Task 1: Describe the problem that leads to a design opportunity

Problem statement:
Shopping bags are a necessity and are used by most people. We often ignore the time we spend while
carrying shopping bags, a person goes grocery shopping 1.6 times a week and spends 25 minutes per
plastic bag on an average. Carrying the bags can be painful and uncomfortable for any hand sizes ranging
from the smallest to the largest. It’s is very evident that carrying plastic bags is uncomfortable and causes a
lot of stress on sensitive parts of the human body like fingers, biceps, back and shoulder . Most bags are
designed to have thin handles which compress into a divot in your hand no matter how you hold the bag it
poke your hand and cause restricted blood flow in the effected parts. The balance of the bag is also an
issue because the bag might spin around and get tangled around your wrist or fingers. This can cause
serious injuries or physical issues like arthritis, carpel tunnel syndrome and other muscles or ligament
related issues. holding heavy bags can be one of the main reasons for back pain due to the imbalance
cause while holding bags in only one hand this cause muscle imbalance over a long time

Discomfort and hassle to do different tasks while holding a few shopping bags.

More pressure on the Imbalanced bag spun around Vasodilation shows the Awkward hand position
hand due to the the fingers causing blood flow restriction in causes stress on the
compression of the discomfort the arm. The biceps and shoulder
handle (reducing blood discolouring finger
circulation shows the median
nerve is in strain.

Anthropometric data of hands. According to this data the product is aimed

at a market of people within the 5th to 95th percentile range which means
that the product needs to big big enough for a person with the hand width
of 96mm.

TASK 1
Injuries that might be caused by carrying shopping bags

When people hold the bag in this form near

or on the elbow which helps prevent the bag
slipping down however, this would cause
harm to the the tendon near your elbow and
could cause long term pain or issues like
epicondylitis. This also restricts blood flow
which can cause numbness in the arm.

An example of carpel tunnel syndrome

Heavy bags can cause pressure to the fingers which then

causes strain on the median nerve. This strain could end
up making the persons hand numb and could cause carpel
tunnel syndrome over a long period of time

Task 2: design brief

Design Brief: Broader Specification/ Requirements :

the design goal with the expected physical outcome . Comfort
of a high fidelity fully functional model The expected . High strength to weight ratio
outcome for this project is to design and manufacture . Portable
a high fidelity full scale prototype which will be used . Stable (carry a load approx 25-30 kgs)
by people that have Low hand strength and struggle . Ergonomic
to carry shopping bags. The product aims at a target . Easy to use
market of the 5th-95th percentile range of hand sizes. . Simple
used to help carry 3-4 shopping bags(each bag takes
up 20mm of space) comfortably and reduce the strain
on the clients hand.The product should be strong
enough to handle 30 kgs of load.

This product is to small This product is to small

to carry 3 shopping and has a very thin
bags. Also it is made of handle which means
silicon so it wont have that it wont be
any stiff support to not comfortable to use.
let the bags hurt the
users hands.

Existing products

 Task 3: conceptual design

DESIGN 1

Ergonomic handle with

Deep finger divots might finger divot
not suit all the hand sizes.

Compact size: portable and

easy to carry/store.

Enough space for 4-5

Single piece and round bags(each bag take 20mm)
edges make it more durable.

Simple design: easy to use,

no learning required.
Good clearance for the bags
with big handles .
Safety: Round/chamfered
edges
Easy to make because
there is no mechanical
feature.
Bags are prone to slip out,
no stopper/safety guard.

130mm
DESIGN 2

No ergonomic grip: not

natural to grip, might be
uncomfortable.

Has sharp edges not Makes it too big to be

ideal for safety carried around for shopping.

Separate area for holding Thick stem makes the

and hanging bags product bulky and heavy.

Balances weight only for Hooks ensure the bags

even number of bags don’t slip out of fall out

Weak unsupported hooks

that carry the load. Hooks are prone to
breaking weak

3
 DESIGN 3

Production will be harder due to

multiple components.

Has sharp edges not

ideal for safety
No finger divots for
natural grip

Uncomfortable shape: Large grip suitable for any

squares have sharp range of hand sizes
edges .

Good clearance between Carabiner inspired, Ensures

handle and bags security of shopping bags

Hook: modern solution

High chance of the latch too break Latches back on
because of a spring.
DESIGN 4

Good clearance for the bags

with big handles .

Safety: Round/chamfered Enough space for 4-5

edges bags(each bag take 20mm)

Aesthetic ‘S’ shape design

Single piece and round

edges make it more durable.
Too bulky and ‘S’ shape
is impractical

Harder to carry
Bags are prone to slip out, around, less portable
no stopper/safety guard.
4

 Task 4: Development of conceptual designs

PROTOTYPE DESIGN 1

Specification in 0:not satified

design brief 1:works
2: up to the mark

Strength to weight 2

Comfort 2
Improvements in design :
Portability 2
. Added a lip in the end to prevent the bags
Stability 1 from slipping out.
Ergonomics 2
. Reduction of the depth of finger divots
Simplicity 2

11/12 . Increased strength by increasing the infill

density to carry heavier loads.
PROTOTYPE DESIGN 2

Improvements in design :

. Make it stronger near the ‘T’ joint

. Added finger divots for a more

natural grip

. Adding slits on hooks to add stability

to the design

Specification in 0:not satified

design brief 1:works
2: up to the mark
To prevent the bags
Safety 2 from falling off

Comfort 2
Chamfering edges for
Portability 0 safety
Adding more infill near the
Stability 1
connecting ‘T’ joint of the
hook.
Ergonomics 2

Simplicity 1
5
7/12

 Task 5: Justification of Design

I chose design 1 to further develop as it fits the specifications better than all the other designs. This design is
comfortable to hold because of the ergonomic design and it is sized according to the anthropometric data
(5th to 95th percentile range) and it has chamfered edges unlike design 2 and 3 which makes it more
comfortable. This also means that it is safer that design 2 and 3 as those designs have sharp edges It is
smaller than all the other designs which makes it portable and easy to carry around while going out. This
design has no memory or learning requirements as it is a really straight forward design. The design has a lip
in the end so the bags don’t slip out and are held stable and secure. I used FDM fused deposition
modelling as it is easy to use and it uses PLA plastic which has high strength to weight ratio. This method
has good durability because it has a honeycomb infill structure that increases support and strength, using
FDM means i can alter the strength according to the usage for example i can increase the amount of infill if i
need the product to have more strength. The design helps distribute the weight of the shopping bags evenly on
the users hand which reduces the strain on the nerves and the muscles. However there might bags with long
handles which might not be very suitable for the product and the bag might hang really low to the ground.

Thinking further for mass production of this design would be very simple because it is not a complex design
and can be split in half in fusion, then i can hollow out the filling and use a stronger plastic for the injection
moulding of the 2 half’s. They can be joined using pegs and plastic safe adhesive.
6

Task 6: Orthographic.

92
44

90
130
42

Bag carrier. PLA plastic 1:2

 Task 7(HL): Commercial Production

STEPS TAKEN TO MAKE THE PRODUCT A COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED PRODUCT.

Hollow body: to make

injection moulding easier
and faster

Male and female socket

joints for more strength
and durability.

Reducing weight, cutting

raw material costs by
Making the body hollow.

draft edges: make it easier for

product to come out of mould
. Simple mechanism, no
complex parts hence better
results while injection
moulding
Edges make the joint
look seamless and
more tidy

2.3mm

3.7mm

. Increased thickness
according to higher and lower
. Reduced thickness to save
stress points.
materials hence cutting
Parting line is visible effecting overall costs
the aesthetic negatively.

Screw boss helps guide

the screw easily

Reduces the number of screws

needed hence cutting cost.