Change of Form

Following on from the pre-submission presentation I began evaluating how the proposed method of attaching the product to the window would work. Through this testing I discovered that due to the weight (at least 5kg) and width of the product, a large torque is produced that twists the product away from the window. It also brought up other issues with the attachments, such as how it would actually be fitted by the user.

From this point decided to evaluate the product as a whole and see whether it would be best to try and develop a new attachment system or change the form of the product.

Main disadvantages of the proposed concept:

• Difficult to install. If I were to develop a better attachment system that could definitely support the weight of the product, it would still require some kind of screw fitting. I feel this would put of a number of potential users, as it's designed for people who have previously never grown their own food, who would be looking for a simple, easy way to do so.  
• Too large a scale. Once I had completed a scale model I realised that the product is quite large. This is mainly due to the water reservoir. In hindsight I think it would be better to develop a smaller product that the user could potentially buy more than one of; this would be a much more versatile system and better for people with limited space.
• High cost. After finalising the design and carrying out rough costing, it became apparent that the RRP would be at least £80. I feel this is a high price for the function of the product and means it has a smaller market of potential users. 

I originally chose a larger hydroponic planter as it would allow a greater amount of food to be grown. However, in hindsight, I think it would be better to have a product which grows a single plant, and allow the user to build them up to grow a small range of food. This would be cheaper, remove any issues with installation and provide a more flexible system of growing food.

With these new insights, my next step will be to re-evaluate the form of the product to create something which better fits the user requirements I set out at the beginning of the project.

Pre-submission Presentation

The feedback received from the pre-submission presentation was very helpful. A lot of the questions and issues that were raised related to further refining the product in more detail; better costing, aesthetic details, how would the attachments work, how would it be powered etc. 

From here the first thing I'll do is work on the attachments. For the pre-submission I didn't have time to properly investigate this and was focused more on how the hydroponics would work and what the design would be like. My proposed method of attaching the planter to the window is still just conceptual and will need to be tested and refined for the final hand in. From there I'll focus on refining the product in more detail and then will look at materials/manufacturing. 

Finalising the Design

I decided to continue with the third concept I prototyped. This was chosen for a number of reasons:

• Could be dual orientation, which allows greater flexibility in how the product could be used. 
• Would allow four different plants to be grown. I feel like being able to grow a wider range of plants is an important aspect of the product. 
• Utilises a simple, efficient and easy to maintain hydroponics system. 
• Simple, modern aesthetic. 

From here I carried out further brainstorming and sketching to develop the form. I then started a new foam board prototype to help refine how the different elements would fit together. This involved calculating how large the reservoir needed to be, thinking about where the attachment points are and refining the scale of the product. 

Concept Prototypes

After sketching out potential hydroponic planter concepts I did some prototyping. I wanted to investigate a few different forms and then select the best one to develop further.            

This would be the simplest and easiest to attach concept, as it's simply mounted straight onto a window pane. It could therefore be used by the greatest number of people. However, this concept would use a wick hydroponics system. This system is incredible simple but only allows you to grow a limited range of plants, mainly herbs and salads. It could not sustain large plants so hence wouldn't have that much actual food growing potential.

I think this concept is quite basic. A camming action would be used to attach it to the user's window. I feel this has the potential to be an effective was to attach the planter but would prefer to try and incorporate it into my other designs. 

I liked the geometric shapes of this design. It would utilise a drip hydroponic system. This type of system is one of the most effective and easiest types available. I also feel like a larger planter would provide greater flexibility and allow the user to grow a more meaningful amount of food to eat.

                 

I felt like this design has the potential to be an attractive and elegant object. Water would be pumped up from the bottom reservoir and then trickle back down from the plant. Actual testing would be required to see if this effect would be desirable or indeed work. 

                                             

Development

Following on from feedback received in the tutorial, I've created some mood boards to try and define what aesthetic the product should have. I'm now focusing on drawing up concepts which fit the desired look and incorporate a suitable hydroponics system. I also need to evaluate how these concepts would be fitted onto the user's windows and how the user would maintain the system i.e. thinking about feeding, power source, controls etc.

Once that is done, I'm going to begin prototyping a few forms out of foam board and testing out attachment mechanisms.

Investigating Hydroponics

After deciding which concept I was going to develop further, I started brainstorming and sketching out potential ideas, with the intention of beginning to prototype the different forms developed. Based on design requirements I'd drawn up, I then decided that incorporating a hydroponic growing system into my design would be beneficial.

Hydroponic's has a number of advantages over a traditional soil-based growing system. Firstly, it is completely soil, and hence mess, free. I knew from growing my own things that it's a messy process, so simplifying it to a 'just add water' set up would be advantageous to my intended user. Also it requires much less maintenance, you can never forget to water it and plants tend to grow better in comparison. By utilising hydroponics, growing your own food could be adapted to fit the lifestyle of the intended user better.

I also found out from research of the existing market that hydroponics is often confined to DIY setups. A lot of the ready to use systems that can be bought were very industrial looking, and functioned only as a practical product, without any aesthetic value. Therefore, the opportunity existed to create a ready to use, aesthetically pleasing hydroponic system, that would appeal to a wider market.

A typical hydroponic system for sale

Furthermore, I felt that trying to incorporate hydroponics would introduce a more technical element to the project and provide some interesting design challenges.

After this decision, I began researching potential systems that I could incorporate into my designs and what requirements they had.

Growing My Own

To get a better idea of what growing your own actually involves and the problems associated with it, I began growing a few things myself. Mainly lettuce, herbs such as basil and chives, onions and radishes. I'm now seeing my first few sprouts!