Design Brief:
Design portable cutlery for a target audience of students choosing.
Target AUdience
Outdoor Adventurers
Those who enjoy outdoor activities like camping, hiking, backpacking, fishing, hunting, and survival training.
This target audience needs gear that can withstand the elements in any environment. Their equipment must be reliable, long-lasting, and well-crafted while also being compact, easy to clean, and simple to pack. A rugged, functional aesthetic is essential, reflecting both durability and practicality in demanding conditions.
after selecting a target audience, it was time to consider…
Where will the cutlery be used?
WHat other gear
will be going with it?
Who will be using the cutlery?
Key Research Takeaways
Extreme environments
Durable gear required
Simple to use
Easy to pack
Easy to clean
Rugged aesthetics
Ideation began with handle design. Ideas for how the cutlery would collapse were drawn from gear that the target audience would be familiar with.
Ideation
Some ideation focused on functions found in knives ,such as switchblades. However, these ideas were thrown out almost immediately.
Switch blade forks are more of a gag than a useful product.
Two handle functions would be taken to prototyping.
The first would be a “rope pull” function, where handle would be sectioned and connected via a central paracord. Pulling the rope would unify the handle pieces and relieving the tension would allow parts to dangle much like a bracelet.
The second handle function worked much like tent poles. A male and female end of the handle would be connected via an elastic internal spring. This would allow the handle parts to separate and fold for easier storage.
This project exists outside my current curriculum. So bare with me as I add this project little by little.