People who don't use turn signals when driving Chapped lips When stores do not charge you correctly...
  gilbe503 Bug List
  • Shower curtains that touch me when I shower
  • Glare on TV screen
  • Having to plug in my laptop
  • Burning my toungue
  • People who don't use turn signals when driving
  • Chapped lips
  • When stores do not charge you correctly
  • Leaving hair straighteners plugged in
  • Being late
  • Hair (on the floor, dog hair, ect.)
  • Soggy cereal
  • Melted ice cream

  Idea Wallet
  Visit my Pinterest Inspiration Page...

  Pinterest

  ]]> tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2011:/gilbe503/5701gilbertson//14216.309960 2011-09-25T18:59:41Z 2011-09-26T05:51:45Z
  Theme Focus: Straining Ask: I created a very informal focus group with some friends. I made it like a discussion and had them build off each others thoughts and stories. I used the following questions as prompts to encourage discussion....
  gilbe503 Theme Focus: Straining

  Ask:
  I created a very informal focus group with some friends. I made it like a discussion and had them build off each others thoughts and stories. I used the following questions as prompts to encourage discussion.

  • Tell a story you have about using a strainer
  • Explain 2 pros and 2 cons about strainers
  • Describe the strainer you own
  • Comment on the storage of your strainer
  • What would you do if you did not own a strainer?

  Sample Responses-

  • I once set a strainer on the stove and the hot air vent melted the plastic. Now the holes are not all the same size.
  • My strainer holes are too big. When I make spaghetti, the noodles fall through.
  • I have very small holes in my strainer, but they get clogged a lot. It would be nice to have multiple layers that would filter big pieces and small pieces.
  • I have one strainer that folds flat to store, but its really hard to clean because food gets stuck in the folding grooves.
  • I can never find a good place to store my strainer because it is so bulky.

  Observe:
  I looked at different models of strainers and watched 2 of my friends while they used them (I tried my best to observe without interfering)

  The first person was straining spaghetti and got burnt by the hot steam. The strainer had feet to sit in the bottom of the sink, but the sink was full of dishes so it could not be used as intended. The handles on the strainer were part of the rim and forced his hand to be right next to the steaming hot water while he poured.

  

  The second person I watched was filtering grains and hops from wort (beer mixture) . The strainer he used had a small metal grid with a long handle. Due to the small holes, the grains continued to clog the strainer and forced him to clean it out every several minutes. This seemed very frustrating for him and took a lot of time.

  

  Experience:
  I made a storyboard of straining pasta. This allowed me to think through my experiences with strainers and how I interact with them.

  

  I also performed the storyboard chain of events to remind me of all the problems that occur when straining. I personally hate using strainers because they are a huge pain to wash and get clean. As an alternative, I use a grated spoon to prevent the noodles from escaping. Recently, I lost half of my pasta to the dirty sink because of this method. I need a better option, but still can't convince myself to deal with using a strainer.

  

  Areas for Improvement:
  The three major problems I found are listed below.

  1. Hole size is never right
  2. Cleaning strainers is too difficult
  3. Strainer storage is a pain (including drying rack storage)
  ]]> tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2011:/gilbe503/5701gilbertson//14216.308399 2011-09-16T19:54:57Z 2011-09-19T06:51:22Z
  I started this assignment on Friday and each day continued to add ideas to the mind map and cross-product list. I felt like each day I had a completely different mind-set and thus, spreading it out allowed me to reach...
  gilbe503 I started this assignment on Friday and each day continued to add ideas to the mind map and cross-product list. I felt like each day I had a completely different mind-set and thus, spreading it out allowed me to reach a lot more variation in my ideas.
  
  Step 1: Get laughing
  Friday- Watched the movie Bridesmaids
  Saturday- Played yard games with friends
  Sunday- Did some improv games! (similar to Dr. Know it all, but did not necessarily answer a question, just made a goofy story)

  Step 2: Get brainstorming
  Friday-Started a mind map (sink/basin theme)
  Saturday-Continued mind mapping and started a cross-products list. To do this I searched for a list of random products online and then used them with the sink/basin theme to come up with comical products. I found that this technique worked very well to think of silly ideas.
  Sunday-Made association map to finish brainstorming and used it to help finish the mind map and cross-product list.

  Final Mind Map-
  

  I do not think I used the mind map as intended. Some of the branches ended up in different themes, but most of them were very closely related to the sink/basin theme. I will definitely work on my mind mapping in the future to help find the strange connections. In addition, it was really hard for me to not elaborate the new themes into product ideas versus continue branching out.

  A few interesting themes I discovered were food and entertainment. The food theme was associated through the appearance of a sink looking like a bowl and entertainment branched off from the idea of kids hating getting ready for bed and finding a way to change that.

  Step 3: Silly ideas are GOOD!
  Final Cross-products List-

  

  This allowed for some very fun combinations that could have never come about otherwise. One that I particularly liked was the drain speaker. When thinking about a sink/basin and relating it to a speaker I realized that a drain and speaker both looked similar in their appearance. Even though normally speakers and water do not tend to be put together, this forced combination made an interesting product.
  
  Final Association Map-

  

  I wish I would have done this map first. I did not realize all of the sink/basin areas I was missing until the end. For one thing, until I made this map I did not even think about sinks not in the bathroom or kitchen. Branching out to the areas like the garage and laundry room made many more connections surface.

  List of 10 Silly Ideas for sink/basin theme (no particular order):
  

  
  
  • IDEA 1: Snow shovel spatula/food server- for those Minnesota winter-lovers
  
  
  • IDEA 2: Toothbrush shoe- a comical toothbrush holder
  
  
  • IDEA 3: Urinal sink- Only to wash hands
  
  
  • IDEA 4: Speaker drain plug-To confuse people when the drain is actually plugged by making gurgling noises
  
  
  • IDEA 5: Chocolate bar soap- Individual soap chunks to reduce spread of germs
  
  
  • IDEA 6: Spoon make-up spreader- Spread around your foundation with ease
  
  
  • IDEA 7: Bathroom clock- 'The Potty Clock', can time your bathroom tasks to make sure you stay on time
  
  
  • IDEA 8: Sink sheet- Plastic coating in sink to prevent stains (dishwasher-safe)
  
  
  • IDEA 9: Track sink- Can move your sink around to easily share with siblings
  
  
  • IDEA 10: Sea sponges- Counter-top toys to soak up water splashed on counter when washing hands
  
  

  
  

  ]]> tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2011:/gilbe503/5701gilbertson//14216.307321 2011-09-11T17:57:53Z 2011-09-12T05:50:28Z
  A preview of the final cookie: Brainstorming: With billions of different possibilities, it was a tricky task to be content with going in one direction. My initial route was finding a new purpose for a cookie (in addition to eating)....
  gilbe503 A preview of the final cookie:

  

  Brainstorming:
  With billions of different possibilities, it was a tricky task to be content with going in one direction. My initial route was finding a new purpose for a cookie (in addition to eating). For example, DNA cookies that connect to each other and could be used to build designs. I was also very fond of the idea of a sugar "parchment paper cookie" that could be written on using a calligraphy pen with chocolate ink. I came up with a list of many ideas and then started performing experiments.

  Experimentation
  My first experiment involved trying to make a hollow spherical cookie (to inject with chocolate or other surprises). I used a pop can to test the concept and coated the inside with chocolate chip cookie dough. My plan was to rotate it every few minutes in hopes that it would coat the outside and not fill the inside. Due to the greasiness of the cookie dough, it did not stick at all to the outside and ended up as a tasty, but not hollow cookie.

  

  I was still motivated to try another method of getting a hollow cookie, so I went down a different route. My family makes these small spherical pancake/donuts for special occasions called aebelskivers. They use a special pan that consists of several half sphere cavities. The dough cooks on each side and is rotated until its a unbroken sphere. I combined a cookie dough recipe with an aebelskiver recipe in attempt to combine the cookie flavor with aebelskiver consistency. It was half successful. The consistency was good and fluffy, but it lost a lot of the true chocolate chip cookie flavor I was hoping to achieve. I was looking for something absolutely delicious, so this did not make the cut.

  

  My next direction was motivated by the MN State Fair. They have deep-fried cookie dough at the fair, but I am not much of a fan of cookie dough compared to cookies. I once tried deep fried Oreos there and was very disappointed in their soggy texture. I wondered how a crispy chocolate chip cookie would taste deep-fried and not soggy. I found a deep-fry batter recipe and made a first round test. It was not very good. The recipe called for vinegar and it resulted in a strange flavor. I removed the vinegar and added A LOT of cocoa powder to make it chocolatey. The result was amazing. The crispy inside was complemented by a soft bread-like outside and the chocolate batter made all the difference. I was excited about this idea at first, but become a little disturbed by the strong oil flavor the breading had after a few bites. The cookie stayed crispy, but the dough was absorbing a lot of the frying oil. I had a friend try it and they did not think the breading added much to the cookie. This was a big disappointment, but luckily the grocery store was close by for more inspiration.

  

  At the grocery store I saw some marshmallows and thought they could add an interesting taste and texture to the chocolate chunk cookie dough base I had created. I first tried mixing chunks into the dough and the flavor was pretty good, but the marshmallows were toasting vs. melting. My next attempt was putting a marshmallow on top of a cooked cookie. It looked very interesting because it got toasted in the oven, but was a pretty boring flavor. Finally I tried wrapping the marshmallow in chocolate chip cookie dough and found a great surprise. The marshmallow puffed up the cookie and then melted on the inside, resulting in a hollow cavity of melted marshmallow. It was almost perfect. I added a chunk of chocolate on the inside to add a little to the flavor and it was complete. I loved that it went along with my original idea of a hollow sphere cookie and met its delicious flavor and texture requirements.

  Chocolate Chunk Puffs Recipe:

  2 cups flour
  1 tsp baking soda
  1 tsp salt
  1 stick butter
  1/2 cup sugar
  1/2 cups brown sugar
  2 tsp vanilla
  2 eggs
  1 large Chocolate bar
  10 Marshmallows

  Combine thoroughly the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl mix the melted butter, vanilla, sugars and eggs. Then, stir the two mixtures together until a stiff dough is obtained. Shred 1/2 of the chocolate bar and add it to the dough. Break the other half into ~1/2 in. square pieces. Take the marshmallows and cut them in half and place a chocolate piece on each marshmallow half.

  
  Wrap these in cookie dough and roll into a ball. Use enough dough to fully wrap the marshmallow, but try to not use much extra or it will become a very large cookie.

  

  Bake in a 350 degree oven for ~14 minutes or until very lightly golden in color.

  

  Enjoy!!

  Post-Process Thoughts:
  The most challenging part for me was deciding which ideas were worth pursuing to the experimental phase. I definitely took a trial and error approach that become pretty exhausting and time consuming. If I were to repeat this experiment I would spend more time thinking about how well something was going to work before I tried it.

  Miscellaneous Cookie Attempt Pictures:

  

  ]]>