Final year project
Encouraging children to enjoy eating vegetables through creative involvement in the… [Read more]
ChopChop toy
The proposed solution for my final year project is a vegetable cutting toy that children aged 5-7 can use safely and independently to cut vegetables into shapes they want to eat. The toy involves a series of mechanical cutting processes which the child operates from outside the clear safety casing, keeping injuries at bay and mess contained.
Interchangeable shaped cutting blades
ChopChop comes with 3 different blades that can be inserted into the toy by an adult to create different shapes when cutting. Research shows that giving a child some form of choice about their food makes them feel empowered and results in better eating.
ChopChop disassembled
Only adults can rotate the top casing by opening the safety clips on the front. They can then remove the shaped blade, bottom casing and drawer to go in the dishwasher. The knife can then be easily reached to wipe clean.
Sketch ideation
Developing ideas for form and shape on paper was a quick and cost-effective way of testing out designs. Using a mix of orthographic and perspective views allowed me to visualise all angles, and sketching on top of screenshots of early CAD models helped to understand how the internal components might sit together.
Early user testing
Building simple models of the design concept and testing it with my target user group was essential at an early stage of the project. It showed me how younger children interacted with something they saw as "their toy" and whether they understood the processes the product was aiming to complete. Speaking with the parents, as stakeholders, also provided valuable insights into the potential usage of the product and what parents would be looking to gain from it.
Functional prototype
The functional prototype served to prove the mechanical concept of my design and whether it is actually feasible to cut vegetables in this way, and what kinds of materials would be required to withstand the forces. Recording footage of myself testing the prototype was then sent to users, along with some visual representations, to gain further feedback on the design and dig out any concerns from parents about leaving their child to use the product unsupervised.
Sarah Nicholson
Hello! I am an enthusiastic and creative individual, who approaches each task with a driven, positive attitude. I build professional relationships quickly and have a strong understanding of effective communication.
I am an agile learner and always up for trying something new. To me, good design is beautiful, engaging and functional, meeting the real needs of the user.
My final year project began by researching into the current obesity crisis in the UK. I discovered that over 20% of children aged 4-5 are either obese or overweight, and that number almost doubles by the time they have reached the end of primary school. There are many contributing factors to obesity, but while looking further into nutrition, I found out that 63% children do not even meet the basic target of 5 daily fruits or vegetables. Research studies pointed towards evidence of children eating more of the healthy foods if they were involved in the meal preparation, however a lot of parents are extremely busy and don't have time to carefully supervise their children using sharp kitchen equipment, or clean up the inevitable mess afterwards.
Final year project
Encouraging children to enjoy eating vegetables through creative involvement in the food preparation process
Awards
'20 Diploma in Professional Studies
During my placement year at Endpoint I completed the award alongside my work commitments. Regular time was set aside to reflect on the work I produced, and this allowed me to consider my learnings and where I should improve. One of Endpoint's specialism is wayfinding, and so I made the most of being in a team full of experts and wrote my dissertation around wayfinding for visually impaired users. This allowed me to research into the devices and systems already in place, but also the challenges that many VI users still face on a daily basis. Part of my research led to my involvement in a 2 day hackathon run by TFL and Wayfindr, where I headed up a team of 5 individuals with completely different skill sets to a prize-winning solution.
Experience
March '17-August '19 Vectare - Freelance Graphic Design
Vectare is a young, dynamic transport consultancy and I was able to give design direction to help grow the brand identity. Commissioned by the MD, I created imaginative, targeted advertising for existing and potential clients, as well as redesigning the layout for user-centered documents.
Referee // Peter Nathanail
Placements
August 2018 - July 2019
Design Intern, Endpoint