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Prompt
Emerson, the owners of RIDGID®, collaborated with Auburn's Industrial Design Studio of Fall 2015 to design 3 products:
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small capacity wet/dry vacuum
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large capacity wet/dry vacuum
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adjacent product of our discretion.
All of our product designs were required to be based off of our own market research.
Preliminary Sketches
As we worked through the 1st phase of gathering research, we wasted no time in learning about and exploring the internal structures and essential parts of wet/dry vacuums.
Every student was assigned to sketch one large capacity wet/dry vacuum, one 18 volt powered wet/dry vacuum, and one adjacent product. Emerson reviewed our sketches and divided us into teams. There were 3 teams per category.
I was assigned to a team in the 18 volt battery category.
Narrowing Down the Form
Here is where my sketches start to reflect how our design beginning to focus on the 18 vold smaller capacity wet/dry vacuum. The design specifically moves toward solving the problem of accessory storage–a common complaint revealed by our market research.
Market Research
Along with collectively designing the same product, each team was responsible for a different area of research.
Our team was assigned to specifically conduct comparative product research.
We identified market opportunity for small capacity handheld wet/dry vacuums designed for household use. We found only one competitor product (produced by DeWalt) which covered all of these functions. We gathered customer reviews and other data analyzing this competitor product as well as some similar competitor products.
COMPETITOR PRODUCTS
Research-Driven Design Development
Along with collectively designing the same product, each team was responsible for a different area of research. Our team was assigned to specifically conduct comparative product research.
We identified market opportunity for small capacity handheld wet/dry vacuums designed for household use. We found only one competitor product (produced by DeWalt) which covered all of these functions. We gathered customer reviews and other data analyzing this competitor product as well as some similar competitor products.
Finalizing the Form
As designers, we chose a form that was definitely a challenge to depict and build.
Our research led us towards a form that was more organic than RIDGID's standard geometry, so we were hard pressed to come up with solutions for how to maintain the brand identity. A feat we conquered fracturing the organic form with more familiar rigid angles.
Further Refinement...
Our team regularly consulted with RIDGID's mechanical engineer in order to make sure our design would coorespond to the needs of the vacuum's functional substructure.
Our Final Product
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