Wings
(The “Most-Toast”)
Sophmore Year | Spring 2022 (Adjusted Fall 2023)
To create a device that fits into any kitchen setting while being a reliable tool withstanding the test of time in both usage and style for all homes. The Most Toast was designed for anyone and accommodates a wide variety of toastable breads and other breakfast items of all sizes.
Inspiration
This was a sophomore-year project in the Industrial Design School at Arizona State University. The goal was to explore modernist designs and to have students take their first approaches to product design. This was my first time exploring products in complete stages from ideation to presentable, rendered products over several months.
Personas
Jason Ridgeway
Age: 32
Occupation: Owns a music store
Family: Wife and Son
Hobbies/Interests: Lead guitar in local band, loves to spend weekends playing local shows and working in the community. Spends most morning and nights caring for his son and enjoys photography.
Needs:
– A reliable device in the kitchen
– Something to make breakfast fun
– Something his child can safely use when he is older
Tanya Murietta
Age: 45
Occupation: Bookkeeper
Family: A husband, two Middle-School boys, and a 2nd-grade daughter
Hobbies/Interests: Loves cycling and will bike with her children to and from school, enjoys reading articles about new technology and market movement and tries out new recipes every week.
Needs:
– A quick way to make breakfast for 5
– A device that would fit in a crowded kitchen
– Something to spice the mornings up
Issiac & Joyce Valentine
Age: 67 & 64
Occupation: Both retired
Family: Two grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, and extended family.
Hobbies/Interests: Enjoy Hallmark Movies and the holidays, stop by church every month or so, take life slow and enjoy every moment, and spend time exploring recipes and restaurants.
Needs:
– A way to keep feeling young
– An easy device for them to use
Market Research
80 Percent
80% of American Households own a toaster, according to CBS News. 10% of people in America also report having toast or toasted pastries for breakfast each day
17.4 Million
From 2010 to 2018, an average of 15.8 million toasters were sold just in the United States, reaching a peak of 17.4 million in 2018
Basic and lower end toasters usually sell for as low as
30$
These tend to only have the basic functions and are made from cheaper materials
The top rated and recommended toasters usually land withing the price range of
60$ – 80$
These are chosen due to their durability, capacity, quality of toast, and overall reliability as a product. Companies that choose these products are Food Network, CBS, and Consumer Reports.
Smart toasters and highest end versions can sell for over
250$
These usually come with smart controls, LED displays, and several toasting settings.
User Data
In a series of interviews with 10+ individuals, data was collected on user preferences surrounding toasters ranging from topics such as reliability to aesthetics.
The most common features listed as “must haves” for a toaster include:
– Cleanability
– Reliability
– Storage
– Toast Range (bagels, bread, etc.)
Other commonly listed needs were affordability, weight, the ability to watch the bread toast, the amount of bread that can be toasted at any time, and overall aesthetics.
Toasters are used worldwide by people of all ages, an ideal design would be one that can be easily used by children and older generations while also fitting the needs of families and households of all sizes. Breakfast as an everyday occurrence can lose its luster over time, being able to add a new approach to even the most mundane of tasks such as toasting bread can change the course of someone’s day.
Exploration
Sketches
Initial sketches exploring forms get inspiration from market examples and target audience feedback. Explorations surrounded similar functions.
Favorite features included open sides to view the toast, crumb trays for easy cleaning and unique shapes to break away from traditional toasters. Focusing the length to accommodate two slices creates benefits for the user, an unforeseen limitation for regular toasters is that they cannot fit certain loaf and slice sizes.
To create a unique morning experience, Most Toast takes a unique approach to cooking and accessing the users’ toasted goods.
It can take a lot of work to give an everyday object a meaningful makeover, but adding a new experience to something that may seem so mundane can have a surprisingly large effect on giving each day a different, unique feel.
For crafting a new toaster, the focus was placed on how the user would interact with the overall device. How they load toast, how the preferred toast level is set, how they clean the device, how the device looks in their home, and especially how the toast is presented to the user, are all major factors in choosing a final design for the M-Toast. Above that, addressing the quality-of-life concerns and adding meaningful and welcomed accessories can help the Most-Toast tell a story like never before. All in a device as simple as a toaster!
Major features included toast level, observation (clear sides), range of toast size and amount of toastable at once, and a unique design. Standard features were kept to avoid overcomplicating the device.
Utilizing angles and slopes led the Most-Toast through several iterations to find the right fit, eventually resulting in the final open-winged design.
An almost retro look was explored, taking long, sharp faces and combining them with softer edges to smooth out the device. These create new forms without losing what gives a toaster a classic look and a familiar, homey feel.
Color inspiration came from modernist designers and artists of the past. One of my favorite modernists that I discovered was Theo Van Doesburg, an artist who worked mostly in the early 1900s. I was inspired by his forms and color palate, which mostly consisted of primary colors.
Winged Opening
Each side is designed to fit up to two standard pieces of bread, muffins, and toaster waffles, as well as fitting hot dog buns, hamburger buns, and wider loaves of bread from bakeries.
You can have breakfast ready in the morning for a full family quickly and easily. Cleaning is even easier as the wings funnel crumbs down to a catch tray that can be removed and emptied.
The heating mechanism is separated from the inside bars that hold the bread. When the device opens, the mechanism pushes the toast out for easy grabbing and avoiding burns or contact.
Additional features include multiple toast settings, easy-open buttons per side, and a familiar toast lever for activating the device.
Mylar and copper wiring toast on the inside along with heating mechanisms in the wing to create an even distribution.
