Luggage Scale Redesign
For my Human Factors and Design for Society class, I redesigned what a luggage scale could be like. Basing my design designs on research, human factors, ergonomics and user testing, I created a telescopic design that sits more comfortably on a human. The scale gives a clear indication of when finished, while retracting to a small and portable device when not in use. This project received a UK First grade or A in the US.
ROLE
Product Designer
Project
University of Sussex
Tools
Blender, SketchUp, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Indesign, Procreate, Powerpoint
Date
Fall 2021
Background
Studying abroad, I realized the usefulness of luggage scales, but faced discomfort with heavier bags due to sharp plastic edges and uncertainty about when the weighing was complete. This prompted my decision to revamp the design, focusing on creating a more ergonomic and user-friendly scale.
Research
Competitors
The research first began with looking at competitors and identifying my target market. Looking into my primary and secondary research, I identified the two main problems I needed to address, a more comfortable and sturdy body with a more intuitive “finished” indicator of when the weighing was done
Pain Points
Human Factors
The following flow chart, found through user testing, helped me identify the human factor pain points users face while using a luggage scale.
Pain Points:
Physical Factors: The handles felt uncomfortable under heavy weight, the body wasn’t sturdy and when two hands were needed, they did not fit on the handles.
Cognitive Factors: The light flashed too little, the screen was hard to read and the level included was unnecessary consideration to get an accurate weight.
Challenge
The Problem
How might we reimagine a luggage scale that fits more comfortably in hand and is easy to understand?
Interative Design
Initial Ideas
For the physical body of the luggage scale I had 5 different initial ideas that had finger grooves, silicone and even inspired by other objects with handles like kettlebells.
For the scale’s cognitive considerations, I also had 5 different initial ideas that focused on improving the screen interface, screen type, light usage, haptics and button use.
Pivot Point
Prototyping and User-Testing
The first prototype of the scale was created from clay to showcase a two handle design with finger grooves. Although the finger grooves were based on anthropometric data, user testing found they weren’t comfortable on all hands. Overall, this design was still not long enough and bulky.
New Problem Statement:
How might we reimagine a luggage scale that fits more comfortably in hand, is easy to understand and takes up the least space possible?
Redesign
Luggage Scale 2.0
I went back to my other ideas and decided to go with the telescopic design. It would still provide the appropriate length while not being bulky. The cognitive features included a better LED display and two buttons.
User testing found this design to be more portable and allowed for one or two handed use.
Final Design
Comfortable and Compact
Physical Factors:
The final design included a telescopic body that allowed for one or two hand use and silicone pads to help with heavy weight discomfort.
Cognitive Factors:
Regarding the cognitive improvements, it had a clear LED screen with haptic feedback to indicate completion of weighing; and multiple buttons to decrease the number of button pushes to get a job done.
Inclusive Design
Color Blindness
Visual impairments was a vital part of the design process, empathy user testing towards color blind people found that the original light indicator of weighing completion was ineffective for those with some types of color blindness. Therefore, I decided to make the finish indicator a haptic feedback that could be understood by all.
Reflection
Takeaways
Overall, this was my first time designing a physical product however I found the design process to be largely the same. It showed me how powerful getting prototypes into people's hands can be in improving designs and considering factors that initially don't cross your mind.