About The Project
The Problem
The purpose of this project was to take a look at home washrooms and find what areas and/or products could be improved by a new organization product. As part of the group research, our group shared photos of our bathrooms, bathroom cabinets, shelves, etc. with each other to analyze what can be improved. I discovered that a lot of the time the storage of feminine menstruation products is often an afterthought for both females and males. Oftentimes these products which come in contact with very sensitive parts of the body were being stored next to harsh chemicals, liquid beauty products, and more potentially hazardous items that are also commonly found in a washroom.
The Solution
To help with organization and even safety, I created The Box. The Box is an organization tool specifically designed for female menstruation products. Different people have different levels of comfort when it comes to these kinds of products, which is why people have the option of storing it in a cabinet and also out on their countertop. There is a divider in the box so users can sort their products however they prefer. The size of the box is very versatile, users are able to store anything from small liners to larger pads and menstrual cups. There is a detachable component for users to grab when they need to leave the house and want to take a few menstrual hygiene products before they leave their houses.
Research
As a group, we collected photos of different people’s washrooms and this was where I identified how menstrual hygiene products are currently being stored by different people. A lot of research on the sizes of pads, tampons, menstrual cups, liners, and more was done to get the optimum dimensions for the product.
Sketching
Lots of sketching was done to plan for what sizes to use and to explore different options in layout, lids, to-go pack, and more. The sketching paired nicely with all of the low fidelity prototypes that were done.
Preliminary Prototypes
Many different sized prototypes were done to get a perfect size, and a smaller one was done to further understand what sewing techniques would be best to make the final model with.
Final Model
Main Body
There are many different ways of organizing your products within The Box. It doesn’t have restrictive sectioning so users can make it their own depending on what they like. The lid feature can either be kept closed or open depending on what the user prefers and where they are storing the product. The materials It’s made out of primarily include cotton-based fabrics, cardboard (or a thin sheet plastic), and small metal clasps. The Box would be sewn together and the hard cardboard would sit in between the two layers of fabric for structural purposes.
To-Go Pouch
There are many ways this to-go pouch can be used. The main way we can see people using the pouch is when going out for the day while on their period. The pouch allows the user to just quickly grab a designated pouch for their products, which has all the necessary items they may need for the day. The materials used for the pouch are similar to The Box, a cotton-based fabric that is sewn together and has metal snaps to keep it closed.
