Creative Thinking

Creative Thinking

Observation Journal

Contents page

Name: Jasmin Lim Hui Ting

               Section No.: G6

               Date: 30th September 2014

Self-stirring mug

[pic 1][pic 2]

The self-stirring mug as seen above is actually quite self explanatory, it is able to stir by itself since it is operated by batteries. It also includes a button on the handle which controls the instant mixing action. The self-stirring mug is said to be a perfect tool for lazy people who want to save time by not using a spoon to stir their drink eg. coffee, tea, protein shakes etc. However the mug is more commonly used for coffee, where normally people would just pour their coffee in together with sugar and cream, and just let it stir by itself to give a nicely blended drink.

I feel that the self-stirring mug is a creative product because:

• A mug is a very common product and most of the time, people would not even think twice about coming up with innovative ideas that would make a mug perform it’s only function of storing liquid better. The fact that this mug has another function of instant mixing of liquids appeals to me because it makes this simple product even more useful that it could possibly get.

• It does not only adds another function to a normal mug but is also capable of carrying out it’s new function well because it is able to mix the contents in the mug evenly and nicely right to the very last sip of a drink.

• This product definitely saves time because of it’s convenience as it reduces the time taken to get ready for work/school every morning, since there is no need to look for a spoon which also means that there is one less spoon to be washed. In other words, great for lazy people or people who are always running late.

Improvements that can be made to this product are:

• Despite the convenience of a built-in stirrer, there are also cons to the self-stirring mug, for instance, the continuous stirring of the mug might lead to a faster pace at which a drink cools down, and heating the drink up again would be quite a hassle. So I propose for a heater to be incorporated into the mug as well so that heating and stirring can take place concurrently.

• However in contrast, I think that the concept of a built in stirrer can be used in bottles and bowls too, so as to cool down milk or food faster for babies to consume safely without wasting much time. It would definitely be of great convenience and efficiency when it comes to feeding babies.

[pic 3]

• Make the mug heat sensitive, showing the level of hotness on the surface of the mug so that people will know whether to reheat the contents or not. Eg. Showing ‘ON’ when the contents are hot and ‘OFF’ when the contents are cooled down, like in the image above.

• Can be used in old folks’ homes/hospitals for the elderly or patients who do not have the energy to stir their drinks, it would be more convenient for them to make coffee or tea with this mug.

Electronic ordering in restaurants

[pic 4][pic 5]

It is becoming a trend for eateries to use electronic devices like the iPad/iPod Touch for their customers to make orders or even make reservations. Eateries all around the world have begun to install devices within their shop and make use of existing applications in the App Store (eg. LAVU – in the diagrams above) requiring merely WiFi connection for them to work their magic. These apps allow the eateries to have their menu keyed into their devices which makes it convenient for customers to make choices and order their food.