THE SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT UTENSIL
by Aimee Nguyen
Defining the Problem:
Spoons aren’t ergonomic. They’re painful and unnatural to hold.
Spoons break and bend
Spoons fall if the bowl is too wide, or the spoon is too short
Spoons need to be affordable, sustainable, and applicable
From Group to Individual: The Sb*oon (*better spoon)
Key Insights from Spoon Research:
Spoon usages: soup, cereal, ice cream, peanut butter, yogurt
Different materials for different usages
People don’t like sporks (pointless): spoons that don’t hold, and forks that don’t work
Bad experiences: hard ice cream breaks spoon, conducting spoon burns mouth
Wooden spoons are good for insulation
People want deeper and wider spoons to hold better
People like minimalistic designs
The handle (stem) of the spoon does not bother people
Spoons are fine the way they are; low need
Low Fidelity Prototype: The All-in-One Utensil
Feedback:
Not much desire for a better or new spoon
Sporks are useless
Solution:
Compact, easy to use, multifunctional utensil that has it all: spoon, fork AND knife
Mid-Fidelity Prototype: The Swiss Army Spoon!
Feedback:
Concerns about handle being uncomfortable and of cutting yourself on knife
General consensus that sporks are useless
Solution:
Switchblade utensils allow for safe, comfortable shaft with access to each untensil at will but not necessarily at the same time.
High Fidelity Prototype: The ULTIMATE Swiss Army Utensil
Feedback:
Forks and knives are usually used as separate utensils to cut things
Solution:
Devised simple mechanism that allows knife portion to be detachable, while still keeping the element of compactibility
