MuckOff - Design and Emotions
This project was done with Deeksha Ramchandani.
MuckOff is designed to enhance an odd satisfaction while being useful and responsible towards the environment. We as designers are in a unique position to make people think about a habit and follow their gut instincts. Hence, we studied little every-day behaviours of people and the emotions associated with them. Through this project we also wanted to encourage people to become more responsible towards our environment.
During monsoons, we have seen people wipe their muddy shoes off edges like staircases, curbstones, etc. This makes our surroundings look unclean and shabby. But the odd satisfaction makes people practice this behavior repeatedly. The idea was to come up with a product which would sustain this behavior without spoiling the surroundings. It is a structure that can be kept outside residential and public spaces.
The look and feel of the product is inspired from the texture and appearance of concrete materials. The raw look of concrete makes Muckoff more appealing and approachable. The the planters are made from terracotta - They collect all the mud, and at the end of the season you can plant little plants into them!
We explored different forms and materials through quick sketches and finalized the structure and aesthethics on Solidworks. The final rendering was done on Keyshot.
The final product will be made in RCC. And terracotta/ceramic planters on the inside.
For the Mockup, we used MDF and HIPS for the structure. And to create the texture we poured some amount of sand on it. The final finish was achieved through spray painting.
People absolutely loved the project - they found the concept extremely relatable and the product very effective.
Through this project we have learned how associating emotions to a product can enhance it's functionality and experience. We also realised how targetting little behaviors and habits can create an impact on the user.
Let's embrace our guilty pleasures. Keep Mucking Off!
This is actually a smart idea!