Lindsey Davis

The goal of this project and class was to design our own project and use all necessary skills to develop the chosen product controlling every aspect of the design process. I chose to design a refrigerator. I began with an opportunity statement; I would design a refrigerator that would help families to eat healthier and keep healthy food fresher, longer.

For research, I began by studying competive products and what features were already being offered. I then looked into technological research, learning how refrigerators work as well as other new technologies that could be utalized by a new refrigerator. I then built a full scale mock-up to do ergonomic study and to determine cabinet and door sizes. I used this information in my later sketching and final design.

My sketches were done in three phases: in phase I, I drew inspiration from Body Types, hourglass, pear-shaped, and big-belly. In phase II, the designs were about breaking out of the box of the rectangular mold. Phase III was based on more is more. More doors and compartments = more organization.

After I finished sketching, I chose a design and began working on sketch models to determine the final form and find any problems with the design. Then I began designing different handles, and comparing them with the refrigerator form to find the best match.

The final design is a refrigerator with 8 doors made of technogel. This squishy material makes the refrigerator a more inviting, comfortable part of the room. With each door having it's own thermostat, it is completely customizable to the user's needs, all refrigerator, all freezer, any combination in between. The ice-maker is centrally located and has a removable ice bin for ice anywhere.

LCD displays allow each compartment to be set to a different temperature, perfect for whatever it contains. Any compartment can be either a freezer or a refrigerator depending on the temperature you set. Also has a function where the temperature can be set to change over a period of time to safely thaw or freeze foods with no effort or worry.