For this project we were asked to design a product for pets to use alone or interact together with their owners. This project was undertaken in conjunction with W'innovate, the forward-thinking design consultancy based in north Nottinghamshire and associated with the Wilko store.
As this was quite a broad project, to think of a product I first took a look at the day to day problems that I had with my own pets and tried to see if there was a way to solve these problems. The problem I found with my dogs was their obedience and cooperation when it came to washing their fur. I conducted a questionnaire that I asked various dog owners to complete to see if this was a recurring problem throughout dog owners and not just myself.
From my results I decided to try and solve this problem by introducing something that dogs enjoy and cooperate with, in this case having their fur groomed. And so my initial concept came with the intention of combining the functions of washing and grooming into one product, with inspiration taken from the "Dishmatic" fill and clean washing up brush.
The breakdown of the concept is very simple, where the handle contains the soap/shampoo that can be easily refilled, small holes then allows the soap to seep through into the sponge, replicating the general function of the Dishmatic, however this product has rubber bristles that come through the sponge to also act as fur grooming product.
After a few quick sketches I went on to make some models using existing anthropometric data for hands to get a feel for what size and shape would have the better grip and comfort for the user. I decided to go for a design without a strap so that there are no restrictions as to which way you have to hold the product, you can simply just pick up and go. With this being the case, during the modelling process I introduced a groove around the handle for extra grip and stability.
I decided to continue with a circular grip over the oval as the symmetry of the circle meant for equal comfort and grip for every direction the product is picked up. With the handle now being circular I then began thinking about the bristle distribution. I went with 16 bristles in a circular formation as this gave the best spacing and meant that whatever direction you choose to brush wouldn't matter.
With a general basis for the product in place, I made some CAD models to present to the client to gain some feedback, and from the feedback I was made aware that I needed a more secure way of keeping the sponge attached to the main body instead of relying purely on friction.
Following the feedback I tried to think of a more secure way to keep the sponge on, my first idea was to extend the base and have a ring that then clips into place to hold the sponge in place. I wasn't completely convinced with this mechanism however and so continued to think of more ways to secure the sponge in place.
I came up with this mechanism instead which kills two birds with one stone where one simple plug component can both seal the refill hole as well as keeping the sponge in place. With this being the preferred mechanism, I wanted to test to see if the plug would actually work as intended.
I proceeded to 3D print the rubber plug and make a simple model of the middle component out of acrylic just to make sure the plug would fit in the hole and keep it sealed. The test was successful and so I decided to continue to make a full scale test rig of the product.
When making the handle I decided that if I made a small flat surface on the dome, it will be able to stand up-right and therefore leave no risk of leaks when storing the product. With this being done I then proceeded to complete the full scale test rig, implementing the new handle.
Final Outcome
