Deconstruction & Modeling

Introduction

The aim of the report is to document the deconstruction of a toaster and create an accurate 3D digital model of the toaster. The materials and processes used to make the toaster will also be included in the report along with the positives and negatives of using them. 

Toaster History

1910s

The  first  electric  toaster  was  made for home use. The difficulty early toasters was creating  a  heat  source  that  would  be sustainable. A filament wire  made  out  of  michrome 

1920s

10  years  after  the  first  breakthrough  in  toaster  technology, an easy to use toaster was designed by Charles Strite. The design included automatic  pop-up  after  a  certain  amount  of  time  was  up  and  heat up both sides of the bread at the same time. Looking back this was a vital pillar in  the  future  of  the  design  of  toaster  as  after  this  toasters 

1960s

Toasters become more affordable and as a result more were  being  sold.  Many  toaster  manufacturers  also  began  to  re-design  their  toasters  to  cut down on costs of producing  toasters  by  making  them  simpler

1970s

As  the  production  of  toasters  became streamlined many companies needed to dif-ferentiate themselves f rom competitors  and  so  toasters  became  custom  in  the  aes-thetic term. Toasters outer housing colours changed and some  companies  even  used natural materials.

1980s

Toasters started to be used to heat/ toast other types of food rather than just bread. As a result of this wider slots were introduced. Companies were able to cut down the production costs again by making toasters more economical, and so 4 or 6 slice toasters began to be produced. T


1990s

Toasters began to were all starting to become very generalised in function as well as form, because of this toasters safety was improved and the efficiency. Kenwood Coolwall Toaster TT350 This Japanese Brand is very smooth and looks seamless to me with its general form. 

2000s

In this era toasters again went under a redesign to follow the new trends of the new millennium and looks of the toasters changed. Instead of having bland box like shaped the new toasters had appealing colours and the form was reimagined. The toasters no longer looked like boxes but subtle curve were introduced.

Present (2020)

In the present day not much has changed in the design of toasters and there have been no breakthroughs in the technology used and the way toasters look. Some companies are starting to introduce smart toasters that have wifi connectivity allow users to remotely make toast and monitor the progress. Toaster are very economical and have low energy consumption.

Trends and Insights

Product Analysis

The method of which types of bread can be toasted have altered and improved upon over time. The production of toasters has become very streamlined and are very cheap and simple to make. On the cheaper side toasters are made out of plastic and the more you pay for a toaster the bet-ter the outer materials get, on the higher end more metals are used. 


Function 1 

Heats up or defrosts the contents that are put into the slot. There is a control knob that allows the user to determine what profile would be suited best for the desired out level of toast.

Function 2

Once lever is pushed down, is then locked into place with the use a small basic locking mech-anism, this allows the PCB to begin sending an electric current to flow through the filaments heating up the filaments  as well as the content in the slot. The plastic housing and the air gap between the heating case prevents the housing from getting too hot.


Material

Polypropylene- pressure moulded (durable, cheap) Aluminium- punched, pressed (cheap, conductive)


Cost 1 

Products cost was £15 

The material choices and the handheld feel of the toaster reflect the price of the toaster.

Cost 2

When a product like a toaster is going to be produced there will be hundreds of thousands that will be made. When mass manufacturing the materials are brought in bulk therefore are cheaper. Toasters simple to make and so the manufacturing and labour would be cheap.

Cost 3

Injection moulding- no wasted material, by doing having this method of production the carbon footprint is reduced.

Interaction 1 

The control knob would be used to set the heating lever to the users wants. After that the lever is pressed down simultaneously lowering the content in the slots. Once the heating is done and content pops up with the release of a spring, sometimes when the contents pop up crumbs and other residue fall off and 

Interaction 2

All of the interface as well as the interface of the toaster is on the front, highlighting the simplicity and im-portance of the features present. Repeatedly used parts such as the dial/knob and lever all have a smooth finish and have a strong/durable feel to them. The lever is grey which is completely different to the rest of the toaster emphasising that the lever will be the most used part. The STOP button is large and flush with the case of the toaster to prevent an accidental press.

Interaction 3 

The toaster is very simple to use, a contrast of colours is used to highlight the information and the impor- the contents that are put into the slot. There is a control knob that allows the user to determine what profile would be suited best for the desired out level of toast.


Aesthetics 1

The Aesthetics of the toaster are very neutral and is not trying to stand out. The form is curved and simple. The finish is smooth white gloss with small grey accents in places. The toaster would be placed on many kitchen countertops or cupboards in all types of accommodation ranging from a student’s flat to a pensioners bungalow.

Aesthetics 2

Looking at the toaster gives the impression of being strong and sturdy, this is confirmed by the interaction I had with the toaster. There is only 1 protruding part of the toaster which is the dial but as it is white, it blends in with the housing of the toaster. The finish on the outer parts of the toaster are all smooth and gloss to make it easier to clean.

Aesthetics 3

The colours used on the lower end toaster like mine are white and grey. This is because its cheaper to produce and are very neutral bland colours that fit in any household.

Market Context

Target Audience Of Toaster 

My toaster was £15, which is in the mid-range of toasters. The cheap-est toaster I was able to find was £8 and a toaster which would be considered to be good would be priced around £20. Many of the mid- range and cheap toaster are very similar in shape, size and quality

Comparison

Cookworks 2 slice toaster –  £10.99

4 Slice Matt Black Toaster- £44.99

Findings

As the prices of toaster increase there are very little differences that many would argue don’t justify the price. The materials are better and so the product may be more durable. Across the toaster market the only significant change is that the more expensive the toaster is the more aesthetics have been altered from the cheap black and white plastic.

Semantics

For me toasters are a norm in every kitchen but have one intended use which is to heat up or toast the contents in slot hence the name “toaster”. My sister in law is Canadian, talking to her I realized that many places around the world don’t have toaster but have toaster ovens, which are small ovens that have more than one function like toasting, grilling and oven use. When I was told this I realized that I have may-be been limited in the options in making the toast. Normal toaster are vertical and therefore can’t heat/toast anything other than the bread itself, but changing the orientation there are then a lot more options. 

For the 21st century I think that toaster are very out of date and haven’t really evolved or improved in any way whatsoever other than aesthetically. An area in which all toasters should be better in is the amount of time it takes to toast a piece of bread.

When using a toaster it is not something you really think about, for me it’s like turning on a light when walking into a room. It’s a very simple task that requires no thinking at all.


Toasters depending on how many slots there are often very big for what they do. I do understand that this may be due to ensuring safe use, however when compared to a couple slices of bread the size still remains to be questioned.

UX and UI Analysis

Key Findings

Postives

Negatives

Product Deconstruction & Component Identification

Focused Research

A

When making toast the first thing that needs to be done is acquiring the food that is going to be heated up. In most cases this will be a type of bread but some users may use the toaster to heat up a waffle. Once the bread is in possession of the user, it is then placed in the toaster slot. Depending on a number of factors such as grain and thickness the heating settings are adjusted to suit the wants of the user. The lever is then pressed down until it locks into place and then toasting process has begun. Once the bread has been toasted the bread pops us and finally the user is free to customize their toast with any topping they like.

E

For most toasters the intended environment is the kitchen.  It’s a rare thing for a user to just toast a piece of bread and eat it plane. Majority of the time some sort of topping is applied and the kitchen is where all the toppings and equipment needed to apply the topping onto the toast would be.

I

The interaction with the toaster is very simple. User only presses the lever and retrieves the bread after the toast-ing has been done. The heating dial takes up a lot of space for something that is set once and then left. The stop button is used to stop the toasting process and is located in the left of the heating dial

O

The toaster itself is a very one dimensional product with only one purpose which it to heat up whatever is in the slots. The content being put in the slot needs to be maintain its shape after being heated as getting something small out of the slots is considered to be very dangerous

U

The user of the toaster would and could be anyone upwards from the age of 8. The way the toaster is designed now can be used by the majority of people, but those with disabilities would find it extremely difficult to use

Conclusion

The toaster used for the report is a very good toaster considering the price of which it is being sold at, it has a very basic and simple design. The toaster is purely functional and for me the function was most likely prioritised higher than the form. When redesigning I want increase both the functionality and form so that as a whole the product would be better. During the deconstruction of the toaster I was shocked at the difficulty of the task as I don’t believe it was ever designed to be taken apart easily. I am passionate about a user’s right to repair their own product and may include this for my toaster later on.

Modeling

The following are the renderings made off modeling and existing toaster.