21st Ave Pedestrian Crossing

PROBLEM:


Pictured to the left are the signs indicating the pedestrian crosswalk on 21st Avenue, right next to Vanderbilt campus.  The signs take some display principles into consideration as they are highly visible outlined in neon.  The problem comes in that they are a distraction from their intended purpose.  Instead of actually looking for pedestrians crossing the road, drivers have to focus on the signs to keep from hitting them, and the signs even catch their attention as they drive past, distracting drivers from potential crossing pedestrians.  The signs' placement out it in the middle of the road distracts drivers even more because drivers have to avoid the signs.  Pedestrians are usually waiting on the sidewalk, or at least they start there, so drawing attention to the middle of the road isn't necessarily helpful.  Another problem comes as drivers get used to driving past these signs, they become less and less effective getting driver's attention, so drivers begin to speed past without respecting the signs.  All of these issues pose a safety threat to the pedestrians crossing the street.  It possibly even encourages unsafe behavior by pedestrians as the signs generate a false security that they are safe to cross the street, assuming driver's will respect the signs and slow down.


SOLUTION:


The system should use the common traffic light signals that are already being used: yellow flashing light, and a red flashing light.  Under normal circumstances the lights will flash yellow indicating that driver's should proceed with caution.  Signs used be located on the sidewalk to indicate that this is a pedestrian crossing, and the white lines should be kept to reinforce that message.  There will be a terminal on both sides of the street with a button for pedestrians to press when crossing.  The button will change the yellow flashing light to a red flashing light indicating that the driver's should treat the light as a stop sign.  A screen on each side of the street will count down from 15 seconds to give all parties involved a sense of the remaining time.  During the busiest times of the day, the light could stay flashing red even if the button isn't pressed as an added precaution.  After the timer counts down the button should not be able to activate the light switch for another minute to make sure traffic as a chance to pass through.  Drivers are used to looking for traffic light signals, so it doesn't require a great deal of focus for the driver's to receive and process the message.  The drivers could keep their focus on the road and on the pedestrians crossing the road instead of troublesome signs in the middle of the road.  This system would increase the effectiveness of the system and therefore increase pedestrian safety.

Towers Fire Extinguisher

PROBLEM:


Not that you could tell by looking at it, but this is a cabinet in towers that houses an emergency fire extinguisher.  The problems involved in this design shouldn't even need explaining.  The first issue is a matter of labeling. How would anyone know that there is a fire extinguisher in here, especially in the confusion surrounding an emergency?  There is literally nothing on the cabinet that says anything about there being a fire extinguisher inside.  If someone were to see a small fire starting somewhere and was running around towers looking for an extinguisher, that person would have to look very carefully to notice that inside this cabinet is a fire extinguisher.  In the rare instance that the person happened to notice that this in fact housed a fire extinguisher, how is he supposed to open it? There is no visible handle, and from looking at the cabinet, it looks like there needs to be a key to open the cabinet.  There is in fact a handle, but it is tucked up behind the metal where it can't be seen.  This makes no sense whatsoever.


SOLUTION:


The greatest value of a fire extinguisher comes in its ability to put out a small fire before the fire alarm has gone off and the fire department is notified.  Usually at the point the fire has progressed too far for a fire extinguisher to be much use.  Because of this primary use case, a fire extinguisher needs to be highly visible at all times.  Even if there is no fire people need to see it and notice where it is because if there ever is a fire, people need to know exactly where it is.  The first step in improving the design is to put a large sign, probably with red lettering (top-down processing says the display should match expectations).  The sign needs to be illuminated under low light conditions.  This technology is readily available, so have a light sensitive display is no problem.  The cabinet should also be made of glass so that someone looking for the fire extinguisher can actually see it in the case.  With the design pictured, someone could finally get through all the inconveniences and improbabilities and open the cabinet only to find that the fire extinguisher is missing.  Time is of the essence and it has already been greatly wasted at that point.  Finally, the cabinet should have a large red handle that instructs the user what to do.  It could say pull, turn, or push depending on the design.  The handle should also glow under low light conditions.  Maybe the illuminated sign could also shine a directed beam of light onto the handle so that it is easily found.  As it stands this cabinet poses a serious safety threat.  With these recommendations the cabinet could be made safe and suitable for an emergency situation.

Towers Trash Chute

           






PROBLEM:


Pictured here is the opening for the trash chute on the 12th floor of Vanderbilt's Carmichael Towers.  The problem here comes when students throw in trash bags that are too full or filled with glass bottles.  Students are just using it as an easy way to throw away whatever it is that needs to be diposed of, and this trash chute makes it all to easy to throw improper waste down.  There is a macroergonomic disconnect is that students just want a way to easily and quickly dump their trash.  The trash chute on each hall allows students to dump trash, in whatever form, for it to land all the way at the bottom of the chute for the disposal crew to deal with.  The disposal crew wants trash in a form that allows for it to be picked up and disposed of safely and efficiently.  Unfortunately because there is no system in place to control how students dispose of trash, trash gets clogged in the chute somewhere between the 8^th and 9^th floors and threatens to crush the disposal crew when it finally falls.  Also broken bottles and such pose a significant hazard to disposal crews. 




SOLUTION:


A conveyer belt system could be instituted that would allow trash to be lowered, one bag at a time, down the belt, and safely deposited at the bottom of the building.  Although this system would be more expensive to the Vanderbilt administration, it would allow for increased efficiency in trash disposal and increased employee satisfaction.  Also, as it stands, there is no display to let students know how to best dispose of their trash.  A simple way to improve the situation would be to have a sign telling students not to over fill bags and "NO GLASS."  Students still may not follow directions, but if the sign is clear then students would have to directly violate the directions in order carry out their improper practices.  Another helpful redesign effort could be to make the opening of the trash chute smaller.  Currently, the door to slide in trash bags is the same size as the chute itself.  This increases the likelihood that a student fits in a trash bag that is too large that clogs the chute.  If the opening were made smaller, clogging could be greatly reduced.  All of these changes would improve the safety and effectiveness of the trash chute.  

Rand Trash Cans

PROBLEM:


Similar to the trash cans outside of the pub, these trash cans, located in Rand, are simply asking for students to throw away their trays.  The primary design flaw is that because of the slot placed on the side of the trash cans, the design is forcing students to start the process of throwing away the tray because the user has to put the tray at least partly inside the trash can in order to throw away the trash.  Furthermore, most food in rand is served on ceramic plate that is meant to be reused.  Even if a student doesn't throw away the tray it's even easier to throw away that plate for the same reasons mentioned above and because a user has to intentionally hold on to the plate and the tray at the same time to make sure neither goes in the trash can.  And even more difficult is holding onto the metal silverware that is on the plate.  Now a student has to hold onto the silverware, the plate, and the tray to keep everything out of the trash can that shouldn't be disposed of.   This design greatly reduces the efficiency of the cafeteria trash disposal system.

SOLUTION:


This proposed system is a complete redesign of the current system and uses the idea of a conveyor belt that is already being used in Rand.  There will be a convey belt where students will place their trey.  First it will pass by a strong blower.  The idea behind this blower is that it can separate items on the tray by weight.  Fortunately the trash is all much lighter than the ceramic plate, the plastic tray, and the metal silverware.  The trash will be blown of the tray and into a trash bin.  Once cleared of the trash, the tray will pass under a strong magnetic conveyer belt.  The only magnetic utensil on the tray is the metal silverware, so it will be picked of off the tray.  From there the magnetic belt will hold on to the silverware and carry it away until it is scraped of the belt and dumped into a wash bin.  This will be done by a slanted metal sheet that angles right up to and agains the conveyer belt.  It will allow the belt to pass by without allowing the silverware by.   The tray and plate will then continue on and be clean of everything else.  They can then be conveniently picked up by the kitchen staff and washed for reuse.  The major benefit of this system is that nothing reusable gets thrown away.  Students don't have to think about holding on to anything, they can just place their tray on the belt.  The system is much more automatic and requires very little decision-making that can create a source of error.  Therefore, this proposal greatly increases the efficiency of the trash disposal system.

iPhone Case

 

PROBLEM:


This phone case is a great example of a design that doesn't consider it's environment of use.  As seen in the picture, the case goes on the phone by sliding the two pieces of the case over the top and bottom of the phone.  The case weakly snaps in the middle to secure the case.  One of the most common places to carry a phone is in something like a pants pocket.  It is used slid in and out vertically like the case is oriented in the picture.  The problem with this case is that if the pocket is snug at all, the the bottom of the case will catch on the pocket and come off as the phone is taken out of the pocket.  Now that the bottom is exposed, there is nothing to hold the phone in the case, so it falls out of the top piece and hits the ground with no case to protect it (the exact problem the case is supposed to prevent).  The other possibility is that the top of the case comes off while pulling the phone out of the pocket and the phone stays down in the pocket.  This doesn't pose as big of problem as the last scenario, but it is still very annoying and decreases user satisfaction.  The design flaws inherent in this device decrease satisfaction and greatly reduce the effectiveness of the device.  As users become annoyed with the inconvenience of the device, they will either buy a new case or just not use a case, rendering this case useless.  Satisfaction is paramount in this kind of product.


SOLUTION:


One way to keep this basic design and improve upon it would be to turn the black rubber trim seen in the picture into a plastic frame.  This frame would be all one piece and would lock the case together once the two primary casing pieces were slid together.  Grooves could be cut into the plastic casing to allow the plastic frame to fit snuggly to the case.  The frame would clip ver the corners of the case, securing the fram and adding extra protection to the most vulnerable points of the phone, the corners.  This design improvement would increase user satisfaction and effectiveness of this product.

Pub Door Sign

PROBLEM:

This is the door leading from inside the Vanderbilt Pub to the porch outside.  Surprisingly, the side of the door on the right in the picture is always locked.  The white square seen in this picture is a sign saying "please...use other door."  The same sign is on the other side of the door, but it is even less visible because the lighting is worse inside than out.  Most people instinctively reach for the the right side of the door because they are right handed, and many times food trays are dropped, or at the least, students are frustrated because the door they first tried was locked for some reason.  This display violates many of the display rules I've learned in class.  First in foremost it is not conspicuous or legible whatsoever. The fact that the words can't even be read in this picture is evidence enough.  Also, this sign doesn't consider the idea of top-down processing.  People expect this right side to be the door to use, so the strength of the intended signal needs to be increased.

SOLUTION:


First, to combat the issue of visibility, this sign needs to be made bigger.  Also, black stands out against white, but it doesn't catch the eye at all.  A color such as red should be used to get the attention, and then instead of italicizing "please," and thus putting emphasis on that word, "other" should be bolded and underlined since that is the primary signal being sent.  This considers the idea of top-down processing.  With these two simple steps, the problem of slamming into a locked door, spilling food everywhere could be avoided.

Thistle Farms Business Processes

http://thistlefarms.org/

PROBLEM:


Thistle Farms is a social enterprise that seeks to employ the women of Magdalene House in order to give them valuable job training and improve their future job prospects.  The business manufactures and sells natural bath and body products.  This semester I worked on a consulting project for Thistle Farms in an effort to improve their business processes, specifically as they relate to point of sale data capture and storage.  Most of Thistle Farms' sales are made at events held outside of the store at different locations around Nashville.  Currently, product prices are memorized by the women, sales are written down manually, and the data is manually transferred into an Excel database back at Thistle Farms' facilities.  This system poses a macrergonomic issue as the system involves many variables and users.  The basic problem is that the process is far to manual.  From storing pricing information to transferring sales data, the process is completely manual and therefore, error-prone.  The system is not allowing the women to focus on their primary strength, which is interacting with the customers.  Storing price information can more easily and effectively done by a computer than by a human brain.  Because the system is so manual, there is a huge amount of error in the system, and the data that is captured for use in accounting and inventory management is inaccurate and unusable.


SOLUTION:


The solution to these system flaws is to introduce automation to the system so that the women will be free to sell products and interact with customers.  We recommended a mobile point of sale software that facilitates sales with the use of barcode scanners and credit card swipers.  The sales data is wirelessly transmitted back to a server in the permanent retail store.  This system speeds up transaction time, decreasing customer wait time and increasing customer satisfaction.  The system also captures data much more effectively and removes the error involved in human information recall.  Now reliable sales data can be taken from the server and used for it's various purposes.  The new system streamlines business process by taking human factors into consideration.  Machines are used for their strengths, so that the people involved in the system can focus on their strengths.

Notebook Dividers

PROBLEM:


In this picture, there is a standard binder, used for holding notebook paper or anything similar.  On the right edge you can see tabs sticking out.  These are plastic notebook dividers, used to organize the binder into subcategories.  The are made to be plastic so that the last longer, but there is a huge flaw in these tabs that counteracts that aim.  These tabs protrude out from the side of the binder, so that every time it is put in or taken out of a bag, the tabs catch.  It doesn't take long for these tabs to wear out and begin to tear and otherwise fall a part.  Once the taps are ripped off, the functionality of these dividers is greatly reduced.  And the tears created at the tabs continue to grow until they've rendered the whole divider useless.


SOLUTION:


There are a couple of solutions that could combat this problem.  First, the binder could be made so that it covers these tabs.  Most notebooks like the one pictured utilize dividers similar to these, so if some company went ahead and lengthened the covers of their binders, the would add satisfaction to their customers and gain an edge on the competition.  There is a limited to how much you could shorten the divider, because the pocket of the divider needs to be able to hold a standard sheet of notebook paper.  Because of this need, there isn't a way to shorten the divider so that the tabs were covered by this standard notebook.  Another approach could be to place the tabs on the top of the binder instead of on the side.  Most binders like this are carried in backpacks.  Tabs on the top of the binder wouldn't catch going in and coming out of a backpack, so the wear out problem would be greatly reduced.

USB Memory Stick

PROBLEM:


Picture here is a standard USB memory stick, a device that is very common in the world today.  There are several problems with the design of the USB devices used these days.  First, to operate the device correctly the user has to signal the computer to "eject" the USB.  There is little feedback involved in the process.  Usually an icon just disappears off the desktop once the device is ejected.  This step is often skipped and the device is just pulled out of the computer, risking damaging the contents of the USB.  Another risk is for the USB to get bumped or bent, damaging either the computer, the USB, or both.  The long thin design (used by most USB devices) increases this risk of putting unnecessary force on the connection.  These risks effect the device safety, its effectiveness, and the user satisfaction.


SOLUTION:

The USB drive should take a lesson from the fading disc drive.  CD's usually have a slot for the CD that will pull the CD completely inside the computer.  Once finished with the CD, it is ejected, and it comes back out.  The design decreases the room for breaking the CD or pulling it out with out ejecting.  If this design can work for CD's, then I think it can work for USB's.  USB's should be made to a standard size, so that computers can design a slot that pulls the USB inside the computer while it's being used.  Once finished with the USB it could be ejected like a CD and removed.  They could keep their rectangular shape and most other components of their design.  This is as much a change in the design of the USB drive on the computer than it is for the USB itself.  If this improvement would be made it would greatly increase the effectiveness of the USB, and it would remove a lot of the inherent error caused by the device's design.

Coffee Burn

PROBLEM:


The point of this mug is to keep coffee hot, and it does that fairly effectively.  Unfortunately coffee usually is poured into this cup at higher temperatures than are safe to drink.  It's really difficult to tell how hot the coffee is just by looking at the mug or even feeling the side.  Either the user has to take a couple of painful sips before he can confirm that the coffee is the right temperature, or he waits for it to cool, and by the time he finally takes a sip the coffee is too cold.  This issue effects not only safety, as there are dangers involved with drinking a liquid that is too hot, but it also reduces the satisfaction of the user drinking the coffee.


SOLUTION:


Coors has already thought of the issue of ideal liquid temperatures, and how to relay the message to the users  as they've put a bar on their cans that tells the user how cold the drink is.  Thermochromism is the ability of a substance to change color with temperature.  Using different compounds the color changes of a thermochromistic device can be tuned as desired.  Coffee mugs should be made with a thermochromistic strip on on section of the mug.  This strip would change color from red to blue (standard color signature for heat) as the coffee in the mug cooled down.  There could even be the option for the user to decide at what temperature (and therefore strip color) he likes to drink his coffee, and from a selection of strips that come with the mug, he could choose a strip with his "color of choice" to stick next to the thermochromistic strip.  In that may he could always know when his coffee is at his desired temperature.  This small improvement to the coffee mug would increase satisfaction and safety.

Bose Earbud Headphones

WHY IS THIS A GOOD DESIGN?


This headphone design is a product that was made with the use in mind.  Earbud headphones are most useful for use during high levels of activity.  Whether they are used exercising, running, walking, or whatever else it may be, the value of earbud headphones is that they fit this use environment well.  Most earbud designs fit into the ear well, but they don't consider the inconvenience posed by them falling out.  How inconvenient would it be for a runner to have to stop in the middle of his workout to put his headphones back in his ears.  The design pictured hear very clearly takes the shape of the ear into consideration.  The "horn" that comes off the top of the earbud fits comfortably and securely into the contour of the inside of the ear.  The soft rubbery material is clearly designed for comfort, but it also provides the support necessary to have the earbud stay securely in the ear during activity.  The rubber portion can even be detached and changed for different sizes based on the size of the user's ear.  This design increases user satisfaction because of its ergonomic, use-based design.

PROBLEM:


This is a picture of a card swiper at Vanderbilt.  These terminals are used primarily as a security measure for access into Vanderbilt buildings.  The problem with these terminals is most evident when the user's hands are full and he still has to reach into is wallet, take out his card, and swipe it through the terminal.  The inconvenience greatly reduces efficiency and user satisfaction with the process.  The process of swiping the card over and over also wears out the magnetic strip on the card.


SOLUTION:


Magnetic cards not a new technology.  The current Vandy cards should be switched for magnetic cards that   gain access based on proximity to the terminal.  Cards such as these are not expensive, and can even keep the magnetic strip currently used to make meal transactions and such.  These proximity cards would allow the user to simply have it close to the terminal, especially convenient if his hands are full.  The fact that they don't need to be swiped also increases the lifespan of the card and reduces the likelihood the user would misplace the card due to having to take it out of his pocket.  Overall satisfaction and efficiency would be greatly increased.

Backpack Side Pocket

PROBLEM:


Most backpacks have pockets such as the mesh pocket pictured hear.  I've noticed the most common use (if it is being used at all) is to carry some sort of water bottle as pictured here.  Unfortunately most of these types of pockets are too shallow and all together unsuited for holding a water bottle, and the bottles fall out very frequently.  Especially as the pocket gets used, the elastic soon begins to wear out and just compounds the problem. Even if the pocket is being used for something that fits all the way down in the pocket, the pocket seems to be designed under the pretense that the backback will always be upright as it is in the picture.  Unfortunately this is not at all the case.  If the backpack ever fell over, whatever was down in the mesh pocket would easily fall out.

SOLUTION:  


One easy approach to dealing with this problem would be to simply make the pocket deeper.  This would especially help keep water bottles from fallin out.  The pocket in the picture is clearly too shallow, and simply making it deeper would be a great improvement, even if it wouldn't completely solve the problem.  Another improvement that could be made would be to replace the elastic band at the top with a inelastic strap that could be tightened as needed.  This strap could completely close the pocket if needed or just tighten to increase the pressure on whatever it is being used to hold.  This would be especially effective for a bottle shape or anything that tapers off at the top.  The strap could tighten so that whatever was being help would not be able to fall out.  Also, the fact that it is inelastic decreases the speed at which the strap would wear out.

Kindle Cover

         


















PROBLEM:


This case incorporates the very creative idea of using the Kindle's battery to power a small reading light attached to the case.  The picture on the left shows the connections used to connect the light to the power source.  It's difficult to tell from the picture, but the bottom prong slides into a small opening in the Kindle, and then the top prong clips the Kindle securely to the case.  The problem comes in the right picture.  As you can clearly see, the other side of the Kindle is completely free of any attachment from the case.  The other day I was opening the case and accidentally pulled the edge of the Kindle with the cover, putting pressure on the free end of the Kindle put a relatively strong torque on the connections on the other side of the Kindle and bent the prongs.  I was barely able to disconnect the Kindle, and now the Kindle won't fit back into the case's connections, so the case is more or less useless.

SOLUTION:


Unlike some of the other design flaws mentioned, this solution is incredibly simple.  All it would take is for the case to have something to strap the loose end of the Kindle into the case, so there is never an instance where damaging torques are placed on the "prongs."  These could be small elastic straps over the corners or plastic clips.  There are many possibilities, and this slight alteration would greatly increase the functionality of the case.

Email Attachments

PROBLEM:


I noticed this problem most recently as I was trying to apply for internships and such.  So often I would email someone and tell them I had attached my resume, and once I finished the email I would immediately send the email.  The next day, embarrassingly, I'd get an email letting me know that there was nothing attached to the email I had sent.  I had simply forgotten to include the intended attachment after finishing typing the email.  It's natural to sign an email and send it without a second thought, but in the instance when you were planning on attaching something upon finishing the typed email, this natural thought process can generate unnecessary and embarrassing mistakes.

SOLUTION:

A simple solution to this problem would be for an email provider to include an algorithm that searched the email text for indicators that an attachment should be included, and upon noticing one of these indicators and realizing that nothing is attached, it could prompt the user to confirm that he/she intended to send the email without an attachment.  Such an indicator could be the word attachment or attached used in the text.  Even if the algorithm triggers this prompt more than is necessary, it is worth the slight inconvenience to save an eventual embarrassment.  I've heard that something like this is actually used, but I've never seen it. Hopefully something of the sort is on its way to mainstream email.  

Apple Computer Charger

WHY IS THIS A GOOD DESIGN?


The most common point of failure for a computer charger is the connection between charger and laptop.  This connection failure not only risks damaging the charger but also the expensive laptop.  All too often a computer is plugged in and someone accidentally trips on the cord.  This could rip the plug out and break it, or it could jerk a computer off a table causing it to break upon impact with the ground.  Apple has come up with a clever way to deal with this problem.

This charger has a magnetic end that seals it to the computer, allowing a firm connection but not so firm that it can jerk the computer off a table.  If someone were to trip over this cord, it would safely disconnect from the laptop without causing damage.  Because of the magnetic seal, the charger doesn't have to penetrate very deeply into the body of the laptop, thus reducing the major source of error.

Car Keys

PROBLEM:


Today I locked my keys in the car.  It was unbelievably inconvenient, and I was very lucky I had a spare back in my room.  I realized that this problem happens far too often.  I don't have a remote transmitter that locks the door, so I have to use the button on the inside of the door to lock my car door.  This method is an error waiting to happen.  It is too easy for me to jump out of the car, lock the door, and then realize too late that my keys are still in the car.  This time I even left the keys sitting in the ignition.

SOLUTION:


With the technology of today's car keys, this problem shouldn't be hard to deal with.  Modern cars can usually detect whether or not a key is inside the car.  Some cars use this technology to allow drivers to start the car with a button as long as the key is inside.  Using this same technology, a car's locking mechanism could be activated only if the key is far enough away from the car.  A car could even do this automatically.  As the driver walks away, and the key gets out of the range of the car's sensors (maybe 4 or 5 feet), the doors could lock until the driver is back within range.  This system would take the human error out of the system and automate the simple process of locking and unlocking car doors.

Camera Lens Cap

PROBLEM:


The picture here is meant to highlight the lens cap and how it is completely disconnected from the camera when removed.  Protecting the camera's lens is vital to picture quality, so this lens cap is a very important piece of equipment, especially considering how expensive a camera lens is to replace.  Every time the camera is to be used it has to be removed from the camera.  The user then has to keep track of the lens cap while using the camera so that it can be put back when finished.  This is putting to much room for error in the user's hands and greatly reduces the effectiveness of the device.


SOLUTION:


The solution to this problem is overwhelmingly simple, which begs the question: why is it not utilized more often?  All that is need is a small slot on the outside of the lens cap to which a nylon string can be attached.  This string can secure the lens cap to the same point that the neck strap uses.  This will makes sure that the lens cap stays connected to the camera even when it is taken off of the lens.  This simple correction keeps the user from losing the cap and therefore greatly increases its effectiveness.

Pub Basket Disposal

PROBLEM:  

Back at the Pub, this is the trash can out on the porch.  The Pub serves it's entrees in little baskets that can easily fit through the opening, and students very frequently throw their baskets away with the trash.  The other problem with this design is that the easiest way to get the lid open is by pushing it open with the tray (no on likes to touch a public trash can with their hand) and from there it is all too easy to just drop the tray in.

SOLUTION:


The first and easiest way to combat this problem is to put a sign up that says "DO NOT THROW AWAY BASKET!"  It shouldn't take too much to remind someone that the basket shouldn't go in the trash.  With this sign there should be something placed on top of the trash can that allows students to easily stack up their empty baskets.  As it stands, you have to go far out of your way to go inside the restaurant and return your basket to the proper location.  It would be very easy to screw on a small shelf with a sign that said "STACK BASKETS HERE."  This would give students an easy way to return the basket.  This solution is the cheapest and easiest as it doesn't involve in redesign of the trash can.

Another more effective, although more intensive, solution would be to redesign the trash can all together.  The opening first should be placed on the top so that trash can be easily dumped in without having to put a hand or the basket inside the trash can.  The opening should also be made as a small circle that is just small enough to let trash in but not the basket.  It should be a circle because that will allow maximum opening area without letting there be an angle to fit the basket through the opening. This design can be found at a very select few restaurants.

"Remote" Control Car

PROBLEM:


Pictured here is a "remote" "control" car.  The reason I use quotes is that the car's controller is connected to the car with a 5-foot-long wire.  This design eliminates the remote nature of the controller and therefore much of the mobility.  The user has to run alongside the car for it to really go anywhere.  Where is the fun in that?  I also put quotes around control because control for this car is a possibility of two different inputs.  The user can push the red lever forward or pull it backwards.  The car then can only go straight forward or straight backwards.  Again what fun is that?  The design of this car, although it makes for a cheap product, doesn't factor in the user or the use case.  The satisfaction provided by this toy is unbelievably limited considering the design doesn't even allow for its intended use.


SOLUTION:


The solution for this problem is relatively simple.  Wireless technology is very common in this day in age, and a wireless transmitter could be installed very cheaply.  The transmitter could have a range as small as 10 feet and still accomplish its desired result.  This system needs to be able to send and receive four simple user inputs.  Forward, backward, left, and right.  This could be done simply by adding another lever to control turning the wheels left and right.  With these two very simple changes, this system could be a true remote control car and the satisfaction it brought to the user would be greatly increased.