Industrial Design
Size 8.5x 11 inches
Medium Cardboard, gaffers tape, and black acrylic Paint
Completion December 2021
Size 8.5x 11 inches
Medium Cardboard, gaffers tape, and black acrylic Paint
Completion December 2021
Exhibition Text
My prototype of a litter box is created to explore the process of creating a product in an industrial design setting. Inspired by the ideas and works of both Lawrence Murphy as well as the company Nature's Miracle, I have developed a product to make using the litter box enjoyable for the cat and easier for the owner. This product was meant to help explore my creative thinking and brainstorming skills. |
Inspiration
For this project my class was able to get a special guest and present us with this industrial design project. He is apart of the Industrial Designers Society of America and works with GE medical. He has designed products in all of the this companies businesses. He has redesigned MRI machines and x-ray machines. Not only better suite it for the doctors needs but to make the patients feel more safe entering. Lawrence Murphy (Murf) is a true inspiration in the industrial designing field. When we first started this project he wanted us to learn about empathy. He wanted us to show empathy to what we were designing. Murf had us sketch out a colorful mind map to keep ideas flowing, after this he has us sketch quick sketches to just quickly think up ideas. |
Another inspiration I had was from Nature's Miracle Just For Cats Advanced High Sided Cat Litter Box By Nature's Miracle. This box has high walls help to keep the litter contained. The high sides keep your cats litter from getting out, while the non-stick antimicrobial surface reduces litter caking, buildup and makes cleaning fast and simple. When I look at cat litter boxes this is what I think of. My cats had these types of litter boxes, but they never used them. I wanted this to be my inspiration because I wanted to keep the basic cat litter box where the owners who want to switch over won't confuse their cats with some new machine. |
Point Of View Statement
I met a family with cats, where I noticed that the cats never used the litter box. It would change things if there was a litter box where the cats enjoyed using instead of destroying the basement.
I met a family with cats, where I noticed that the cats never used the litter box. It would change things if there was a litter box where the cats enjoyed using instead of destroying the basement.
Planning
When we first met Murf he wanted us to create a diagram of feeling that pets could have. This included what they feel, see, touch, and hear. This could be them seeing their favorite toy or seeing the cage they go into while at the vet. This gave us a better understanding on our pets I feel. After this we had to create a bubble map with different ideas that could be invented that our pets would like. We bounced ideas off other ideas, and we needed to get our families ideas included in this. This is when Murf introduced the project fully. After we got the project introduced to us we had time to come up with a few rough ideas. During this stage Murf wanted us to show off our creative side and teach us how to find it. This exercise was where we had to partner up and find two objects in the room and create a story relating them together. Then we had to tell the whole class our story, we though we were done but there was another exercise. We needed to come up with 2 new words, one with a positive meaning and one with a negative meaning.
For this project we needed to come up with something that can be used for our pets to help makes lives easier. I had 2 cats their names were Buzz and Woody. Buzz never really went to the bathroom in his litter box, he went all over our basement. Towards the end of their lives both of them went to the bathroom all over our basement. This caused a lot of stress on my parents because with my dad and his health issues he had to work from home most of the time. With his office being in the basement the smell really affected his asthma and other health conditions. It also affected him because he would be the one to clean up the messes so this left him in a mad mood. With my dad in a bad mood from this and his health not 100% he would take it out on us and my mom. Overall no one was happy and in the end we needed to redo our basement after they passed. This is when I came up with the idea of a litter box but not a normal litter box. My idea for this litter box was that very cat wanted to use it. I also wanted to make it self cleaning to make it easier for everyone in the household.
When we first met Murf he wanted us to create a diagram of feeling that pets could have. This included what they feel, see, touch, and hear. This could be them seeing their favorite toy or seeing the cage they go into while at the vet. This gave us a better understanding on our pets I feel. After this we had to create a bubble map with different ideas that could be invented that our pets would like. We bounced ideas off other ideas, and we needed to get our families ideas included in this. This is when Murf introduced the project fully. After we got the project introduced to us we had time to come up with a few rough ideas. During this stage Murf wanted us to show off our creative side and teach us how to find it. This exercise was where we had to partner up and find two objects in the room and create a story relating them together. Then we had to tell the whole class our story, we though we were done but there was another exercise. We needed to come up with 2 new words, one with a positive meaning and one with a negative meaning.
For this project we needed to come up with something that can be used for our pets to help makes lives easier. I had 2 cats their names were Buzz and Woody. Buzz never really went to the bathroom in his litter box, he went all over our basement. Towards the end of their lives both of them went to the bathroom all over our basement. This caused a lot of stress on my parents because with my dad and his health issues he had to work from home most of the time. With his office being in the basement the smell really affected his asthma and other health conditions. It also affected him because he would be the one to clean up the messes so this left him in a mad mood. With my dad in a bad mood from this and his health not 100% he would take it out on us and my mom. Overall no one was happy and in the end we needed to redo our basement after they passed. This is when I came up with the idea of a litter box but not a normal litter box. My idea for this litter box was that very cat wanted to use it. I also wanted to make it self cleaning to make it easier for everyone in the household.
This is the bubble map we had to create. We had to start with our pets in the middle and bounce ideas off of that. Murf also wanted us to connect our ideas to each other. I had my base idea which were my 2 cats and some basic ideas I said were didn't use litter box, jumped into windows, protective, and liked to shower with us.
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This was the diagram of what we think our pets feel. I wrote down different animals because I wanted there to a be different animals to see if their behavior changed. I wrote how my friends dogs go crazy when they see new people or other dogs walking. For my cats I said that they get crazy and mean when the see the cages being brought up from the basement for them to go to the vet.
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This was the first sketch of the cat litter box. This is a just a basic one without a lot of detail. Basically it would be a self cleaning litter box that cats would actually want to use. It would be filled with cat nip leaving the cats like it. It also would be smell free.
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This was one of my first ideas was to make a automatic cat food dispenser. In my house we always had to make sure that the cats were feed and if we weren't going to home that whole day it would stress out my parents. This is way I liked the idea of having it automatic and on a timer so you never have to worry.
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This was a cat look out book shelf idea. My cats always liked to be in high places to watch out for me and my sister when we were younger. This idea is a normal book shelf so it can blend into your normal house decorations without looking like a cat hide out. On the top of the shelf it would be a cat bed where they can stay without messing anything up.
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Process I started my sketching out possible ideas of simple cat litter boxes. I wanted to insure that I had a basic idea before I added all the details to renovate this piece. At the beginning I only wanted to create a box where cats would enjoy, bit after thinking I thought it would look better for selling if it was self cleaning making it easier for the owners. I started by taping down the sides of the box to make it longer for the cats to fit. I then measured for the pull out part. I cut the other piece of cardboard. I wanted to us normal cardboard for the litter part but normal litter has color in it for I instead used a colorful box I found in my house. Once all the pieces were together I painted it black to make everything come together. |
These were the two boxes I used to create my litter box. I found them in my basement from collecting cardboard for another project. I also used gaffers tape to stick things together.
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This was the main piece of my litter box. I taped the sides together. After this I painted it black to make it look nice for the final piece. I picked black because I thought it would hide the dirtiness if it got dirty.
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Here I cue the white cardboard to fit the size I wanted. I then taped on another box that would be sliding in and out of the box. This is the part where the cats would use and it self cleans. After I was done with this I painted it black to match with the other part.
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Experiment
When I was planning this project, I wanted to create the self cleaning part of the side of the litter box. This is where a box would be to collect all the remains from the cats. A panel would swipe it into the box. After messing around with the cardboard I realized that this would be hard to achieve while making it look nice. This is where I can up with the idea of have a panel at the bottom of the box to collect everything, and the owner only needs to change once a week. I thought this one would look nicer and others would understand how it works better.
When I was planning this project, I wanted to create the self cleaning part of the side of the litter box. This is where a box would be to collect all the remains from the cats. A panel would swipe it into the box. After messing around with the cardboard I realized that this would be hard to achieve while making it look nice. This is where I can up with the idea of have a panel at the bottom of the box to collect everything, and the owner only needs to change once a week. I thought this one would look nicer and others would understand how it works better.
Reflection
Compare and Contrast
Similarities
Compare and Contrast
Similarities
- These two products compare because the end goal is similar, which is for cats to use the bathroom in, instead of around the owners house.
- Both products are in the shape of the box and not a new shape to confuse the pets.
- Mine is a self cleaning litter box where the Nature's Miracle Just For Cats Advanced High Sided Cat Litter Box By Nature's Miracle is just a normal one leaving the owner to clean up after the cats.
- Mine also is an enclosed box trapping the odor the cats leave behind.
Critique
Overall I am happy with how my product turned out. I feel like this could be very useful for many family's. Like mine we could have a basement redone instead of being a huge litter box for our cats. This product also helps with those who travel and can't clean it or those who have health problems leaving them unable to clean the litter box daily. If I were to do thing different I would make add texture to the litter part of the box. This would leave it to have that litter box feel. Overall this project have helped me learn a new process for the planning stages and I am really considering using them for project sin the future.
Overall I am happy with how my product turned out. I feel like this could be very useful for many family's. Like mine we could have a basement redone instead of being a huge litter box for our cats. This product also helps with those who travel and can't clean it or those who have health problems leaving them unable to clean the litter box daily. If I were to do thing different I would make add texture to the litter part of the box. This would leave it to have that litter box feel. Overall this project have helped me learn a new process for the planning stages and I am really considering using them for project sin the future.
ACT Questions
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
With Murf coming in and helping us with our design process and our ideas and affected my others to make them deeper.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
When seeing cats not using the litter box you know that something is wrong with the original litter box.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
To be an industrial designer you must express your thoughts through simple ideas.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
The issue of my cats not using the litter box contributes to the central idea in my research.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Things I found out while reading is that there are many kinds of litter boxes besides your normal basic box which I found interesting.
Bibliography
https://www.thesprucepets.com/best-cat-litter-boxes-4151093
https://www.miad.edu/faculty/larry-murphy
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
With Murf coming in and helping us with our design process and our ideas and affected my others to make them deeper.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
When seeing cats not using the litter box you know that something is wrong with the original litter box.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
To be an industrial designer you must express your thoughts through simple ideas.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
The issue of my cats not using the litter box contributes to the central idea in my research.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Things I found out while reading is that there are many kinds of litter boxes besides your normal basic box which I found interesting.
Bibliography
https://www.thesprucepets.com/best-cat-litter-boxes-4151093
https://www.miad.edu/faculty/larry-murphy