TRÉS; MILK FROTHER
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Overview: Redesign an electric handheld milk frother to a more environmentally friendly product that reduces carbon emissions emitted when manufacturing and in use.
Goal: Designing a manual milk frother that elevates the experience of frothing milk while enhancing the taste of all beverages.
Tools: Solidworks & Keyshot, Procreate (sketches)
Ideation Sketches
Strategies Used:
+ Reduced Material Impacts
+ Avoid materials that damage human or ecological health
+ Manufacturing Innovation
+ Minimize number of components or materials
+ Reduced Behavior and Use Impacts
+ Reduce energy during use
+ System Longevity
+ Design for durability
+ Foster emotional connection to product
+ Design for maintenance and easy repair
+ Create timeless aesthetic appeal
From a handheld electric milk frother as a reference product and with the intention of elevating the design and decreasing the carbon emissions emitted while manufacturing and in use, these ideation sketches explore ways in which frothing milk can be down manually. Through different forms and sizes as well as ways to incorporate air, this design elevates the experience of frothing milk while improving the taste of everyday beverages.
The designs I explored further were sketches 1, 14, 15 and 17
Four Refined Sketches
+ Sketch 1
+ More sustainable materials
+ Durable and long-lasting product
+ Interchangeable components
+ Suitable for repairs
+ Sketch 2
+ Larger scale- for cafes and restaurants
+ Durable and long-lasting product
+ Sketch 3
+ Durable and long-lasting product
+ Minimize number of components
+ Foster an emotional connection with user
+ Sketch 4
+ Sculptural artistic piece
+ Sustainable materials: Clay, steel & Marble
Exploring Form and Whisk Shapes
Details + Manufacturing Process
Reference Product Deconstruction
CMF Board
Prototyping
The prototyping phase helped me figure out the optimal size and height for the manual milk frother. Since users will most likely hold the glass carafe while pressing the lid up and down, the width of the product needed to be easy and comfortable to grab. While sketching I looked at various proportions and realized that the taller the product is, the more unstable it is. I decided to reduce the height which resulted in a more sturdy yet still delicate looking product.
Tech Pack
Keyshot Renders + Final Shots
Packaging Sketches
I wanted the packaging to reflect the elegant luxurious aesthetic of the product itself.
It was important that the product will get a nice reveal when the user is opening the packaging. The packaging slides to open creating a pleasant experience from unboxing the product to using it.
I experimented with graphics using triangles to create a brand. The shape refers to the triangular glass carafe and the name Tres. The use of triangles create a complete brand and identity.
Packaging Graphics
Packaging Renders
Original LCA (Life Cycle Analysis)
New LCA (Life Cycle Analysis)
The calculations underneath the LCA show that although the CO2 impact for the Tres is significantly more, it will last up to 30-45 years whereas the original hand-held milk frother will at most last 6 months due to the cheap quality. If Tres were used for 30 years and the original milk frother was repurchased to last 30 years, the long-term impact is much worse for the original product.
While designing Tres, I made sure to change all these things by making it manual which removed the motor and the need for AA batteries. Swapped the materials to better quality from ABS plastic to borosilicate glass walnut wood and stainless steel. As well as making Tres larger to allow more milk to froth.
Original Process Tree
New + Improved Process Tree
The strategy used to design Tres was to make it more durable which in turn would make it longer lasting. I wanted to make it bigger so that frothing more milk at once was possible.
I designed it for ease of disassembly. All the parts are removable and for the most part, held together by screwing into each other. Users can easily remove parts and replace them instead of buying whole new Milk frother. It used quality materials including glass which can be recycled.
The new milk frother is completely manual, the motor and 2 AA batteries were removed from the original.
Tres is meant for a completely new market. It is considered a luxury as opposed to the original much cheaper alternative. In terms of better materials, ABS is no longer used anywhere in Tres, it is all quality materials including glass, wood, and stainless steel.
Due to the luxury of the product and classic aesthetic, I hope this product will foster emotional connections with Tres especially because it can be a product that is passed down from generation to generation. It is designed for easy maintenance (dishwasher safe) and easy repair. The classic aesthetic ensures it is timeless. The minimal look and lack of patterns and too much color can appeal to a much larger audience.
Final Milk Frother + Packaging
