You are correct. At 6 months they would have no idea of the difference between a metal spoon or a metal key. Nor could you control a 6-month-old to stop biting on either. If I am not going to worry about the metal spoon, I am not going to worry about the metal key.
Does that make Cameron’s idea a viable product? Absolutely not. There would be concerns like yours so the market may be limited and I would also worry about the price-point. But is Cameron’s idea a viable design? Absolutely. Sometimes there is little distinction between the 2 on these boards.
Great points. I think that is mainly due to the mix of students and seasoned professionals here. The professionals seem to be concerned with the things that they are concerned with on a daily basis (production constraints, QC issues, etc.) more so than students. But is that such a bad thing? This design is centered around the material choice of metal, and if the material raises the concern is that not a flaw of the design?
Focusing on this statement for a second:
Also, from what I’ve found is that no matter what you give your child to play with they always want what they can’t have. They are much much smarter than you can imagine. Give them a “dummy” version of your keys, cell phone, computer keyboard, TV remote, etc. and they continue to want the real thing because they know it’s yours and they want it.
If you show your concept, the comments batted around here are likely to be brought up (we’re all designers like those could be sitting across the review table) The way you handle answers might make or break the interview, especially if they consider your attitude about real-product concerns “cavalier” or not open to other ideas… just saying.
the good thing is now you have a heads up on possible questions/concerns and you can be ready
PS - I remembered that Montessori Schools have some toys and exercises to teach about textures & materials too
Hopefully your feelings are not hurt. You just went through what will happen on many projects when you first start working. As you gain experience you will learn how to be prepared for these types of holistic grillings and be really happy the day you have everyone’s questions already answered.
It is tough but hopefully shows you all that you will be learning when you get out of school. Education is a lifelong process, especially for IDs. It keeps things from getting boring
Exactly. Except maybe the “smarter” part, I would qualify it more as curiosity. The grass is always greener …
Personally, if my kids wanted my keys, cell, remote or whatever, I would let them have it. They would get bored with it and move on to the next shiny item. That is why they invented the toybox, the graveyard for all of the crap your kids accumulate. Especially all of that “sensory” junk that holds their attention for 30 seconds. I’m glad I never bought any, ours was always the well-intentioned gift.
There is no doubt it could be a viable product. But it has everything to do about the market’s reaction to the design, and nothing to do with the design itself. The “build it and they will come” mentality has no place in the business world. Unfortunately, it does show its ugly head in the design world.
Yeah, at least you put yourself out there, you don’t see me airing any of my present projects on here! Maybe I should be a bit more “cavalier” and throw up some work… Everyone needs a good beatdown every so often.
it’s bold to share a project here, it’s awesome you did it and can’t say I have too often. I looks good and it’s hard not to like something so inspired
“And hardness? Damaged enamel? They are baby teeth you know. They are designed to fall out.”
Baby teeth are supposed to fall out after a time. OK, thats a biological fact. You’ll get no argument from me on that point.
Nevertheless, there are parents out there (several in this thread alone), who will see a problem with this. That is the point.
A lot of things in life are “designed” to wear out after a time. Nevertheless, consumers still take steps to prolong their useful
lives. Children are obviously not products, but the logic holds true. Enamel is a fairly hard substance - but stainless is
still far harder. Other softer metals could be ok. Ferrous ones should be out of the question.
Incorrect. There also are a lot of parents who won’t get their knickers in a bunch about metal keys. That is actually the point. The idea is irrelevant, it can only become a product if it a simple market question can be answered - Are there are enough people who aren’t a bunch of nannies?
I can’t answer the question, can you?
Incorrect. Sterling silver is certainly hard enough to chip a tooth. Except silver rattles have been stuck into babies’ mouths for hundreds of years. Ferrous spoons have been used for decades and babies are supposed to bite on them. Where is your outrage for stainless flatware?
IMO, worrying about the extremely low probability of an insignificant chipped tooth is a complete and utter waste of stress.
Silver is not a ferrous metal. Silver is also quite a bit softer than stainless steel. Stainless has a mohs hardness of around 6-7, silver is about a 2.5,enamel is about a 5, and dentin a 3-4. Those are facts. Notice that I said softer metals might be ok. I’m not a materials scientist, but I’m fairly certain of this. If you can find a source that disproves this, then please us know. We could all benefit from the knowledge. I can’t answer the market question - I won’t even try. Ferrous spoons have been used for years - but who uses a spoon in the same manner that a baby would use this toy? I’d venture to guess that the average individual doesn’t sit around and gnaw on a spoon. Babies may do it- that alone doesn’t make it a good idea. In your opinion it may be a waste of time to worry about this. All parents will not feel the same way. It’s ill advised to encourage a young child to chew on a piece of stainless steel.
I’d agree hardness is a factor to enamel wear, but the shapes of the surfaces involved and their interaction is probably even more of a factor. Before getting into Rockwell numbers etc, it goes both ways… For an extreme example, diamonds are harder than vinyl but a record player’s stylus will still eventually wear out. Hard ‘pointy’ or ‘edgy’ objects (like actual keys) certainly can inflict serious damage even if they were softer than enamel.
Now what about chemistry? I don’t know if tableware is made of the same stuff as dentalwork… something to consider. Something can be “food-grade” but does that mean it can withstand prolonged direct saliva contact without some chemistry going on?
Yowsa. I guess my concept wasn’t compelling enough to excite people about the idea, since instead it has spawned a heated debate about material hardnesses and biochemistry.
Is that pure silver or sterling silver? Has it been annealed or not? Also, are to trying to claim a substance must harder to chip enamel? Are you saying impact force has nothing to do with chipping? I guess nothing can cut a diamond or I can’t break a piece of glass with a piece of wood. Soft things can damage enamel. Don’t believe me? WebMD says you can wear enamel by biting your nails, Tooth Enamel: Erosion and Restoration . You could even chip your teeth with your own teeth as they slip off of a plastic toy. And again, what exactly is the bfd if a tooth gets chipped?
Funny. Because that is the only question worth asking. Generally you want to find the people who will buy your product. You don’t care about the people who won’t buy your product.
Ummm… babies use spoons the last time I looked. They are also incapable of defining the difference between a spoon and this toy the last time I looked. So why exactly would a baby know to gnaw or not to gnaw on a spoon or this toy? It may not be a good idea, but that alone doesn’t make it a bad idea. Let me guess, you have absolutely no experience with babies.
Correct. But go back to my “opinion” about selling a product to people who want to buy it instead of people who don’t want to buy it. I think they taught me that in business 101.
Thanks for leaping to a strawman. It is also ill advised to encourage a young child to poke their eyes out with their fingers. Do you think babies should wear oven mitts at all times too? Or should we just amputate all 10?
