Design Critique #2
Pratt Information Architecture and Interaction Design class
September 24, 2019
For this week’s design critique, I chose to look at a simple household product that is part of Oxo’s Good Grips line. The idea was sparked when founder Sam Farber saw his wife Betsey experiencing trouble holding her peeler due to arthritis and thought ”why do ordinary kitchen tools hurt your hands? ” So, he created a line of products that were comfortable and easy to use, with rounded, soft handles made from rubber, which became a major hit with not just this target audience of similar customers, but a wide range of demographics. Alleviating this singular problem proved to be popular with others who found performing common kitchen tasks such as peeling potatoes could be cumbersome and painful using traditional metal peelers.
Samples of vegetable peelers, ending with the old-school, no-frills metal one
From our readings, Dorothy Leonard and Jeffrey F. Rayport identified the five key steps in empathic design as:
● Observation
● Capturing Data
● Reflection and Analysis
● Brainstorming for solutions
● Developing Prototypes of Possible Solutions
As they found, developing a deep, empathic understanding of users’ unarticulated needs can challenge industry assumptions and lead to a shift in corporate strategy.
Farber’s use of observation in this case vs. market research uncovered a need that users could not articulate because they did not know a better solution existed, or didn’t bother considering an alternative, instead, choosing to continue doing things the same way they were used to or how they were taught. This is when new innovations emerge, when someone who is not the intended user witnesses someone who is and thinks of a better way to do things. This thoughtfulness and insight displays a use of good design and empathy working together.
While Farber may have been the designer in this case, his wife, and others like her, were the experts in using these kitchen tools and therefore could really provide the insight he needed to come up with this idea.
Oxo had since rolled out an entire line of products from food storage containers to other kitchen tools that are designed to delight their customers and make their tasks easy to perform. Their use of rounded, softer materials like silicone and plastic instead of glass help make their products friendly to all ages, kids included, who often first learn how to cook with their parents or grandparents. So the tools needed to work for the entire family and not only be easy to use, but safe and easy to clean too.
Part of the main advantage at the time of the product launch in 1990 of the peeler along with 14 other Good Grips products was the ergonomics of the tools — wider handles that were easy to hold, no matter how large or small your hand was, or how strong of a grip you had. This was key to making it universal to a wide range of consumers.
Oxo POP Containers
The materials used were another example of emphatic design — industrial strength meant durability, non-slip meant less chance of accidents when wet, and dishwasher-friendly, a key attribute for busy families who liked to cook.
Their line of products expanded to include tools for babies and toddlers, using some of the same design aspects like soft materials and rounder corners for ease of use and comfort.
Sources:
HBR, Dorothy Leonard and Jeffrey F. Rayport, Spark Innovation Through Empathic Design , Nov-Dec 1997
Wright and McCarthy, Empathy and experience in HCI
https://www.oxo.com/blog/behind-the-scenes/behind-design-oxos-iconic-good-grips-handles
