Initial ResearchBefore desiging the Salmon Squeeze, I analyzed the existing market of kids toys to better understand what makes a good educational toy for kids. While researching, I decided to narrow down the age range of my toy to ages 3 years old and up.
Core takeways:
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Puzzles are a great way to encourage problem solving and develop motor function
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The toy should be reasonably visually stimulating
- The toy should offer kids replaybility
- The toy should be cute, colorful, and most importantly fun!
Ultimately, I decided to focus on a block-puzzle toy because of their proven ability to positively impact children’s STEM ability in the future. University of Chicago researchers found that puzzle play in kids improves their spatial skills and their ability to mentally transform shapes in their mind.
The problem with puzzlesWhile puzzles offer kids a great way for kids to engage and learn early math skills, I noticed that most puzzle toys don’t offer much replay value. Kids may find the puzzle challenging at first, but as they get familiar with the puzzle it may start to get boring and repititive.
When designing the Salmon Squeeze, I wanted to make sure that the puzzle offered kids multiple oppurtunities to solve the puzzle.
The InspirationI wanted to create a toy that was stylized and fun to capture the imagination and attention of kids. I was inspired by tinned fish because of unique packaging that typically features fun colors and graphics to differentiate themselves from the competition.
With further examination, I noticed how the fish were uniqely packed into their tins and thought that this would be the perfect them for a block puzzle!
SketchesInitial sketching featured the Salmon Squeeze with a lid that would peel off, like its grocery store counter part. Sadly due to time contrainsts, the design of the lid had to be changed to a traditional snap on lid.
Final RendersThe final CAD modeling was completed using SolidWorks, and the final renders were created using Blender.
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