About
splatstir
group 6 presents
providing a safe, non-splattery cooking experience
product specification
extender
stirrer
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Made of food-grade silicone with stainless steel reinforcement
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Soft outer layer to prevent scratches
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Foot designed to encourage mixing
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Foot comes in set of 3 sizes for 8, 10 and 12 inch cooking pots
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Can be used for 3.0 - 9.5 inch pot depths
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Manufactured through injection moulding
stirrer- lid attachment
stirrer foot
customer journey
Aunty Helen is a great cook who especially loves cooking for her kids and grandkids every weekend.
But cooking curries often makes a mess and Aunty Helen has a lot of cleaning up to do at the end of every feast. As she gets older, this routine is becoming more difficult.
Meet Aunty Helen
Her specialty is cooking all types of wonderful curries. Everyone always looks forward to them.
What can we do to make Aunty Helen's weekends easier?
the design journey
brief development
the problem
When cooking saucy mixtures, it is often the mixture of oil and water exposed to heat that causes a particularly splattery cooking experience. This can cause burns to the user and mess in the surrounding area.
FAQ
Using a simple lid is insufficient because it still exposes the user and cooking area to splatters while stirring or adding food, both of which are often necessary while cooking.
Why not use a simple lid?
By 'saucy' mixtures, we mean dishes such as curries, one-pot stews, gravy, and broths. Often it is the mixture of oil and water that causes dishes to be particularly splattery/ bubbly.
What counts as a 'saucy mixture'?
the brief
To create a means by which when cooking saucy mixtures, people can either:
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(1) protect themselves and the surrounding area from food splatters, or
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(2) prevent splatters from arising in the first place
It is important that the user can still be able to add ingredients and stir the mixture safely, during cooking.
checklist
Here's a checklist of functions for our product:
✓ No splashes
✓ Allows user to add food
✓ Allows user to stir
✓ Allows user to see the food while cooking
✓ Easy to clean
brainstorm
Cooking liquid
Stirring mechanism
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Automated stirring
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Manual stirrer
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Detachable stirrer
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Multi-size
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User protection
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Stirrer shield
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Frywall
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Gloves
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Apron
Utensil design
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Non-splattery oil
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Add chemical to make oil non-hydrophobic
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creating a non-splattery
cooking experience
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Petal-like lid
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Flap
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Converging pot/lid
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Lottery ball machine
research
survey
Research results from surveying 221 people on their experiences with splatters in the kitchen and their preferences for a splatter prevention product.
what features are most important in an anti-splatter product?
product research
Five available anti-splash products were evaluated by comparing their existing solutions against our set of criteria. This is done to identify the opportunity area before developing the product.
design development: first iteration
concept 1
This multi-size lid was designed to fit on several different pot sizes. The device has a steam hole and a cut out for the stirrer.
PROS
multi-size lid is a useful feature
can see food
CONS
stirring motion quite restricted
addition of food requires removal of lid
lid handles awkwardly placed
concept 2
This petal lid folds neatly and allows for the easy addition of food by simply sliding a petal to the side. There is a hole for any stirrer in the centre.
PROS
multi-size lid is a useful feature
addition of food requires removal of lid
CONS
stirring motion quite restricted
lid handles awkwardly placed
concept 3
This conical shaped lid features an additional flap for adding food. Different stirrer designs were explored to allow for thorough mixing of the food.
PROS
more stirring motion freedom
easy to add food using the flap
CONS
steam is directed onto stirrer handle (dangerous)
awkward handle design
additional concepts
The following concepts also formed a key part of the design iteration process, they are not lids.
To prevent oil spatters arising in the first place, this concept makes oil and water love each other by adding a 'magic' substance. An example could be mustard but of course that will make the food taste of mustard too!
Inspired by lottery ball shuffling machines, this concept is a glass ball which is rotated via an external handle to mix up the ingredients. This device replaces the pot and the lid and is one unit. there were a couple of concerns with this design: cleaning and the addition of food.
design development: second iteration
splitting up the design
After the first design iteration, it was decided that a lid with an integrated stirrer was the best solution. The design was split into four main components:
1) lid and rim
2) stirrer
3) food flap
4) handles
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The focus of the second design iteration was to build on from what was learnt in the first design iteration, and to develop more detailed designs. This was done by sketching and prototyping.
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1) lid and rim
lid and rim A (flat lid)
lid and rim B (curved lid)
2) stirrer
stirring mechanisms
manual
automated
adjustable height stirrer
connecting the stirrer to the lid
3) food flap
flap A (for flat lid)
flap B (for curved lid)
connecting the flap to the lid
4) handles
stirrer crank handle
handle mechanism
handle shape
food flap handle shape
combining the components
The four components were combined into fully functioning CAD model prototype.
user-group study
initial model
background
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virtual meeting via Zoom
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10 participants
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age range from 20 years-old to 68 years-old
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to collect feedback on product design
planned improvements
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thicker stirrer
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curved sides to promote food turning
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bottom groove for better flow of food
findings
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stirrer design is too thin
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prefer stirrer to naturally turn food over
final model
final design prototypes
CAD prototypes
silicone flap
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easy addition of ingredients
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flap handle designed for easy and quick flicking motion
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able to rest open against lid knob
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steam hole designed to direct steam away from user
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detachable and dishwasher safe
stirrer & crank
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splatstir comes with set of 3 stirrers for 8,10 and 12 inch pots
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extendable vertical length to fit various pot depths
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crank designed for simple and comfortable 360° stirring motion
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stirrer foot designed to encourage turning of food
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detachable and dishwasher safe
detachable crank
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crank can be removed from lid knob when stirring is not required
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lid can be lifted off the pot via black insulated plastic knob with comfort
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stirrer can be attached and detached from the lid
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'slot and twist' mechanism
detachable stirrer
final 'looks-like' prototype
physical prototypes & testing
stirrer 'works-like' prototype
splatstir prototype
stirrer testing
stirrer design before focus group​
new and improved stirrer design
splatstir testing
prototype stirring motion and handle design
fitting the device onto a cooking pot
customer journey
It's Aunty Helen again.
She just received her splatstir and now she can cook all the curries she wants without the hassle of cleaning up!
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In fact, she thought it would make the perfect gift for her grandson, Salman, so that he can cook his favourite Chicken Jalfrezi for himself when he is away at university.