Product development of an ergonomic and sustainable iron designed for its context : Advanced Development SDA at Electrolux

Sammanfattning: This report presents the process of a product development of an iron with technicallyimproved functions, an ergonomic evaluation with suggestion of improvement and a designprocess of an iron designed for the context it will be used in. The master thesis was written bytwo master students from Industrial Engineering and Management department of The RoyalInstitute of Technology at the Advanced Development department at Electrolux.A literature study was performed using KTH search tool Primo for articles of scientific heightalong with a state of the art and market analysis and a patent search. After the literature studythe process moved over to an investigation or different ironing methods inspired by thestandard IEC 60311. The result was used in combination with literature study to developtechnical prototypes which concluded in one final product.A user study was completed with a survey, observation and deeper interviews to understandusers’ needs which resulted in insights, personas and customer journeys. The user studyfindings were thereafter analysed and categorised into a list of opportunity of improvements,function analysis and list of requirements. These were used as tools when continuing withidea generation and prototype development. The prototypes resulted in a technical solutionand an ergonomic study focusing on the angle of the handle. User tests were completed withinboth areas which resulted in recommendations and suggestions based on user needs.A design concept was developed alongside the prototyping process. This process consisted ofsketches, models and a final design based on three mood boards describing Electrolux, thecontext the iron is used and design guidelines for the new iron.The final product resulted in an ergonomic and sustainable iron with a design which blendswith the interior of a home. The handle was suggested to be 30o in relation to the soleplate toenable a relaxing posture for the wrist and body.