You gotta love the Tongue Spinner

The class Design & Engineering at GCE was mainly about the ideas behind creating/designing an item. It was also about being empathetic in order for that object to work with certain people. We studied concepts based around design such as angles, surface area, volume, force/distance, mass, and simple tools. In order for the class to further understand, the instructor had the class go to interview a gardener (user), look at tools in the market (Home Depot) and see the process of how tools are even made. All of this prepared us to create a project based around making a hypothetical gardening tool. My father, J.Neiza Sr, was my interviewee/user for this project to gain the empathy I needed for making said tool. What empathy is is a feeling where you could relate to a person or thing in some form. This relates exactly to my project, as it is an adjusted tool dedicated to helping out certain people in digging.

Still, I hope you enjoy.

What I learned from gardeners were three simple facts to help create the hypothetical tool. The first is that most people have a disability due to age when working with said tools, and designers normally don’t recognize that. The second is that the best tools are normally the ones that can still relate to simple machines.The reason behind this idea is from my father after he was interviewed. When he was ten, his favorite tool was a machete, a tool that in and of itself is a wedge with a handle. The machete is dedicated to not only its intended purpose, but also meant for taking away enemies, gaining fruit, etc. So the more complex a tool is, the less it could be used for a general purpose. The third idea was that technology is something that can always help improve a tool. However, my father would still prefer a tool that had done the work itself. Because of this, my hypothetical tool would have to include working with technology, or at least incorporate some elements in it.

Even with the interview, I still needed to research from various sources. From what I could learn, the tool I had(trench shovel) had certain flaws. For example, my tool had a certain angle to it, and users would have to be in a certain position depending on their height. This could be extremely problematic to the user if they are elderly. I also learned that you need to have physical force in order to operate a shovel. This isn’t just for my tool, as it is for any tool that doesn’t have assistance in any way. This I believe is a major problem, as most gardeners over the age of 50 cannot compare to the strength they had when they were forty.

My final observation regarding the tool could be resolved easily, and wouldn’t need much force to add on.There could simply be a plank on the flat end of the shovel to push the tool down. This is especially important since most shovels are expecting you to plunge the shovel into the dirt with full force. With a plank, you could get the weight of your body or a hammer to nail the shovel into the dirt.  

Since this is a hypothetical tool, I added new features that might seem impossible, but compared to other classmates' tools, are more realistic. There are multiple features to my new tool that have been improved on compared to brands such as Razorback, etc. For one, the biggest feature would be the twisting shovel head, where the head of the shovel twists with the crank that is located on the top handle. This way, it could allow digging to be done, and could clean/smooth the sides of the hole. There’s also the simple yet effective part or rectangular prism that allows the user to connect or move the shovel in a certain angle, which would make it far easier for a person to dig trenches in a certain way rather than a person risking their health in order to change their position. Finally, I added an extra large plank dedicated to distributing the force of a human body or a hammer into nailing the shovel. The main difference is that this plank is larger and therefore has a larger target to push down on.

For the most part, these add-ons allow the user to have less problems with the tool. The first is the position of the body thanks to the joint allowing certain angles between the shovel and handle. The second improvement is that the shovel is built for ergonomic purposes. This is shown through the crank and plank. For one part, it uses a wedge, which a simple tool that has a force being pushed to so that the tip can make a precise cut. In other words, it separates the two pieces of the object. The wedge, being the shovel, is connected to a joint which allows certain angles or vectors.

Personally, I enjoyed working on the project, mainly because it’s creative and didn’t include the hardest math. I did learn however that working with a partner can actually take more time than working alone, only because you cannot see eye to eye at times. What I enjoyed the most from it was the design, and how the model would move due to animation, as it took time and effort. The voiceover was also hard, as my partner had to do multiple takes in order to get it right. Still, I believe the effort paid off in multiple ways, and I would change he amount of time my partner and I had to work together in class. Still, thank you all.

Citations J.N/K.S “AP Design The Best” vimeo.com, Vimeo, Web, Sep 28, 2018

JN "Interview" no website. Sept 28, 2018

JN “Trenching Shovel Labeled” no website, no publisher, Sep 27,2018

J.N, “Vectors”no website, no publisher, Sep 27,2018

Unknown Photographer. “Razor-Back 47.5 in. Wood Handle Trenching Shovel” homedepot.com,HOME DEPOT INC, Web May 1, 2015

Unknown Photographer. “Razor-Back 47.5 in. Wood Handle Trenching Shovel” homedepot.com,HOME DEPOT INC, Web, April 8, 2015

With you have problems understanding the video or need exact words for reference, please click this link to see a script of the project.