In order to create a product, it is essential to have a problem statement that one works towards. I spent a lot of time at the beginning exploring different obstacles that my family and I faced in our daily lives to locate a problem that I could fix feasibly in the following year and a half. I first thought of an automatic cloth protector, though this was an exciting idea it involved home installation and so wasn’t feasible. I then thought of a gas detector as both of my parents would often get nervous and be forced to recheck the gas stove every so often. With this idea in mind, I had to collect background information on the problem and client:

I continued by collecting information on the kitchen (where the product would be located) and it’s the colour palette, theme, free space, etc. This helped me to get a better idea of the environment in which the product would be placed in, while also allowing me to analyse the problem effectively and therefore provide the client with the most helpful solution.

After collecting and analysing all the information on the client, problem and environment I was able to get a more comprehensive overview of the needs and wants of the client and the probable target market for my proposed solution. With this information, I was able to finalize and produce a design brief that encompassed all the specifications my product would have to fulfil for it to succeed in satisfying the client and solving the problem.

Though this initial step of the process is less exciting as compared to designing and manufacturing the product, I found it to be a fantastic opportunity for me to develop my critical thinking. I developed my analytical thinking by conducting thorough research on my client, problem and environment in order to carefully develop the specific parameters that my product would have to fit within.