Camping Cocktail Shaker
A Product Design Experience
Introduction & goal
For the final project of my product design class I was directed to identify a need in the market and to design and create a solution for that problem. After researching, I discovered a need for a portable and efficient solution to mixing and enjoying cocktails while outdoors. I found that traditional bartending equipment is ill-suited for camping, often leading to overpacking and messy experiences. Therefore, I set out to make a cocktail shaker tailored to creating the optimal camping drink experience.
Process & Experience
In the beginning of this project I had a really broad scope of what direction I wanted to take this project. I imagined that my product would simply be a to-go bartending experience. However, due to the vast amount of customer types that this product would envelop, it became difficult to create a consumer profile. I realized that I needed to narrow down the scope of my product by gearing it towards the camping market.
Technical problems that arose included how to work the compartments in the shaker with a mixing area. I did not want to introduce complex mechanical aspects as that just creates more opportunity for failure, which is not ideal for camping gear. I also struggled with finding an appropriate system to dispense the liquid, so for the same reason as the earlier problem, I conceptualized 4 separate openings as the most fail-safe option. By eliminating the mechanical aspect of my design, I created a simplistic and more reliable design.
The Outcome
My end result was a product that works to offer a convenient and portable way to enjoy cocktails while embracing the great outdoors. I plan to continue revision and further prototyping as time allows in the future. I take pride in what I have created and am looking forward to where it can be taken.
Credits
Designer and Engineer- Chaz Dunselman