Angled Access

Smart Dishwasher Interface

Focus

UI/UX Design, Interaction Design

Means

Miro, Illustrator

Collaborators

︎︎︎ Carla Langfeldt
︎︎︎ Chelsea Rogers

Timeline

8 weeks

Summary

Angled Access is a smart dishwasher interface designed with providing new parents ease of mind.

context

    International appliance company Midea asked us to imagine what the future of smart dishwashers could look like. Prompted with designing for the new parent market, I teamed up with fellow communication designer Chelsea Rogers and product designer Carla Langfeldt to create an interface that prioritizes accessibility, ease of use, and safety while managing a baby.

research

    To begin our process, the three of us compiled statistics surrounding the average American household, researched existing “baby-focused” products, and conducted interviews with new parents. All this research enabled us to create a persona that we felt represented our targeted consumers. We began to design around the character of Shannon, a new mom focused on getting her chores done efficiently while juggling her personal life, her relationship with her husband, and the caretaking of their son, Sam.

    After finishing our secondary research, creating flow charts, and sketching thumbnails, we came up with two ideas: Hidden Ease and Angled Access. Hidden ease prioritized a hyper-minimalist interface, while Angled Access prioritized accessibility. We tested physical interactions with our concepts by creating lo-fi prototypes with cardboard and paper, and refined them as needed.

    Following an initial pitch to Midea, we settled on our final concept, Angled Access. The most notable features of this concept include a unique handle, a smart dial, and a simple interface. We thought it was important to be able to utilize the dishwasher with one hand, as many parents carry their babies around on one hip. The angle of the handle makes the door easy to grab and interact with without leaning down. The handle corners are rounded to ensure that the user’s child won’t injure themself on sharp corners when they grow taller. Inclusion of a smart dial simplifies the setting process and allows the dishwasher to lock for safety. Lastly, the machine is quiet, as it utilizes light to signal its status. This way, no babies will be woken up from much needed naps.

Madeline Beattie
Communication Design

- Ideation
- Sketching
- Physical Prototyping
- Proposal Creation
- Presentation

Carla Langfeldt
Product Design

- Ideation
- Sketching
- Rendering
- Presentation

Chelsea Rogers
Communication Design

- Ideation
- Sketching
- Physical Prototyping
- Motion Design