Rachel's Apple Slicer Design Infatuation

I brought to class an apple slicer with a poor design. After class I looked for a better model to aid me with my quest for perfectly sliced apples-sans frustration and cut fingers. This is a well known model, as it should be.

Visibility: The negative and positive spaces of the blade's shape informs the user that this is where the slices will happen on the apple. They outline the size of the slices, how many slices can happen as a result of the interaction and where the core will be cut away from the edible parts of the apple.

Feedback: Unfortunatly, due to its simple and basic design, the apple slicer has no sound or visual feedback. However, to communicate that the apple has been successfully cut, the core of the apple stands vertically while the slices bloom and bow neatly around it, signalling that they are cut and ready to eat.

Affordances: The apple slicer has handles that are positioned in a way that is inuitive for the user, The form of the apple slicer makes it very simple to use and the action that is communicated is that the tool must be pushed down through the apple. Any other approach at cutting the apple doesn't feel right to the user. The slicer is easy to use, easy to clean as it is very open, and fun because it takes a task that usually requires a steady hand and the risk of exposure to a knife, and does all the steps in one step, as well as additionally cutting the apples in a perfect and mathematically sound manner.


Habituation: Humans have formed food preparation habits such as cutting, washing, peeling, rolling etc.. and thus a tool like this apple slicer is an example of the advanced ways the human mind has come to develop methods of reducing physical time and energy needed to prepare food.

Mapping: The slicer has no oral or written directions or guidlines. It is strictly intuitive to use.

Constaints: The constraints of the apple slicer is that it is a designated size, and therefore any fruit that is too large to fit within the perimeter of the rim cannot be cut using this model. This slicer also requires two-hand use, and anyone that hasn't got availible the use of both hands isn't able to use this tool. Anyone who is very weak or unable to complete the tiniest of physical challenges would not be able to use this as it requires minute force.

Breakdown: The apple slicer faces problems when concerning irregularity with the form of the fruit, and then it cannot physically do it's designated task. Elsewise, unless it itself physically breaks, which in my case the slicer is of quality design and stable make, then I forsee no problems