IH01-PatriciaWang

From IEOR 170 Spring 2007

Bad Design: Vacuum Cleaner

The connection between the head of the vacuum and the body seems to be at a somewaht awkward angle and the head of the vacuum is pretty thin. Due to the instability of such an overall structure, including the shape of the head of the vacuum and its attachment to the rest of the vacuum, the vacuum cannot stand on its own, making it cumbersome to store.

Even though a hook is provided at the top of the handle presumably for cord storage, there is no apparent partner hook at the bottom such that the cord can be wrapped neatly alongside the vacuum cleaner. Also, the vacuum asks the user to empty after every use, which seems unnecessary, especially considering how awkward the process it is to empty the vacuum. However, there is no indication of when the bag is full nor is there an alternate method to empty the vacuum.

Proposed Improvements

In order to ease the maintenance process of the vacuum, a case that stores a removable bag should be replace the current structure. On this case, there should be an indicator light, shining when the bag needs to be replaced. The case will also provide two places on its corners for the cord to wrap around. The head of the vacuum should be broader and the rest of the vacuum should be able to click into place perpendicularly to the head, such that the vacuum can stand on its own.

Good Design: File Drawers

The handle on each drawer indicates for the user to pull. Next to each handle, there is a button to push, to temporarily unlock the drawer. This button in indented for the thumb to easily press it in while pulling the drawer while the other four fingers pull. At the upper right hand corner of the drawer, there is a prominent lock, which can be used to lock all the drawers. Inside the drawer, there are two parallel rails that run along the side of the drawer, which allows for the option of using hanging folders.