RESEARCH
As part of a student team at Auburn University, I partnered with Masterbuilt to develop an electric smoker. Masterbuilt is a manufacturer of electric smokers for consumer use. I was tasked with assessing one of their current models to recognize areas that could be improved upon to provide a better user experience.
Market analysis was conducted first to determine where the Masterbuilt smoker fit in with the competition. It was a relatively high-end smoker with added features, but was positioned at a reasonable price in comparison to other offerings. The smoking area size was also comparable to the rest of the market. Masterbuilt did stand out in customer ratings when comparing.
On the surface the initial research showed good signs for the existing model, so in order to zero in on pain points I tested the smoker with the other student team members, conducted user surveys, and user interviews. Through this process it was confirmed that users did enjoy the smoker, but there were a few subjects that kept resurfacing that were potential paint points.
DEVELOPMENT
Hand sketching was used to explore solutions to the pain points discovered. During this phase the form language was experimented with to determine the final concept’s aesthetic. I chose to focus in on the idea of designing for the seasonal user. Someone who buys a smoker with the intention of mainly using it for the holidays or special occasions. With this use pattern a smoker with a smaller footprint would be preferred for storage. In addition to my target user this model could also be seen as an entry-level unit to get users new to the cooking method acquainted with the process. However, even with the change in size it still needs to address the issues discovered in the user research.
