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Perno Broom

After identifying a design opportunity during my user observation, Perno Broom came to life. This broom will make sweeping easier, quicker and reduce flexion points in the body. The broom will adapt to the user not the user to the broom!

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Research

User observation

Task analysis

Ergonomic analisys

PAIN POINTS

  • Elbow pressure & rotations

  • Shoulder strain

  • Lower back strain

  • Wrist pressure & rotations

  • Constant bending 

  • Neck strain 

Artifact analysis

Type of artifact

  • Requires two hands for use

  • two plastic parts and one wooden

  • No intuitive interface

  • only one handling position no specific instructions for use

  • Wood

  • Stiff/Rigid

  • No handle

  • Elongated 

  • Cylindrical

  • Lightweight
  • Reusable
  • Removable parts

  • Removable bristles

  • Bristles damage first

  • Shaft lasts longer

Uses/Purpose

  • Clean/Sweep

  • pick up small parts of dirt

  • Push things around

  • Depends on the dustpan to pick up the dirt

  • Its frequency of usage is correlated with its location

  • The labor length depends on the space that will be cleaned

  • It doesn't have instructions for use, it is almost about common sense or culture

  • There is no wrong way of gripping it as it doesn't come predefined and there is nothing in the interface that teaches the user

Location

  • The object is mainly for public use as it is used in a variety of spaces

  • It doesn't have a specific location when it's used

  • It tends to be saved with the cleaning stuff

  • Users select the hardness of the bristles according to the surface they will sweep

Competitor Analysis

Egonomics

Stiff handle with no clue of how to grip it correctly, the plastic stick is softer to the hand and the angled bristles help the user to make fewer of wrist movements to achieve the desired task.

The extendible handle helps to adjust the user height even-thought it still doesn’t have a way to grip it, keeping the wrist stressed and the back effort.

The handle has a plastic attachment from which it can be handled, it has a pivot that helps a lot especially for the back as it helps the user to not bend and create lower back tension.

The pivot in the shatf keeps the users back in a good position and it also has a plastic covering that will read as a handle and it doesn’t require two hands as the other

The curved pole allows the user to have a straight back and a better wrist positioning as it has a slight curve. Even though there are still no signs of the handle and the users need both hands to make the job

Durability & Functionality

There is a variety of brooms with angled bristles, they are more functional as it lets the user clean corners and small spaces easier. Durability varies depending on the brand.

For constant use it doesn’t have the best reviews as it breaks and unscrews easily making the functionality limited as it may be affected by these problems. Even though when it works correctly it does the job

It not only makes the jobs but it makes it easier, the dustpan it comes with cleans the bristles as they are used and the pivots make the user capable of cleaning places they couldn’t with a conventional broom.

Price

Less than 10 dollars

Between 12 - 50 dollars

60 dollars

It is not well rated, It doesn’t cleans well and the reviews say that the materials are terrible they bend and stop working fairly quickly. Long and thin stuff such as hair gets stuck and make the whole thing break

Between 15 - 25 dollars

The materials are durable even though there were some complaints in regards to the bristles, but it makes the task and with less body stress than the others brooms.

50 dollar

Process map

If the broom had handles and pivot points then the strain on the wrists and the lower back will reduce such as the performance time.

Experimental prototyping

HYPOTHESIS:

f the broom has handles and pivot points then the stress in the wrists and the lower back will reduce such as the performance time.

VARIABLES:

Back posture -wrist stress - time

User testing insights

Flexible

360°

180°

Better wrist position

 

Still some back curving

 

Even though it is flexible the user kept bending when trying to reach dirt below another object

 

The constant flexibility made the task longer

The user didn’t enjoy the interface

 

The users have to use two hands

 

The users didn’t have full control of the interface.

 

One of the arms had to be very extended

 

There was not a clear comprehension of how the interphase worked

Back is almost straight

 

Less pressure in the wrist

Quite stiff in bottom creating an angular position of the bristles

 

The interface creates angular movements that reduce stress form the joints

 

The user chooses the handle position according to their needs

 

There is less pressure on the back when cleaning under any object

 

The user is capable of manipulating the object with only one hand

 

Perpendicular joint motion rather than rotational

 

There was no bending on the back not even for sweeping under objects of medium height

 

The task took less time to perform

Better wrist position

 

To much elbow stress

 

No full control of the handle movement

 

Didn’t reduce the back strain and curving when cleaning under other objects

 

Helped the user to have an elongation without the need of moving their legs

.

The user could perform part of the task with one hand.

 

A weird griping position with one of the users creating a lot of tension and stress in the fingers

.

The user bents instead of using the handle to lower the broom

Personas

Development

Quick ideation

Concept refiment 

3D model

Rotatory handle

  • Release strain in the wrist

  • 5-inch handle is enough to accommodate a big range of users

  • The handle will accommodate the user’s preference according to their needs and change it in as many ways as they want by pressing a button

  • The rubbery texture and two delicate indentations to provide a better and more secure grip 

Shaft

  • Connects to the pivot through a snapping system

  • Reduces wrist rotations 

  • Quicker system than the currently available, optimizing the use of time

Pivot

  • Freedom to accommodate the shaft according to the user needs

  • Reducing the need to bend 

  • Easier access to narrow locations

Bristles

  • Freedom to change the bristles according to the user's needs or the desired surface to clean. because it was shown in the research that depending on the surface the user needs different types of bristles

Perno broom advantages

  • Improvement in users posture  

  • Reduction of strain in the neck, back, and wrists

  • Better user's performance as the muscles will not get tired as quickly.

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