PET PROJECT: CARING FOR ANIMALS
This is my GCSE project which I had produced a few years ago. It was to fit the purpose of 'caring for animals' where I aimed to produce a multifunctional dog bed, which contained storage for people's pet's treats, toys and pillow as well as being portable with wheels and a handle for ease when travelling. I have included images of the final product, as well as images presenting the thought process of the product through design ideas and models.
This image displays how the dog bed would be when the dog would be laying on it. I had stuffed a pillowcase with cotton and stitched in the size to fit the shape and size of the bed. i thought this would be a good and realistic representation of the pillow for the project as it would have shown to users how comfortable I would want the product to be for the pets.
This show the drawers I had included in the product to make it easy for pet owners to store their pets necessities such as their treats, water or toys when they are travelling. As a pet owner myself, I find it difficult to carry all my dog's belongings when bringing him out, so I thought providing this storage will help many customers.
The bed can then be folded to become more compact, allowing it to easily be transported in user's vehicles when they travel. I have also attached a handle for people to use when carrying the product around with them, which is easily done with the wheels on each side of the bed.
This is a compartment which I had made within the dog bed so the cushion can easily be stored away when the bed becomes compact for travel.
The wheels on my final product were also fully functioning when the product was tested by users.
The final product!
design ideas
These are my drawings of design ideas I had created for this project, I intended to make sure that they are all unique so they would stand out to users.
modelling
These are the features I had included in my cardboard models, which are also the elements I had involved in to my final project.
I made sure the drawers for the model were in working condition to accurately present how the real product would function.
I prefer to add intricate details to my final developments as I believe they show a great representation of what the final production would look like, such as fully functioning drawers and wheels just like the images present.
Future improvements
For the future improvements I would have added to this product, I would have included a paw print pattern across the exterior of the bed, to make it more attractive to pet owners, as well as show that it is suited for animals. I would also add velcro strips to the bed and cushion to allow the cushion to stay in a still position whilst animals lay on it as they fidget as they try get comfortable.
For the compartment, the real product kept this attached with a metal stay, which was inconvenient to open the compartment door with. Because of this, I would use hinges for the door as it would be easier and smoother to open and close it repeatedly.
The final improvement would be to make the handle retractable so it is easily stored without a handle making it inconvenient to put away.