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Inspiration:
Lawrence Murphy
Murf currently works part-time at MIAD also known as the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. In the past, he worked with GE healthcare resigning different medical machines like the X-ray and MRI machines. For this project, Murf came to our classroom to help us with the planning of the project. He walked us through the process of making an Empathy map, a mind map, planning, and storytelling for the project and helped us develop our ideas inspiring us throughout this project. |
Cat toys and The Cat Scratcher
My Cat Safire
So some of the inspiration for this piece was my own cat Safire. They stay at home a lot alone because I am busy at school so is my brother and my parent are busy at work so they stay at home a lot alone. They sometimes do a lot to get attention like meowing late at night, scratching at the door, or running around the room like there going to be eaten. They also get bored and they solve this by running around in the attic or trying to eat the fish or running out of the house. During this project I thought what would help my cat not be so bored inside at home especially in the winter when they can not really go outside at all so they inspired a lot of my project.
Murf walked us through the planning process of designing these prototypes and influenced how we as students went about doing our planning. My original idea for this project was different in a sensor but changed and tried to make a toy. The cat string toy was what inspired me first and when I sketched my first design I realized there was space for more which is where the cat scratcher influenced me to make the lower part of my prototype like a cat scratcher. Finally what made me want to design something for cats was my own cat Safire.
Planning:
Here is my Empathy map. I went around asking my family members about their pets. I did kinda realize that I wasn't too sure about what I was asking or what to put down but I ended up with this first map after asking a few family members some questions. After getting the first one made I made another map with the same ideas. I just moved some of the ideas into different categories and made them cleaner looking. There were quite a few overlapping ideas but the general idea was that there were birds, cats, dogs, and many pets that get bored staying at home all day. Also that pets were sometimes loud in the case of my cousin their birds squawking at night for food or attention. Another thing many pet owners had in common was feeling uneasy leaving their pets alone. The other thing that most everyone agreed on was that having tools to clean up after their pet would make their life easier.
In class with the help of Murph, everyone made a mind map. Here is the mind map I made on my own pets, five fish and one cat. To quickly summarize, when I think of my fish and my cat together I think about how my cat tries to eat the fish in the tank by jumping onto the tank making the fish stressed. One solution my family has is to put a big piece of clothing on top of the fish tank however that does not always work. When my cat is no longer interested in seeing fish, they go to the open window to look at birds. This window has a screen but my cat sometimes thinks the screen is a scratching post and scratches it. This hasn’t happened yet but when he scratches the window I get worried that he is going to destroy the screen and fall out of the window. This made me think of the times my cat has escaped the house and ran around through the alley. Our ally is full of cats which is why I have a drawing of a group of cats. I get worried that the cats will try to attack each other because they’re feral. That was mostly my train of thought while making the mind map.
Planning Sketches:
So here was the first sketch I made and it was a idea I had made earlier in a activity with a wipe board activity to make a alarm. I ran this by Chad and I realized how many flaws there was in this idea with fish hating stuff on there tanks and it could be bad for the fish to hear loud noises.
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The previous sketch I expanded on the idea of a swinging toy from a pole to make this. Now initially I hadn't thought of a cat scratcher idea but when I thought of how to make the base stronger I thought how would I make it less sharpe and I thought carpet. When I thought of carpet I thought cat scratching carpet and I thought, hey there alot of room from the base to were the toys hang why not make it useful and add in a cat scratcher for cats to scratch. This is where you can see the idea of adding a cat scratcher affect my design.
Process:
To solve the first issue of attaching the tube securely to the base. Luckily my dad helped me by suggesting I use nails to hold the tube in place. So I first hot glued the tube and then with the help of my dad I used the nails to attach the tube to the base. I used some hot glue later to cover it up though I did not do a good job. |
I made quite a few more changes here I replaced the previous propeller-looking thing making the pole out of an old paintbrush handle and making the top out of studier cardboard and I painted it. I also changed where the pole attached the post by making a cardboard circle punching a hole in it and hot gluing it on top of the post. I stuck the wooden pole or brush handle through the hole and hot glued it would not move which does kinda sacrifices the idea of the propeller-looking part moving but it kept the piece from leaning to one side and falling so it was worth it. I also attached the cardboard figures on string a bit higher up since it was hanging too low last time. With that, I finished the prototype for now. |
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Experimentation:
So for my experimentation, the first version of the propeller-looking piece above my project that would hang the "toys" was experimenting with different materials like tape to hold it together with cardboard along with a plastic tube. I did not and I realized I need stronger cardboard which led to my second attempt made of studier materials. The only other experimentation I can think of was me making a quick mock-up taking only minutes of the product I was making out of paper, unfortunately, it got destroyed a few minutes after I made it, and I did not get pictures. The only other example I can think of was while making the initial tube of cardboard using tape I first used a little tape to hold it together but that did not work so I tried using more and that did not work so I tried using more tape, but unfortunately, it still did not work and fell apart where I decided to move on cause I was not going to progress. |
Critique:
Similarities
- Hanging: The two products and the prototype have hanging toys at the end string
- Similar structure: The cat scratcher has a similar structure to the prototype on the bottom half of the prototype.
- The Size: The bases for both structures are 12 x 12
Differences
- The base is thicker: The base for my prototype was thicker compared to the cat scratcher. There was no purpose behind the base being thicker it was just the foam block I used was thick.
- Sturdiness: The prototype I made is very flimsy made out of cardboard and foams for the structure. It would fall apart if a cat used it. The cat scratcher is more sturdy made of a sort of wood base and made to last.
- Carpet ver Matt: I made my prototype with a mat with a textured surface while the cat scratcher has carpet.
Reflection:
Throughout this project, I think I developed a bit more understanding of the process that goes into making a product. I think the prototype is visually neat, I did fail in making it structurally sound so next time I could work on devolving a better plan for the project before I go in. I do not have many models so this was a bit of a learning experience. Murf was a big influence in the planning process helping us get more creative and think more. The products I cited were what influenced my planning for the final model. My favorite part was making the small cardboard animals and painting them. To conclude this was an interesting experience where I tried a few different things I was not used to.
Questions:
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
-Murf walked us step by step through the planning process which in turn gave us more ideas and planning for the project which influenced the final product.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
-The prototype was made to entertain cats (though with modifications it could be used for other pets) when they’re bored.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
-That Industrial Design consists of planning and input from others. Also what they design does not have to work and it’s more about the concepts and ideas behind the work.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
-The central theme was pet produces and pet behavior.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
-The prototypes made in the process do not have to be functional but the idea behind the prototype mostly has to serve a purpose whether making life easier or for entertainment.
-Murf walked us step by step through the planning process which in turn gave us more ideas and planning for the project which influenced the final product.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
-The prototype was made to entertain cats (though with modifications it could be used for other pets) when they’re bored.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
-That Industrial Design consists of planning and input from others. Also what they design does not have to work and it’s more about the concepts and ideas behind the work.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
-The central theme was pet produces and pet behavior.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
-The prototypes made in the process do not have to be functional but the idea behind the prototype mostly has to serve a purpose whether making life easier or for entertainment.
Citations:
- Larry Murphy. Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. (2020, February 27). Retrieved December 10, 2021, from https://www.miad.edu/faculty/larry-murphy.
- Christian AdamsAn American expat living in Metro Manila. (2021, November 23). What's the best material for a cat scratching post? Excited Cats. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://excitedcats.com/best-material-for-a-cat-scratching-post/.
- Captivate® Whale Watch™ Cat Toy With Silver Vine and Catnip. Hartz. (2020, December 22). Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.hartz.com/product/captivate-whale-watch-cat-toy-with-silver-vine-and-catnip/.
- Petmaker Cat Scratching Post, 12" L x 12" W X 24.5" H | petco. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/petmaker-cat-scratching-post.
Point of View:
We meet people from different families with different pets like dogs and birds. We were surprised to find out that owners of what pets are a bit annoyed by their pets barking, meowing, or squawking. Much of the time they do this to get attention either because they're bored, they want affection, they're hungry or they want something. do it because they're bored. It would change things if pets had something entertaining to do at home like having a toy.