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2011/09/13

Project 1- hand tool


Poster:



Rationale:

My design product is called Choc Mezzaluna. It is designed that based on the original one which is called Mezzaluna. It means “half moon” in Italian. It has a handle on either end, allowing people to use a rocking motion to chop, cut, and mince foods. The blade is sharpened along its whole length, allowing people to rock it from one side all the way to the other for a clean cut.  The handles allow people to control the blade without the risk of injury; they are typically made from wood. You can use special cutting boards with small depressions which are ideally suited to the use of a mezzaluna. It is often used for chopping herbs.

My design product- Choc Mezzaluna improves the original mezzaluna and also promises in enriching the user's experience. Here are my steps of solutions.
·         Firstly, I discovered the position of the Mezzaluna’s handles was a little bit high that made users not very convenient to do the rocking motion so I lowered it.

·         Secondly, handles were upright above the blade was not a perfect way for users to hold. According to Physics, the distance between two hands should be greater than the length of the blade because of the moment of force. M=F*L. The force can decrease when the length increases. Thus, I increased the length of the handle.

·         Thirdly, according to Aesthetics, curves can make people feel pleasurable and then they would like to touch it. The handle’s shape of my choc mezzaluna is more like inward ox horn. Both smooth surface and suitable thickness can fit hands very well.
The blade is the feature of Mezzluna so I did not change it. And the material of the blade is stainless steel.
Name -Choc Mezzaluna originates from its chocolate colour. Dark colour is difficult to become dirty and chocolate colour is close to wood’s colour.

In conclusion, Mezzaluna especially the handle promotes a pleasurable “living relationship” with people. The scale is reasonable and it considers comfort in use, hand anthropometry, expected interaction. In addition, the shape is symmetric and balance that demonstrates the effective integration of design elements and principles.


Storyboard:



Technical drawing:

6 comments:

  1. Your design is very interesting.
    Improvements: it could be more eyecatching and evoke a sense of curiosity.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is an interesting handtool. It is special for handles on both sides. For this design, I think the handle is the most important part, so it is better to consider how users would use this knife , what posture would be better to handle it.So I think the handle could be improved by considering how can use this knife in different ways or postures,not only one.

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  3. i like your idea to make a knife specially hold both hand. but there is a problem i think you should be improve. it would be very difficult to use if just one hand to hold. maybe you should think about it.beside. i love you painted colour.

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  4. a quite lovely curve shape of the handle part...but im not pretty sure that any improvement or development about be pleasurable while use this handtool...?

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  5. Good color matching of your hero shot poster. The overall design is nice, it looks functional, but I think the shape of it can be more interesting,and I think the color of it can have a better choice, the color now is not so lovely.

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  6. i like your design, the color is very nature. but i think you may add some antislip surface on it.so people will much easy to holding it and it will not easy slip

    ReplyDelete