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Do these remind you of your experience working with glue?

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If yes, you're not alone! This is what I found from a survey I took.
(110 responders, between the age of 12-30)

93% people have lost the glue bottle cap multiple times

53% responded they always lose the cap

99% people struggle with glue bottle clogging

All face this issue after losing the cap

97% people rely on separate pointy objects to unclog the bottles

86% people have faced strange nozzle leakage issues

Some believed that the nozzle leaked because of clogging, while some were unsure of the reason 

Why did I choose to work on a glue bottle in the first place?

I've always struggled with glue bottles clogging and the caps getting lost. I've also noticed people around me experiencing the same, prompting me to do something about it. The project started with me jotting down my initial observations and then I started the literature review about glue, its application and properties.

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Market research

There are a 100 different variants of glue bottles already in the market. I did market research to understand bottle features- grip, applicator, cap, nozzle and form

  • A comparison of various glue bottles of different brands

  • Benchmarking with nozzle bottles of products with similar viscosity

  • Benchmarking with bottles of products with similar viscosity without the nozzle.

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Field research

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1

I visited a few flats in my apartment building. The flats were selected randomly, I was looking for people who work with glue. I carried nets of platonic solids with me and asked them to stick those meanwhile I observed them. (sample size- 20, all 4 age groups)

To gain a deeper understanding of the subject, I conducted 2 kinds of participatory research sessions. 

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2

I next visited 4 schools where I attended art and craft class for nursery, 5th class and 11th class students. As children were making craft items, I observed them. (Sample size- 25)

Case study

Krishna, a 3-year-old, and his classmates in preschool have a craft period every alternate day. They work with colourful papers, pulses, ice-cream sticks, glue and much more. 

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For one of the sessions, they were making picture frames with ice cream sticks and buttons. Everyone had a glue bottle, still, they were working with glue from a paint palette and Q-tip and not using the bottle. 

 

The reason was that "they struggled to grasp the bottle. However, it is essential for them to work with glue since it is considered a fine motor skill. Also teaches them the concept of permanency." stated their teacher. 

Opportunity Area

How might we design a glue bottle for children that is user-friendly and forgiving, at the same time it improves the experience of using glue

Identified user pain points

  1. Application- The users needed scrap papers/ice-cream sticks/Q-tips for spreading the glue over a large surface, they don't do precision work. 

  2. Post-use cleaning- They need cloth pieces to clean off dirty hands and remove excess glue from the project.

  3. Clogging- In the absence of a cap, the glue bottle starts clogging and leads to glue bursts when pressure is applied 

  4. Grip/ ease of use- The cylindrical form of the bottle is difficult for them grasp as they are comfortable working with a power grip.

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Ideation process

Even though I had specific questions to gather primary data, the best insights I received lay beyond the questions I started with.  

eg. I observed kids playing pen fight with their glue bottles during the class. And that led me to think why not make a glue bottle that sits at the intersection of a toy and stationary. 

Final concept 

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Prototyping

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Circular impact

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Expected Impact-

  • The amount of plastic used is produced is reduced by a significant percentage

  • The amount of waste produced decreases significantly after bottle disposal

  • Increase in positive interactions between children since the colour and texture variations will give them something to talk about

Challenges -

  • The technology for producing these glue bottles still needs to be sought

  • The humidity level of the environment may affect

  • Even though the bottle is biodegradable, its microplastic trial is yet to be traced

What next-

  • The nozzle of the bottle can also be made of glue which would also reduce the plastic from the bottle 

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