Site Photo

Site Photo

Site Photo

The bins used to transport produce around the wash room are heavy and hard to carry.

Root washer is at an incline so roots come out other end.

Farm uses a root washer, which is a big drum that rotates and sprays water on the vegetables inside.

Thesis Statement

Site Photo

We want to make washing the farm's roots faster and easier. Specifically we wanted to work on how produce is loaded into the root washer, collected after it's washed, and how it's re-washed. Our idea is a lever that attaches to the crate, that makes this task efficient and less strenuous for the people loading the produce into the root washer, a root pusher which make moving the produce inside the root washer easier, and a new layout for the root washing area. We are also building a rake-like tool to push and pull vegetables in the root washer. This is important because sometimes roots need to be washed for longer, or produce is clogged in the middle of the root washer due to the shallow incline.

Root washer does not have a spot to stay

Size of root washer

Size of crates

The root washer functionality is cumbersome

Problems & Parameters

Easy crate transportation

Flexible space

Crate design uncomfortable to tip at table height

Faster root washing process

Desires & Observations

Roots sometimes need to be re-washed

Root washer cumbersome

Size of root washer

Size of crates

Easy crate transportation

Flexible space

Crate design uncomfortable to tip at table height

Faster root washing process

Root washer cumbersome

Faster root washing process

• Crates are heavy and awkward to tip
• Roots sometimes have to be pushed back to the top to be washed again, no good way to do this
• Roots have to be caught on the other end

Desires

Problem

• Roots are the heaviest produce, so farm want's them to be easier to work with
• Root washer needs improved efficiency, especially for re-washing

Root washer cumbersome

Faster root washing process

Early Sketches

Diagrams

Initial Prototypes + Models (Photo booth)

Prototypes (At the farm)

Site Photo

Site Photo

Site Photo

Make the prongs of the lever further apart to make putting the lever on crates easier.

Make the lever easy to use from both the side and the back.

Make a rake-like object to push and pull produce in the root washer.

Site Visit + Feedback

Site Photo

Site Photo

Site Photo

We made the prongs of the lever further apart to make putting the lever on crates easier.

We made the handle more comfortable to hold from any angle.

We designed and built a pole with a piece of a wood at the end the matches the curve of the root washer to make pulling and pushing produce easier.

Changes + Revisions

Diagrams

Diagrams

Print Materials

Print Materials

Lever

Pusher

Next Steps

Next Steps:

• We want to use a piece of wood to attach the plate to the broom handle, so it's simpler and the farm can make it.
• We want to create some other handles for the lever to see which ones are the most comfortable to use.
• We hope to gain feedback from the farm and about what changes we should be make.

Site Photo

Site Photo

Site Photo

The bins used to transport produce around the wash room are heavy and hard to carry.

Root washer is at an incline so roots come out other end.

Farm uses a root washer, which is a big drum that rotates and sprays water on the vegetables inside.

Thesis Statement

Site Photo

We want to make washing the farm's roots faster and easier. Specifically we wanted to work on how produce is loaded into the root washer, collected after it's washed, and how it's re-washed. Our idea is a lever that attaches to the crate, that makes this task efficient and less strenuous for the people loading the produce into the root washer, a root pusher which make moving the produce inside the root washer easier, and a new layout for the root washing area. We are also building a rake-like tool to push and pull vegetables in the root washer. This is important because sometimes roots need to be washed for longer, or produce is clogged in the middle of the root washer due to the shallow incline.

Root washer does not have a spot to stay

Size of root washer

Size of crates

The root washer functionality is cumbersome

Problems & Parameters

Easy crate transportation

Flexible space

Crate design uncomfortable to tip at table height

Faster root washing process

Desires & Observations

Roots sometimes need to be re-washed

Root washer cumbersome

Size of root washer

Size of crates

Easy crate transportation

Flexible space

Crate design uncomfortable to tip at table height

Faster root washing process

Root washer cumbersome

Faster root washing process

• Crates are heavy and awkward to tip
• Roots sometimes have to be pushed back to the top to be washed again, no good way to do this
• Roots have to be caught on the other end

Desires

Problem

• Roots are the heaviest produce, so farm want's them to be easier to work with
• Root washer needs improved efficiency, especially for re-washing

Root washer cumbersome

Faster root washing process

Early Sketches

Diagrams

Initial Prototypes + Models (Photo booth)

Prototypes (At the farm)

Site Photo

Site Photo

Site Photo

Make the prongs of the lever further apart to make putting the lever on crates easier.

Make the lever easy to use from both the side and the back.

Make a rake-like object to push and pull produce in the root washer.

Site Visit + Feedback

Site Photo

Site Photo

Site Photo

We made the prongs of the lever further apart to make putting the lever on crates easier.

We made the handle more comfortable to hold from any angle.

We designed and built a pole with a piece of a wood at the end the matches the curve of the root washer to make pulling and pushing produce easier.

Changes + Revisions

Diagrams

Diagrams

Print Materials

Print Materials

Lever

Pusher

Next Steps

Next Steps:

• We want to use a piece of wood to attach the plate to the broom handle, so it's simpler and the farm can make it.
• We want to create some other handles for the lever to see which ones are the most comfortable to use.
• We hope to gain feedback from the farm and about what changes we should be make.

Site Visit

Site Photo

Site Photo

Site Photo

Big area but not all used

Lots of stuff shoved into corner

random stuff on tables

Systems Map

Point of Intervention

Points of Friction

No storage

#Of people

Work of all ages

Needs more tables

Moveable

Parameter

Problem

User +

Their Needs

Easy to move

Easy to use

More storage

Stuff laying out

Tables moved a lot

Desire

Observation

No storage

#Of people

Work of all ages

Needs more tables

Easy to use

More storage

Stuff laying out

Tables moved a lot

Human Centered Design Approach

No storage

More storage

Human Centered Design Approach

• Wheels can break
• Some staff may be unable to move the tables
• Takes time to build and start to use

• Makes the space easier to change
• Give staff more control of space
• Area adjustability helps the goals of the space to be more achievable

No storage

More storage

Sketches

Sketches

Diagrams

Use Diagram (Not to scale)

Technical Diagram (Not to scale)

Paper Explorations

Paper Explorations

Prototypes (At the farm)

Changes + Revisions

Added

• Bigger wings
• New swing out mech
• More storage
• Raised top

Removed

• Removable wings
• Removable shelf

Diagrams

Print Materials

Final Photos (in use)

Feedback + Future Steps

Questions

• Is 29" for a table height a good height
• How many people would need to use a table at once
• Could you see yourself using this

Future Steps

• Add storage to body
• Make wings legs fit better
• Stain the table top
• Pad the feet

Site Visit

The truck is a f-250, with a bed height of 37 in. One person lowers the stacked crates to another who carry's them to the wash room.

The crates carry 20-60 pounds, depending on the produce. One person has to carry the crates 20 feet to the wash room.

The wash room floor gets very wet when washing. This could be dangerous when carrying heavy crates

Systems Map

Point of Intervention

Points of Friction

Crates are heavy Uncomfortable

Ergonomics

Two or more people are needed to move the crates

Crates take a long time to move

Parameter

Time efficiency

Labor efficiency (Less people needed)

User +

Their Needs

One person can move crates

Move heavy creates easily

Crates can be transported faster than manual carry

At least 2 people are needed to move creates

Lifting and moving crates is manual

One person can move crates

Move heavy creates easily

At least 2 people are needed to move creates

Lifting and moving crates is manual

Crates are heavy Uncomfortable

Ergonomic

Two or more people are needed to move the crates

Crates take a long time to move

Time efficiency

Labor efficiency (Less people needed)

Crates can be transported faster than manual carry

Human Centered Design Approach

Labor efficiency. (One person can move crates)

Time efficiency (Crates take a long time to move)

Comfort and ease. We intend to alleviate stress from your arms and back when moving crates manually.

Human Centered Design Approach

• Due to the weight of the crates it takes a long time to move them from the truck bed and into the washroom.
• One approach could be designing a device to reduce the workload.
• Another could be modifying the whole system to emphasize efficiency

• It takes two people to move the crates due to them being heavy, and stacked three high on the truck bed
• A possible solution would be a wearable that could redistribute the load.
• Another approach could be automating the system for minimal human input.

Labor efficiency. (One person can move crates)

Time efficiency (Crates take a long time to move)

Comfort and ease. We intend to alleviate stress from your arms and back when moving crates manually.

Sketches

Paper Explorations Table moving design concept

Paper Explorations

Feedback about designs:

1. Will the scissor table buckle under weight?
2. Stress testing the designs using dowels and plywood
3. Durability and weather resistance
4. Is the wearable comfortable
5. Ethnography for wearable and what shape is most comfortable/energy efficient

Further questions:

1. Make sure any designs can move on gravel
2. Disuse-use cycle, make sure it is intuitive and streamlined
3. Wearable vs table vs automated
4. Is the design helpful or redundant?
5. Can the table design handle the load?
6. What materials can be used?

Precedents and suggestions:

1. Semi inflated wheel that can go over gravel
2. Plank w/roller slide from truck
3. Frame backpack

Project:

In Cultivate and Curate, our class was tasked with creating designs that could help Land's Sake Farm with specific problems that they gave us. Initially, in our field ethnography visit to Land's Sake, we asked many questions and took many notes to begin thinking of solutions for their various problems. My group, "Crate Moving Washing," decided to make our project a wearable device to help farmers carry heavy objects. Land's Sake explained how they needed to move 15 crates from a truck to their washroom. These crates weigh 20-60 pounds. They also need at least two people to unload the crates. One person lowers crates from the truck, and another person carries them into the washroom. We decided to design a wearable that can help redistribute the weight of the create onto your hips and shoulders rather than your arms and lower back. Essentially, we want to create a kind of backpack connected to a resting tray in front of you that you can put the crate onto. Then, part of the crate's weight will be redistributed to the hips and shoulders because of the backpack's design.

Growth:

This is my first term at NuVu, as I normally go to Beaver. I adapted to NuVu well and have grown in my ability to develop more informed solutions and designs for various problems. At Land's Sake, we had a field ethnography visit. There, I took many notes and asked many questions to understand the processes of Land Sake's various tasks. I greatly improved my ability to take notes and ask questions in relation to these real-world problems. I focused on a solution to help with the washroom and, more specifically, a solution to help unload crates from a truck to the washroom.



Feedback

+ Questions For Land's Sake

• What other mechanisms/solutions have we overlooked?
• Which of the ideas listed seem the most practical?
• How could we develop our concept to further incorporate the farmers needs?
• What are some obstacles/parameters that we may need to take into account?