Convenient Catcher Concealer: The CCC
Description:
The Convenient Catcher Concealer, the last dugout organizer you will ever need for your catcher's gear! As a catcher myself, I always had a problem with misplacing my gear. So, I took on the task of making this beauty of a project. The CCC is a catcher's gear holder that allows for the mask to be placed on the top shelf, the mitt to be placed right below it, the chest guard is on the left side and the right side holsters the shin guards. The hooks for the fence and chest protector are 3D printed and the hook for the shin guards was not made by me but instead, bought from the local Family Dollar. The main frame of the CCC is made from half-inch thick plywood that has a removeable shelf to be able to easily replace it in case the middle becomes broken. There are also stickers placed along the frame of the CCC to help better understand where everything belongs to make it easier for those new buyers to know where everything goes. (More pictures below)
User Testing:
The Process:
The task that occurred for my users was to see how quickly they could figure out where all of the gear goes and how it should be hung up properly and see how quickly they could place it into the proper slots.
Results in a Paragraph:
In terms of the process itself, a few things could be noted. For one, all users seemed to be able to identify where everything goes and how it should be hung up, with exception to the shin guards. The shin guards seemed to be a problem for all users who's shin guards did not have a strap on the foot piece to be easy to hang up. This caused 3 out of the 4 participants to have to go through an extra step of strapping the top strap to the shin guard before being able to hang them up, which slows down the time to put them on after taking them off of the CCC. One other thing that was noted from the users is the weight of the box itself. It seems to be really heavy, considering it is intended for all ages, only certain people would be able to actually pick it up and hang it on the fence properly. One final result was noticing for myself how hard it was to hang the CCC on the fence. The hooks tended to get stuck often or the box was leaning one way or the other. Below are the results from each participant after being asked a set of 7 questions along with an image of each of them using the product.
Name:
Colton Wigley
How long have you been catching?
3 years
What grade are you currently in?
7th grade
How often do you misplace parts of your gear between innings?
“I misplace my gear a lot. I sometimes lose my glove and also my batting glove.”
How would the CCC help with keeping your gear organized?
“It would really help keep everything in one spot and make it easier for me between innings. Also, I could put my batting gloves in it too so I don’t lose those either. I could also have my chest protector kept up without being rolled up.”
How do you think the CCC could improve?
“Make the hooks on the fence easier to hang for smaller people like me. It is also a little heavy so make it lighter too.”
What would you rate it on a scale of 1-10? Why?
“I would say it is a 9 out of 10, it’s too heavy to be a 10.”
Name:
Tristan Young
How long have you been catching?
7 years
What grade are you currently in?
12th grade
How often do you misplace parts of your gear between innings?
“I misplace my gear at least once every other inning. I tend to misplace my wristband for the signs most of the time and sometimes I lose my mask too because it has been knocked around by my teammates.”
How would the CCC help with keeping your gear organized?
“It would help me keep everything in one spot and also make it quicker for me to put my gear on after I get done hitting. If I have anyone help me get my gear, they also know where everything is at too.”
How do you think the CCC could improve?
“I would like to see the mask be put on the side somewhere with a hook and make the hooks easier to access for the shin guards. I struggled getting my shins to hang quickly so it would be nice to see that be easier to access. Maybe something that lets me slide them in and out sideways without having to “hang” them.”
What would you rate it on a scale of 1-10?
I’d say it’s about a 6 out of 10. I feel like it could be a little lighter and a little more compact. The shin guards also knocked off a little bit of points for me to be honest.” '
Name:
Reese Pasley
How long have you been catching?
4 years
What grade are you currently in?
10th grade
How often do you misplace parts of your gear between innings?
“I misplace my gear an embarrassing number of times. A lot of times when I am hitting with two outs and I take my shin guards off, I have no clue where they were put so after I hit it takes me a while to find my shin guards.”
How would the CCC help with keeping your gear organized?
“I would know where everything is no matter what. Even if I was the last out of the inning, it would still be easy to find everything. I could also keep extra things in there too, so I didn’t lose those either.”
How do you think the CCC could improve?
“I feel like the shin guards are a bit difficult to deal with. Considering my gear does not have a shoe strap, I have to hang them by doing an extra step so it takes me a little longer than I wish it would.”
What would you rate it on a scale of 1-10?
“I would say it’s probably a 8 out of ten. I just feel like it could be lighter and the shin guards could be easier to hang. I like everything else about it though.”
Name
Marcus Harris
How long have you been catching?
2 years
What grade are you currently in?
12th grade
How often do you misplace parts of your gear between innings?
“I misplace my gear AT LEAST five times per game. Like it’s crazy the amount of times I lose my gear. Sometimes I just want to throw it all into a corner and hope it is there when I get back.”
How would the CCC help with keeping your gear organized?
“I could actually keep up with all my gear. I get so caught up in the games that I forget where I put things. Most of the time it’s my mitt and, you know, that is a crucial part of catching.”
How do you think the CCC could improve?
“I would prefer my mask to be on the side as well as putting the chest protector on the right side instead of the left. I like to put my chest protector on first so it would make it easier to me.”
What would you rate it on a scale of 1-10?
“I would give it about a 9 to be honest. It is really convenient and even though I would want to reorganize it myself, it works like a charm and makes it quite simple to put everything together and get it all off between innings.”
The Process of Development:
INITIAL SKETCH:
This was my initial sketch done on Tinkercad. I had initially planned to have a mesh net on the back of the CCC as well as having hinges that allow for the CCC to be collapsed onto itself for easier carry and storage. The shin guard hooks were also originally supposed to be slide in and slide out hooks that were easy to access and easy to use.
FOAMCORE PROTOTYPE:
My initial foamcore prototype contained all of the initial aspects except for the hinges. At this point in time, I realized that adding hinges to half-inch plywood probably would not work that well and would take more cutting that might make the project less sturdy. This is when I got the idea to add in a sliding shelf instead that could work as a way to make replacement easier in case the self was broken.
FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPE:
The functional prototype contained all of the functionality from the foamcore pinup except for the shin guard holders. After trying several different things for the shin guards to slide into with ease, nothing I found or tried would work like I was wanting. That is when I decided to pivot away from that idea and go with a hook for the straps instead.
AESTHETIC PROTOTYPE:
The pictures on the left and the right are images that were taken before I placed the stickers onto the CCC, as the paint needed to be sanded before placing the stickers on the box. Also, at this point, I realized I did not need a net on the back to hold in the equipment, as it is meant to be hung on a fence where the fence would keep the gear from falling while allowing it to air out as well. The image in the middle is the final form, where all was set and put together without any gear to get the whole aesthetic of just the CCC.
