Punch Whisk
The utility redesign on the timeless form
Team
Andy Ma / Industrial Designer
My Role
An individual design project at California College of Arts
Design Duration
6 Months
INTUITIVE
Using or based on what one feels to be true even without conscious reasoning.
INTENTIONAL
Using or based on what one be done on a certain purpose.
EFFECTIVE
Fulfilling a specified function in fact, though not formally acknowledged as such.
EFFICIENT
Achieve maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.
1.
Define 'Utility'
In this project, the definition of Utility is an important guideline for following design work. So we classified Utility into 4 adjectives below for better understanding:
2.
The Whisks in our kitchens
Whisk was classified into six categories below; each one has a distinctive form for particular usage:
Balloon
It is one of the most popular types of whisks. The uses for a balloon whisk are not limited to mixing eggs, vigorously whisking air into egg whites or cream to create meringues or whipped cream, lightly mixing dry ingredients in lieu of sifting.
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous whisks have no loops. Instead, a group of individual wires comes out of the handle. Since there are no crossing wires, the Miscellaneous whisk is easier to clean than traditional looped varieties.
Flat
It looks like a balloon that has been flattened. This orientation makes it uniquely suited to stirring in shallow pans such skillets. Owing to its harmonious nature with skillets, this whisk is an excellent choice for making a roux or various pan sauces.
Coil
Unlike other whisks, which are stirred around the bowl to aerate liquids, this type remains stationary in the bowl and is pumped up and down. Perfect for lifting sauces or thick mixtures from the bottom of a pan, especially in a deep vessel;
Ball
It allows for quicker and better aeration of the substance being whisked. The speed with which the ball whisk aerates makes it a favored choice for whipping egg whites, making for perfect meringues.
Cage
The added muscle of that inner “cage” allows for thorough blending of thick mixtures, ensuring a smooth, silky texture. This whisk is especially popular for whipping cream, and with good reason: whipped cream was never so luxuriant as when whipped with a cage whisk.
3.
How We Whisk?
To better observe how people use whisks, I organized a series of on-site interviews with people in their kitchens. Through the ‘User Journey’, I divided their using process into three steps (Whisking, Cleaning, and Storage). Finally, I found three main problems of the existing whisks in the market.
· Hard for Cleaning, especially for cream and egg white
· Too much whisk in the kitchen (one type, various sizes)
· Take up too much space in the kitchen
Direction B: “Balloon” Whisk
“Balloon” Whisk is easier for cleaning by blowing up a balloon inside metal wires to squeeze all creams and egg whites out. To test the “Balloon” Whisk, I made a mockup by adjusting a blood pressure cuff. As a result, the blown balloon indeed squeezes creams out from whisk wires. But the complicated structure is much harder to clean even than traditional whisks, which pushed me to come up with some solutions in the refinement period.
Direction A: Cream Shaker
Inspired by the Whiskey shaker, Cream Shaker totally changes the traditional way to whip cream or egg by shaking. The flat metal net in the middle is easier for cleaning with the same or better whipping efficiency. To prove the new whipping way keeps the same or better whipping efficiency, I made a real-size mock-up to test. As a result, I just spend 3:58mins getting a whipped cream, which is much faster than the traditional balloon whisk.
Evaluate Concept by Making and Testing
CMF
Great design doesn't only function well but also fits the scenario. I applied the colors and textures of cabbage and carrot on the product to make it blend into the kitchen environment
