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induction cooker
intuitive design
2020
intuition - the ability to understand something immediately without the need for conscious reasoning.
this project applies the lessons i learned in industrial design 5 - the idea of designs having intuitive qualities.
lessons from don norman's "design of everyday things" were the basis for this particular lesson. Topics like mapping, affordance, feedback, and other concepts related to design's intuitiveness where discussed and applied in the design solution.
the specific product studied in this undertaking was kyowa's idncution cooker - specifically the KW-3635 model.
ISSUE - In this scenario, someone wants to cook. But after turning on the power, she doesn’t know what to press next. Since the timer button is just beside the power, she presses it but it starts vibrating instead - which scares her. She turns it off again.
After pressing random buttons, she figures out the right sequence of buttons
SOLUTION - Arrange in such a way that a user will not instinctively what to press and do. Apply a pattern (CLOCKWISE) that’s easily understood and one that’s predictable and indicative of the series or sequence of actions a user must take.
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Power
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Mode Selection
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If the user does not opt for Manual mode, the next action would be the timer because the other different modes have a preset temperature. e.g. Warm mode already has a temperature setting of 50° C
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Temperature Setting
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Timer Setting
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Beeper Alarm – After setting the time, the user may opt to be reminded whenever the users want to.
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Start/Stop – After setting the alarm, the next action is to start the cycle. unlike most induction cooker that immediately starts heating up right after setting the temperature and timer, this one does not. The cooker won’t start unless the user wants it to.
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Lock – the user may opt to lock the cycle to prevent any changes.
ISSUE - The multipurpose adjustment button, at first, seem to represent nothing. But upon finding that the cooker does not have a temperature control, I immediately assumed that it was for it right after placing the pan. It does not show any of that label aside from having a negative '-' and positive '+' button. It lacks a signifier.
SOLUTION - Instead of having a multifunctional adjustment button, knobs will be used instead. Through the usage of a knob, you will get the same choices of different modes – maybe even more options ¬– while still maintaining a clean and simple look.
ISSUE - The LED indicators for different modes is located just above the mode buttons when the buttons could have been the indicators themselves One may also notice that the indicators were jammed into a tiny space The location of the indicators for deep fry and hot pot are also awkward. It should have looked like the buttons they represent. Their position must be parallel to their respective buttons, like the other indicators as well.
The Indicator is hard to decipher. because it does not only show the chosen mode, but also the timer, and the set temperature, simultaneously. It only shows 2 characters, a letter P and a number that changes when you press a certain mode. For example, when you press the 'Soup' mode, the LCD shows "P4"
I thought it could be based on their position since 'Soup' mode is the 4th mode from 'Steam'. (Left to Right, Top to Bottom) But when I tried pressing 'Hotpot', I expected to see "P8”, but it showed "P4" too. So, I figured that P4 might stand for "Program 4" or "Preset 4", and that preset already has a predetermined temperature and timer. I was left wondering how hot each mode is. If Hotpot and Soup has the same preset, why bother having two different buttons?
Moreover, just above the LCD Screen indicator are separate indicators for Temperature, Reserve, Timer, and Watts. These indicators show you what setting you are changing. So, when you press the 'Timer' button, the Timer indicator lights up to let you know that you are changing it. The LCD Screen Indicator will then show you the Time setting
I also noticed that when setting the time for the cooker, you had no way of confirming it. One time, after choosing a mode, I tried setting the timer. I thought that, to confirm I needed to click the timer once more, but it only reset the time back to zero. I repeated the process, and I found myself in a loop of never finding out how to set the timer
SOLUTION - Instead of separate indicators, the design suggestion would rather have a single monitor that already show everything. The order of which they appear would be parallel to their corresponding controls and chronological order course of the action. (Mode Selection > Temperature Setting > Timer Setting > Alarm).
rendered in blender 3d
Copyright © 2022 Job Elijander
University of Santo Tomas - College of Fine Arts and Design
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