Hang

Fall 2022

3 month project

This project was to create a home goods product that solves a problem. The inspiration for this project was to solve the problem of the shirt that was worn once to the office. The shirt is not clean but also not dirty. Often the shirt is thrown on a chair until it smells and is eventually washed.

UV-C sanitizing coat hanger

Problem

There is no method of sanitizing clothes without washing or dry cleaning which extends the wear-ability of clothes.

There are currently no products designed to easily sanitize clothes without chemicals.

38% of people wash coats once a year or less.

17% of people dry clean suits once a year or less.

15% of people hand wash sweaters once a year or less.

The Chair:

Wants to wear a shirt that they wore to the office a few days ago but did not wash it because it was only warn once.

Work Day:

User wakes up for their early day at work.

Concern:

Worried that there is a smell that was not noticed but other people would think she had an odor.

Smell Test:

User gives the shirt a test smell and decides it is ok to wear out again.

Over Washing:

User washes the shirt unnecessarily due to concern of odors which uses excess water, and energy. Along with wearing down the clothing faster.

Problem Statement

Extend the wear-ability of lightly used clothing by sanitizing them with UV light and avoid washing as often.

Design Objective

Fits different types of upper torso clothes without damaging the clothing.

Must be portable, ensuring a seamless experience on the go.

Simple to use with minimal buttons or activations.

Does not use chemicals to sanitize the clothing.

Final design

Materials

The High Grip Perimeter removes the need for hooks by creating a high friction surface that prevents clothes from falling off.

The Flexible Shell provides protection for the internal components and allows the joints to flex.

The Hinged Support Frame creates structure and allows the Hang to lock in place and fold.

It can operate for 50 cycles after fully charging.

Its slim design is easy to transport to a job site or for a business trip.

The gray high grip perimeter prevents clothes from slipping off without hooks or clips.

Wide rounded edges prevents clothes from stretching and provides more support for a wider range of clothing types.

How to hang clothes

Hang will only activate when hanging on a clothes rod. When it is opened it will wait 30 seconds to activate to prevent exposure to skin and eyes.

Induction Charger

The induction charger wraps around a rod so Hang can charge as it rests on the + symbol. It is a 5V charger with a 12 foot cord.

The induction charger cord attaches to back of a rod to reduce viability of the cord and enable easy use for other clothes hangers.

Induction charger can wrap around a rod that is 1 1/4” to 1-3/8”.

The Chair:

Wants to wear a shirt that they wore to the office a few days ago but did not wash it because it was only warn once.

Work day:

User wakes up for their early day at work.

Hang:

Equips the shirt on Hang to sanitize for 4 minutes. Neutralizing bacteria which causes smells

Smell:

User gives the shirt a test smell and decides it is ok to wear out again.

Confidence:

User is proud of wearing their sanitized shirt and saving resources and money by extending the wearability of their clothes.

Design Objectives

Does not use chemicals to sanitize the clothing.

Simple to use with minimal buttons or activations.

Fits different types of upper torso clothes without damaging the clothing.

Must be portable, ensuring a seamless experience on the go.

Packaging

Packaging includes: Hang, charger, instruction manual, and testing cards.

Process and Ideation

  • Name: Olivia Jones

    Age: 32

    Occupation: Marketing Executive

    Olivia is a busy marketing executive who is always on the go. She has to attend many meetings and events for work, which requires her to dress professionally and travel occasionally. Olivia likes to keep her clothes clean and tidy but finds it time-consuming to wash them after wearing them just once. She would like to be able to not have to worry about this at home or while she travels for meetings. Additionally, Olivia is conscious of her carbon footprint and does not want to waste water or energy by doing unnecessary laundry.

  • Olivia is looking for a quick and efficient way to sanitize her clothes without having to wash them. She wants a product that can kill germs and bacteria on the surface of her clothes while being gentle on the fabric. Olivia prefers something that is easy to use, portable, and does not require much time or effort. She wants a solution that is environmentally friendly and does not harm her clothes or the environment.

User

Insights

People want a way to sanitize clothing while they are traveling.

People own clothing that they are cautious to wash in fear of damaging the clothing.

Clothes smell because sweat combines with bacteria on the skin's and clothes.

Research

  • Different wave lengths can sanitize surfaces or be safe for skin and eyes but not sanitize.

  • UV-C light disinfects faster, but would have to be contained to prevent exposure with eyes or skin .

  • UV-C products can inactivate pathogens in minutes. Even a five minute cycle will help eliminate viruses and bacteria.

  • Study after study for the last century has proven that UV-C light can disinfect air and surfaces.

  • The biggest drawback of UV-C products is you can only use it in unoccupied rooms or areas. UV-C products can burn the skin and eyes.

Areas where body heat is produced causing perspiration which allows bacteria to grow.

Areas the UV light reaches to sanitize. Parts closer to the source of the light receive a stronger sanitation.

Areas to target with UV light to naturalize majority of bacteria.

Ideation

What I Learned

  • This project had 3 people working on many different components which needed to relate to each other. Organization and communication presented itself as a problem very early on. So I decided to take on the role of Project Manager to optimize workflow of the team. I accomplished this by creating a list of tasks to delegate and objectives to discuss during our meetings. A timeline was also created to better communicate what component would be completed, who was working on it, and when it would be done.

  • The process of disinfecting clothes is the main component of this project. Finding the type of UV light, distance, and exposure time are important for the function of this product.

  • There are different types of clothes hangers for different types of clothes. Such as suits, sweaters and delicate clothes. Creating a form that can accommodate a verity of hard to wash clothing is vital to the design goal.

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