Little Spoon Peeler
PRODUCT DESIGN | PACKAGE DESIGN
This vegetable peeler was designed with children in mind. The goal of this peeler is to be usable by both adults and kids so kids are able to learn how to use it in the kitchen through example. This final iteration was made from foam, clay, wood and a metal blade.
Project Statement:
Adults are looking for a peeler that they can use to teach their kids the kitchen basics. This means it must fit and be comfortable in both big and small hands while also being safe and easy to clean.
RESEARCH
First step was to figure out what issues, other than size, existing peelers give both adults and kids. I did this by looking at kid-friendly peelers and reading the comments. Based on what is already out there, I got a better feel for the product in general and saw how different brands market their products. My research found this very useful when it came to what worked and what didn’t and I was able to identify the main pain points and create goals for my design which you can see below.
Size
Create a tool that can fit comfortably in both adult and kid hands to make learning by example easier.
Cleaning
Design something that is easy and safe to clean.
Sharpness
Add a sharp blade that can easily peel but in a way that is still safe for children to use on their own.
SKETCHES
After defining the main pain points I wanted to focus on, I took some time to sketch out the first ideas that came to mind. As you can see below, these were just rough ideas with notes.
Since the issues I noticed during research was that the handle was difficult to hold and the blades were made of plastic and too dull, I considered how to design around those. Another thing I had to remember was that this tool is to help teach a kid how to use it, therefore I thought it was important to make sure it was also able to fit an adult’s hand comfortably too.
(To see more sketches including orthographic and explosive views, scroll to bottom of page under “reflection” and view full presentation.)
MATERIALS
When picking my materials, I took into considerations the comments I saw during my research stages. The main complaints were about plastic blades being too dull and the product being hard to clean.
From there, I decided to go with an olive wood base with a stainless steel blade as well as a plastic protective shield for storing. All of these materials are odor resistant as well as dishwasher safe making the cleaning process simple.
Once I felt confident in my design choice and felt it met all of my goals, I moved on to playing around with measurements and details before creating my final orthographics to reference in the next stages. After that, I started on some material research.
PROTOTYPES
After sketching and finalizing my idea, I moved on to my prototypes. I started by cutting a rough shape based off my sketches and used it as a guide to cut my clay. From there, I shaved away until I got my desired look. Like I mentioned before, it was also supposed to match the measurements I created, but I found this step really helped me flush out my design and make adjustments based on the comfort. I then added wood for the shield and a blade to test out my design.
Once I was happy with my clay model, I moved on to measuring and marking my foam. I did the same thing as my clay model and then added some paste to fill the holes before moving on to sanding. After it was all smooth, I added my shield and spray painted it and once it was dry, I added the blade.
PACKAGING
After completing this project last year, it felt a little undone so I decided to come back and create some brand/packaging concepts. I started with doing some product research followed by some sketching. Then once I knew what style I wanted, I started on logo ideations and playing with slogans. After that I made a quick mock up in Figma just to get my ideas down.
RESEARCH
My first step was to re-research what else is out there. I looked at kitchen utensil packaging (top) as well as children’s utensils (bottom) to see what the main differences were.
I noticed that children utensil packing had more material vs the “normal” utensils. From these I decided to draw more inspiration from the children’s design but with limited packaging.
My goals for my design were…
Eco friendly
Educational graphic
Some interactive feature
SKETCHES
Once I set my goals, I started with sketching out some ideas for what I wanted the actual surfaces to be. This is also where I wanted to include an interactive element which ended up being the cut out that allows users to test out the feel of the handle. Since one of my design decisions with the peeler was to make it comfortable for both adults and children as well as in both right and left hands, this would allow parents to test it out for themselves.
After I decided on the sideway concept (bottom right corner of first sketches), I started thinking about the design. I wanted to come up with a cute company name for a place that makes kid friendly kitchen products and ended up going with “Little Spoon”. After that I did some logo work to see what I wanted to do for the packaging.
I started with some rough sketches and once I decided on the style, I tested out some more ideas as well as fonts in Figma.
FINAL PACKAGE DESIGN
PRODUCT SUMMARY
The little spoon peeler is designed with teaching in mind. With a comfortable fit in both small and big hands, kids are able to learn from example.
The universal design is made for all big, small, left, and right handed users. And, not only is it easy to clean but it is also safe.
As an added bonus! Packaging allows users to test out the feel before they buy! By having a cutout in the cardboard, kids can test out the handle in both hands, and since there is a safety cover over the blade, they won’t risk cutting themselves at the store or rummaging through the kitchen drawers at home.
This design hits all of my goals as far as packaging goes. It is made of recycled cardboard, has a graphic of the product in use on the back, and allows users to see how it feels in their hands.
REFLECTION
Overall, I really enjoyed this project. It was interesting learning how to create something from start to finish. I felt I did a good job taking the user and product challenges into consideration and came up with a good solution. However, there was one part I found difficult. After the final sketch with measurements, while I was working on my first clay model, I noticed myself adding and taking away clay to make it more comfortable even though I had different measurements in my sketch. I think it would have been helpful to maybe play around with some clay while sketching to really get a feel for a 3D object in my hand.
I am looking forward to taking more courses similar to this where we explore the entire design process. I enjoyed starting with market research, creating sketches based on findings, and then developing the prototypes to test the design. I think this was a great learning experience and was a great exercise to see how much thought goes into our everyday products.
I decided to go back and create some packaging concepts for my initial design. I am happy that I had the time to come back to this and take it a step further. I really enjoyed refreshing myself on sketching and other concepts from the project the first time around and would love to even take this a step further in the future and create some 3D models and scenes.