SPROUT

A new watering device.

I individually designed a beautiful, simple and modern watering can, Sprout. The goal of this project was to research, design, and in the future produce a functional watering device that can carry and pour at least half a gallon of water. Throughout this project, I focused on understanding the competitive market for watering cans as well as the ergonomic considerations for the device, so that I could make a unique product that would be functional and comfortable to use.

Project is approximately 13” wide, 13” long, and 16” tall. Project was designed individually. 

Overview:

Course: Industrial Design

Focus: Research; Ergonomics; Industrial Design 

Timeline: February 2020-April 2020

Journey Map and Design Criteria

To begin this project, I created a journey map that outlined the task-flow that a watering device user would go through. While walking through the user process, I determined the various decisions that a user would make, and used those decision points to develop a set of criteria that an ideal watering device would meet.

Below are the design criteria against which I could evaluate my initial ideas: 

 Ideation and Design Focus

After developing a list of design criteria, I ideated intentionally around specific aspects of a watering can that would make it competitive on the market and ergonomically sound for general use. I focused on creating a distinct design that would be easy to locate, designing a grip and handle that would be comfortable to hold, making an opening that would allow the watering can to be easily filled, creating a sturdy base, and optimizing the envelope size. 

Concept Refinement

I improved upon an initial concept that I was drawn to because of its modern, organic, and unique appearance. I refined my sketches and created an initial computer model of this design to start to decide on dimensions and evaluate the  appearance. I focused specifically on making my design distinct and fun to look at, creating a 2-hand hold option to help accommodate center of gravity shifts while pouring, and designing a fill-hole that would be easily accessible.

Meet Sprout

Sprout is a modern watering can, designed to be easy to fill and beautiful to store. Sprout has a unique 2-hand hold: the user will grab Sprout around the neck, and as they pour, they will grab the handle with their other hand to better distribute the weight of the watering can between their arms. Sprout is approximately 13”x16”, and is designed to hold 0.56 gallons of water. Sprout was designed with ergonomics in mind. Sprout’s handle diameter is ½”, and Sprout’s neck diameter is 2.2” (dimensions taken from The Measure of Man and Woman). Sprout was surface modeled on SolidWorks. 

Further Design Refinement

Sprout’s initial design received criticism surrounding the handle. Although Sprout was designed to be a 2-hand hold, I received feedback that the handle appeared too weak, and looked as if it may break during use. After receiving this criticism, I continued to iterate on Sprout’s design, and created 2 new versions of Sprout. The second iteration (left) has no handle at all. The third iteration (right) has a handle that fully connects the fill hole and the base of Sprout. The handle design of Sprout provided me with an interesting optimization problem around analyzing stress concentrations and ensuring proper material selection. In the future, I am interested in continuing to iterate and create the best handle design.

Manufacturing Plan

Sprout has not been manufactured to date, but I have created a plan for manufacturing my watering device in the future. 

First, I will 3D print sprout in 2 parts (slicing the device through the right plane, as seen below). Then, I will join the 2 printed interfaces with cement and putty, and reinforce the connection between the handle and the body. When Sprout is one solid part, I will sand all surfaces and interfaces thoroughly. After sanding, I will apply a smoothing coating, and sand down the coating. Finally, I will paint and shine Sprout.