TAPE DISPENSER

FUNCTIONAL REDESIGN

THE ASK:

Redesign the average tape dispenser to better cater to the needs of elementary school kids.  

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THE IDEA:

Traditional tape dispensers were problematic in the classroom for three main reasons: the metal blade was dangerous, younger children needed assistance, and more often than not a lot of tape was wasted. Our goal was to create a bladeless, waste-mitigating dispenser that was intuitive even to a kindergartener.

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THE PRODUCT:

Our design was inspired by sticker sheets, because among elementary school kids stickers are universally understood. Instead of a traditional tape dispenser, we took tape and formatted it as pre-cut tape strips in sheets. The design eliminated all of the problems previously experienced with the traditional design: bladeless, intuitive, and eliminates waste through the use of pre-cut strips. 

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To make the product even more kid-friendly, we designed a few iterations with patterned tape strips as a way to push the sticker association further. In an attempt to validate the design, I met with my two-year-old cousins and had them test the product. To our delight, our product was so easy even a two-year-old could

use it.

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WHY IS THIS A GOOD IDEA?

In addition to solving the above mentioned pitfalls of a traditional tape dispenser, the tape books could be issued to students individually and were approximately the same price as traditional tape dispenser systems. 

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WHAT DID LOU DO?

1. Interviews with teachers and elementary school students  

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2. Product design and mock-ups.

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3. Prototyping of product

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4. Product testing with 2-year-olds.