Talking about the product design thinking from the "essence" ——Take the fundraising case of KittySpring cat owner drinking fountain as an example

Although I don’t often share pet-related product recommendations, as a long-term and rather picky user, I just recently had some selection experiences and observations on product design to share.

I want to write about this and share it, because I have some experience in the daily use and cleaning of pet drinking fountains. In the early days, I used a simple gravity water drinking fountain, that is, the bottle can be locked. After that, there was a period of time when a simple container was used to DIY, with a submersible motor purchased from an aquarium supply store, combined into a spring-type spring drinking fountain. Flowing water can encourage furry kids to be more willing to drink water, and then it's time to replace electric water fountains.

Over the years, I have found that the products launched by manufacturers pay more attention to "filtration" in the later stages, from the washable filter sponge to the filter consumables that are comparable to human drinking water. After my own cleaning experience, I found that the original design of these drinking fountains is actually more and more biased towards the psychological orientation of the owner. Disposable filter elements, multi-filter mechanism design, low water level indicator lights and filter replacement indicator lights… With all the characteristics of using microcomputer technology, is this really a good product design for pets? Question marks popped up in my mind.

I don't have a background in industrial design myself, but as a digital product designer and a graphic designer for many years, I think the starting point of all designs is to return to "fundamentals", " Essential wesentliches " It is also the subject of an important book published in the 1950s by Swiss typography master Emil Ruder . I think that no matter what field of design, no matter what the ultimate goal is, finding out the essence of things is definitely the output. Necessary homework for good design.

Here's the thing, after I cleaned the automatic water dispenser I used very carefully, I found too many dead spots that needed to be cleaned, from the design of the plastic mold for the submersible motor, to the block for fixing the filter sponge, and the water level detection. The device and the piping of the motor wiring, which seem to be exquisitely designed, every place is a dead corner that is difficult to clean. I even have to use an interdental brush to clean some parts that are difficult to reach with general cleaning tools to really clean the drinking fountain. clean.

"Why don't we change the water to a basin every day?" I had this thought flashed through my mind. "Otherwise, when you change the drinking fountain next time, you must pay more attention to the design details of the appearance of the mold..." After a round of browsing on the shopping website, I found that the manufacturer's follow-up models have indeed been simplified a lot in terms of organization, less For those designs that need to be cleaned, but I still feel somewhat resistant to the replacement of a large number of consumables.

Coincidentally, a few days after I complained about this, a Facebook ad recommended me a product that was raising money, and I took a very close look at the component structure of this product, no consumables, easy to assemble and easy to clean , and it is a gravity water supply model that does not require electricity, but they redesigned this classic drinking fountain. In addition to the textured appearance, they also added a wide drinking tray that is known as "cat ergonomics". Two materials of "Copolyester Tritan™ TX2001" of any bisphenol, and stainless steel filter for easy cleaning.

This combo looks really dreamy - for me, who gets world-weary every time I wash my Smart Drinker.

I think this is a design that returns to the "essence". The essence of drinking fountains lies in "drinking" and "cleaning". "Cleaning" is not only about providing a clean water source, but also the "cleanness" of the product itself. Crucially, the starting point for the design of the drinking fountain itself is, of course, a product born to meet the needs of modern busy and civilized society and to facilitate the owners, but if it is because of over-thinking convenience, the focus is even placed on "filtering". Caused by too many design details, it will cause the owner to spend more time on cleaning the drinking fountain to avoid the heavily filtered water being polluted by scale. I would think it is a propositional error.

Of course, if a product can be successfully sold on the market and continue to launch improved versions, it will definitely meet the needs or pain points of some users. At least I will not consider going back to using electric water dispensers that require consumables. Some people may say that this is a necessary profit-making method for manufacturers to think about "corporate sustainability", but this is another level of issue.

Oh yes, this is not an essay, but if KittySpring manufacturers or tsk tsk are interested in cooperating, I am very happy. I also hope that everyone can find the most suitable product for themselves by thinking about the "essence".

KittySpring Cat Owner Waterer Fundraising Page
https://www.zeczec.com/projects/kittyspring

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