Simpli,
Magnetic Kitchen System

Project time: 3 months + 1 month redesign
Product Design Process Studio
Brief:
Develop a cooking tool or vessel to enhance the joy of cooking for young adults.

Tackling the kitchen’s #1 enemy: clutter

Simpli provides a flexible organization system, opening up space in small kitchen spaces.

Organization through magnetic paneling

Kitchen utensils, shelves, hooks, and other accessories are attached by magnetic attraction. This allows each unit to be easily taken on and off.

The User: young adults with limited kitchen access

The Issue: clutter

clutter:

-happens often in small, shared kitchens

-causes irritation, reduces cooking enjoyment

-creates conflict between roommates

-deters users from cooking at all

The Solution: vertical magnetic storage

After several rounds of ideas, I developed a system to store kitchen tools on magnetic panels. These panels would be easy to install through pressure fit adhesives, and they would fit on the “backsplash” area.

Placing cooking tools on magnetic paneling could help users:

- unlock more space through vertical storage

- make each tool more visible

- establish a flexible organizational system

Focused Design Development

After settling on the general idea, I began sketching out what the product could look like. As I drew, I tried to created pin down the aesthetics of the system and how it would actually fit inside a kitchen.

Validation

After a first round of design, I created low-fidelity models and brought them back to users I interviewed before. I wanted to know how the affordances were perceived, and I also wanted to find new perspectives I hadn’t considered before.

Refinement

After validating with low-fidelty models, I refined my designs based on user feedback.

One concern that came up was aesthetic. My inital designs were very colorful, which clashed with user’s preferences for kitchen products.

High Fidelity Prototype

I created a high fidelity model made of nylon-printed parts, wood, and a magnetic panel. This helped me understand what the product would really look like.

Redesign

I realized that the panels lacked adapability and needed to be rethought. I changed them into hexagonal tiles with divots to create more modularity and cohesiveness.

Material Considerations

I considered what materials would fit my specifications. Certain properties, like being food safe and dishwasher safe, were integral to the product. After deciding on materials and manufacturing methods, I sent out quotes to speculate on a price point.