This is a tool that has been designed for children to wash their hands, enabling them to reach the faucet knobs without adult assistance. Children often have to stand on stools or other objects to allow them to reach across the sink to turn on the water. This can be dangerous and cause unnecessary situations where a parent or guardian must get involved.
At first I researched all ages of people while they used the sink, to determine what problems they faced while washing their hands(PLEASE CHECK THE VIDEO IN THE END). I discovered that safety was the biggest area where problems existed; the parents expressed this especially around the children’s activities at the sink. Then I researched the current products that already were in the market. I found there is not a product to help children to wash their hands without the help of a parent.
I found five user needs from my research: reach, safety, stability, fun interaction, and hygiene. I developed 30 concept ideas to solve these five user needs. I choose my top three ideas to make full size mock-ups and perform user testing. I arrived at my final idea and made a full size prototype as well as a computer-generated model to test this design.
The “F.A.U.C.E.T. Grip” tool is utilized by a child when they need to use a sink but cannot reach the faucet handles. The child places the tool either around a rotary turn style or lifting style sink handle, extending their reach and leverage. An internal mechanism allows for a ratchet style cranking action on the turn style handles. When the time comes to turn off the water, the tool is simply flipped over and reversed to duplicate the action of turning it on.
This product has three different parts, one “head” for a rotary turn style faucet and another “head” for a lifting style faucet that extends its reach. Both parts attach to a universal handle. This tool is made from two materials; plastic and silicone rubber, both of which are easily cleaned for hygienic reasons.
The common ratchet tool was part of my design inspiration that I drew heavily upon. This tool allows for a limited range of movement while turning screws / bolts and would adapt well for faucet handles if packaged correctly. This product has three different parts, one “head” for a rotary turn style faucet and another “head” for a lifting style faucet that extends its reach. Both parts attach to a universal handle. This tool is made from two materials; plastic and silicone rubber, both of which are easily cleaned for hygienic reasons.The common ratchet tool was part of my design inspiration that I drew heavily upon. This tool allows for a limited range of movement while turning screws / bolts and would adapt well for faucet handles if packaged correctly. This product has three different parts, one “head” for a rotary turn style faucet and another “head” for a lifting style faucet that extends its reach. Both parts attach to a universal handle. This tool is made from two materials; plastic and silicone rubber, both of which are easily cleaned for hygienic reasons.
The common ratchet tool was part of my design inspiration that I drew heavily upon. This tool allows for a limited range of movement while turning screws / bolts and would adapt well for faucet handles if packaged correctly.
The “F.A.U.C.E.T. Grip” is kid friendly product and the appearance has been designed specifically for children. It is rounded and has soft features that speak to the language of “kids tool”. The color scheme selected uses simple black and white along with blue and pink to help a child understand which side to use when turning on and off the faucet.
