PART A: PRESENTATION AND JUSTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM
The 6 Problems:
1) Lemon Seeds: When you're in a restaurant or baking/cooking and you squeeze a lemon, the seeds tend to come out with the juice. We determined that this problem isn't widespread of solvable enough to do. An existing solution is lemon juicer.
http://www.amazon.com/Bru-Joy-Enameled-Aluminum-Squeezer/dp/B00OVP611W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1445883055&sr=8-2&keywords=lemon+and+lime+squeezer : solution
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130417074310AAbX8FZ : proof of problem
2) Sand in Bathing Suit: At the beach, sand gets everywhere We didn't think this had a viable solution that we would be able to eventually come up with. There are no existing solutions but it is a widespread problem.
http://oceanbunny.com/blog/how-to-remove-sand-from-a-bathing-suit/ : proof of problem
3) Bottom of Drink is Stronger: Drinking tea or coffee often has an unfortunate end when the bottom has grounds and is stronger than the rest. An existing solution is a blender cup.
https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B00NX1O5JK/ref=acr_search_hist_5?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addFiveStar&showViewpoints=0 : proof of problem and possible solution
4) Cookie Dough Sticks to Scoop: If you try to make cookies by balling with your fingers, they end up uneven and messy. So one uses a cookie scoop. The problem with this is the cookie dough sticks to the scoop. This is a common problem for bakers and there are no solutions.
http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Medium-Cookie-Scoop/product-reviews/B0000CDVD2/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_one?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0 : proof of problem
5) Brownies Can't be Cut when Hot: Brownies right out of the oven are delicious, but very hard to cut. You'd be better off using a spoon. There a solutions like waiting till they cool or using a plastic knife. This is a problem for eager brownie lovers.
http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/22430/best-way-to-cleanly-cut-brownies : proof of problem and possible solutions
6) Cooling Racks: Cooling racks are necessary but leave an awful pattern on your food or the food gets all over the counter. This is a common problem for people who uses these but there are existing solutions like a cooling rack with small holes.
http://www.home-ec101.com/cake-sticks-cooling-rack/ : proof of problem and possible solutions
Decision Matrix:
Problem Statement:
(will be revised over time)
- When bakers make cookies, there is a layer of cookie dough that sticks to the scoop and the cookies are of uneven size.
- Elevator Pitch: Have you ever made cookies? Have you ever used a cookie scoop? Then you know that there's a layer of cookie dough that sticks to the scoop that doesn't scrape out and your cookies end up unevenly sized.
- In a survey conducted on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the fall of 2015, it was found that 50% of people had trouble making even sized cookies and 63% say that the dough sticks to the scoop. This is a common problem found among people who bake.
- When bakers make cookies, there is a layer of cookie dough that sticks to the scoop and the cookies are of uneven size.
- Elevator Pitch: Have you ever made cookies? Have you ever used a cookie scoop? Then you know that there's a layer of cookie dough that sticks to the scoop that doesn't scrape out and your cookies end up unevenly sized.
- In a survey conducted on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the fall of 2015, it was found that 50% of people had trouble making even sized cookies and 63% say that the dough sticks to the scoop. This is a common problem found among people who bake.
Justification:
- http://www.chowhound.com/post/cookie-scoop-work-hard-cold-dough-859562?page=1 - A blog post on cookie dough sticking to the scoop and the scooping mechanism sticking, They said that they have used multiple cookie scoops that either have broken or the cookie dough gets stuck to the inside. Some comments suggest ways to fix this (run scoop under hot water) but it is not a permanent fix. Many seem frustrated with this problem.
2. http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3PUME318F9FBV/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00HNKE7RC - An amazon comment about cookie dough sticking to the scoop. They said that the metal piece that is supposed to release the contents does not work well since there is a gap between the metal releaser and back of scoop. They gave this product 3 stars.
3. http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2L0H8KQMLHCF5/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00HNKE7RC - An amazon comment about ineffective cookie scoops. They said that the metal piece kept on breaking and that the contents would not come out of the scoop. It was only used once before it broke. They gave this product 1 star.
3. http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2L0H8KQMLHCF5/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00HNKE7RC - An amazon comment about ineffective cookie scoops. They said that the metal piece kept on breaking and that the contents would not come out of the scoop. It was only used once before it broke. They gave this product 1 star.
Potential Market Survey:
-Many have the problem with uneven cookie dough balls or the cookie dough sticking to the scoop. In a survey conducted of approximately 225 people, 68% of people would buy a product that fixed the above problem. 60% of people's cookies run together and are unevenly cooked. Of the 44% of people who have used the cookie dough scoop, almost half have had the problem of the dough sticking to the scoop.
Summary:
In part A of our capstone project we came across difficulties. We were not content with our first set of problems and realized that they would not work with us. We came up with a new set of problems, a better set of problems. We designed a decision matrix and concluded that our problem that we would solve is cookie dough sticking to the scoop. We are happy with our outcome and are excited to find a solution. We also came up with a survey and put it online and distributed it to classes. We came up with our first problem statement that will be revised as we work. We had mixed feelings about our survey. 68.1% would buy a product that made evenly sized cookie dough balls and didn't leave any cookie dough on the sides; we were very happy with these results. On the contrary, only 40.2% had a problem with the dough being stuck to the scoop. 43.1% have not used a cookie dough scoop but with the results of who would buy the product, I think that they would be open to use one.