AutoWash Dock Cleaning Tool
2024
A thoughtfully crafted solution with a cleaning tool, ensuring an optimal and effortless user experience
During the development of the 10Max AutoWash Dock, the team discovered that debris and wet marks quickly accumulated on the dock’s outer ramp and within the “cave” areas, resulting in frequent cleaning and maintenance by users. To address this, we conducted a thorough competitive analysis and spent over three months on an in-depth case study. This led us to propose a dedicated cleaning tool as a practical and effective solution. Designed with a strong focus on user experience and cost-effectiveness, this innovative tool enhances the hardware user experience by simplifying dock cleaning and maintenance.
Role
Lead ID
Contribution
Design Mentorship
Concept Development
Industrial Design
Prototyping
User Research & Case Study
Hardware UX
Color, Material and Finish
Discover the Pain Point
Problem
Debris, water, and wet residual build up quickly over time on the ramp and in the sluice(pad washing) areas, requiring frequent cleaning and maintenance from the users. The above images demonstrate the 10Max AutoWash Dock ramp condition after 2 weeks of testing.
Research Initiation
User Journey Map
To better understand the dock cleaning process, we documented the full process of how a user would clean their dock. This allowed us to pinpoint specific areas for improvement.
Competitive Analysis
We conducted a thorough competitive analysis to see how our competitors are doing to address these issues.
Key Takeaways
It is common for water and debris to accumulate in the sluice areas on the AutoWash Dock tray.
The depth of the dock and narrow channels make the inside of the sluice areas difficult to clean.
Our competitors also face the same issues but have different solutions for this problem.
Concept Ideation
Sketch Session :D
Based on user pain points and opportunities, with the ID intern’s assistance, we explored and created sketches of different forms of brush handles, handle extension features, and cleaning heads(including double-sided and interchangeable). After the design review, we landed on a few leading directions for the next step.
Design Process
Goal
To test the ergonomics of different brush handles and shapes on the 10Max AutoWash dock.
Methodology
Users are given a set of brushes of the same prototyping material to test on the Boulder dock.
Users were asked to talk through their experience using the brushes to simulate cleaning the tray and sluice area.
Responses were documented through pictures and videos.
1st Round UX Testing - Cardboard Mockups
After selecting our favorite sketches, we prototyped 10 different brush mockups using cardboard and conducted the first round of user testing.
2nd Round UX Testing - 3D Print Prototypes
Based on the testing results from the cardboard mockups, we refined our focus to 4 distinct design directions for the 3D-printed prototypes and conducted a second round of user testing. This process was invaluable in identifying what worked and what didn’t.
Final Round UX Testing & Design Proposal
After narrowing down the design direction from the previous 2 rounds of prototypes and testing, we created 4 high-fidelity 3D prints to focus on styling and IDUX refinement.
Final ID
Medium-length handle for the best ergonomics. T-shape Rounded cleaning head for the best dirt coverage. Scallop pattern design on the handle to not only have a better grip, but also keep the product design language consistent.
Moving Forward & Opportunity
Create a semicircle fan-shaped brush with medium bristle length.
Use a flexible and hard plastic material for the brush bristles.
Use the camera on the robot to take a picture of the dock tray and send a notification through the iRobot app to remind the user to clean the dock.
