bloom
Bloom is an electric flower cutter to make cutting flower stems effortless for people with limited hand mobilities. All it takes is a simple press of a button to get the job done.
Year:
2019
Challenge
Over $26 billion is spent in the United States on floral products annually. (Sproutabl)
I would like to design for people who enjoy flower arrangements but have carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis or weaknesses in their hands.
interview
Han, in her 60s, has severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in her right hand. She loves flower arranging and her dream is to start a floral business after she retires.
I shadowed her to the flower mart to observe and experience the flower arranging process. It’s heartbreaking to hear her story. Knowing her passion in flower arrangement, I invited her to be my mentor and guide me through the rest of my projects.
identifying pain points
After shadowing Han, I created a storyboard with the pain points and needs I observed.
exploring ideas
Learning from OXO and Fiskar, I strive for a mainstream and inclusive solution, and not just designing a tool for people with weaknesses in their hands.
refined problem statement
Cutting flower stems is a big part of flower arrangements. How might we cut flowers easily without using scissors?
exploring cutting gestures
I created various mockups that cut flowers in different motions and gestures.
“I like a simple press button for cutting because I can do that easily with my non-dominant hand.” -Han
final direction
I gathered the feedback from last round, and combined more features to make a better flower cutter.
I also did some CMF explorations to find the aesthetic that attracts my target users.
Feedback:
The crisp edges and the white color remind people of medical devices. Rounded form is preferred.
Explore more accessible details and forms.
Textures provide a nice aesthetic and better grip.
Detail refinement
I refined all details to make them more accessible, such as reducing the size and weight, designing arthritis-friendly clamp and more.
I divided the parts and explored each mechanisms/functions individually.
Details…
Tape measure can be raised easily with a straight hand. (Finger bending is bad for arthritis.)
When blade lock is activated, the cutter slot will be blocked with a bright color guard to indicate that the blade is locked.
The push up clamp I explored works well but it adds a lot of unnecessary thickness due to the rail sticking out.
So I looked into the clip clamp. Common clip requires pinching motion, so I altered it to a pull-up motion which works better for people with weaknesses in their hands.
I ended up with a rounded and friendlier form with tape measure slider that runs all the way across the top.
inspiration board
bloom
Color contrast guides the user to the buttons and interaction points.
Slider with finger indication and textured grip.
The cutting slot is blocked with a bright color guard to provide visual cue when “Lock” button is pressed.
16pt font and larger graphics are used.
3 inch wide textured clip-clamp.
how it’s used
1. Clamp it onto the table.
2. Turn it on.
3. Measure the length to cut.
4. Cut the flower stem.
bill of materials
colors
I picked cheerful colors that reminds people of flower arrangement but make them muted so the colors do not compete with the flowers’.
flower arranging
THANK YOU
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