Prediction
The purpose of the milk frother is to froth milk, creating a foamy texture typically in a coffee beverage. This Ikea device is a battery operated tool that has a motor, which spins the stem of the product with the spring. The market this appeals to those in the food market, especially people that enjoy more “sophisticated” coffee. Some design objectives include: cheap production costs, must be in-part waterproof, easy to use, must froth the milk, and must not be too heavy. Some constraints are that to keep costs down, you have to use a cheaper metal which can break easier. The cheapness also reduces the ability to make the product aesthetically pleasing.
Observation
The motor spins at the base and spins the stick/neck and whisk end. The whisk gets submerged in the liquid, causing the air to flow in a whirlpool and that creates the foam/froth without any heat. The design works very well in that the product gets the job done at a low cost, given that the milk does indeed froth at the hands of the product. The time to froth is also not extensive, it can be done in seconds. The design was done the way it was to account for affordability, as mentioned previously. Additionally, it was designed to be mess-free, so the user does not have to worry about clean-up or injury. Affordances of the product are that we can use our knowledge to turn the switch up to turn the device on, and the sliding slot for the batteries which had a ribbed thumb indentation. Mapping would be how the switch actually does turn the product on and off. Feedback that the device gives is like when it makes a fast, angry noise when touching the edge of the cup– it tells us that it is not working properly since it has an obstacle in its way.
Test
The milk frother, when submerged into the middle of the milk, frothed it very quickly, in a matter of five seconds. It is easy to turn on and off and easy to handle. No prior knowledge or strength is needed. The operational ability has no flaws, except that it would probably not froth a large volume of liquid. Ergonomically it is very nice because it fits well in your hands and cannot really injure you. By the end, the milk was frothed a lot and the overall space taken up in the cup increased.
Our hand-made milk frother was harder to use, much less intuitive. There was no mapping and no affordances, so you really had to have the information of how we intended to use it in order to do so. It frothed the milk, but not as much as the Ikea one. The frother created bubbles instead of foam, like the Ikea frother. However, given the cost and the accessibility of materials used (rubber bands and prongs), it does a great job. The lid and the cup are mapping, because you have the lid to cover the top of the cup; it’s the same size as the mouth of the cup. The affordance of the lid is to hold the mouthpiece closed so that milk does not leak out. Strengths are it’s cheap and works, and weaknesses are that it is not ergonomic, it requires physical ability, and that it leaks milk so you lose money. I would change the lid to be fully protective if I had different materials.
Disassemble your IKEA device
The Ikea device has a running motor, just as we had assumed in the beginning. It rests in the middle of the base/main plastic part of the frother. There are 9 main parts, including this motor, which I don’t know if there are any more parts inside of the motor. It is made by placing each of the small parts in or around the plastic base. The stick/neck rests in the skinny opening of the base, sticking up with the spiral/spring attached at the top to create a whisk feature. The motor is attached to the bottom of the stick, so it can spin it, and has a piece of tubular plastic to secure it at the base of the motor, and another to secure it to the skinny part of the plastic base. Lastly, there is a piece of plastic that slides covering the bottom of the plastic base, which is meant to cover the batteries. I’m surprised that there are so few parts and yet the machine works so well.
Analyze
Overall, the biggest strengths of this product is how much bang you get for your buck. It works quite well at a great price. I think if there were improvements to be made, I would use sturdier materials, like so the neck isn’t as easily bendable or breakable. One weakness of this product is that it wouldn’t be able to froth large quantities of liquid. It is also not aesthetically pleasing. I cannot think of additional refinements, I think it works very well.
Through the disassembly (more detail below) I learned that without the motor, there would be no frother. It is the key element that allows the milk to froth so quickly and effectively. Of course all the parts are important, but this, to me, is the most.
Material Spreadsheet Summary:
- Neck/Stem: Functions as the extender between the inner mechanical parts and the whisk/spiral. Gives depth to the frother and the user the ability to see how deep they want to submerge the device. Spins the spring. It connects to the spring, the plastic base, the motor, and the plastic holders. Cost: .01$
- Motor Switch: This piece is connected to the motor, and I have no idea what it’s individual function is. I think it might be like a prong, but I’m not sure. Material is metal and cost is likely .01$
- Battery Cover: This piece holds the batteries inside of the plastic base and makes sure that the batteries have the proper terminal on either side. It also has the +/- symbol to let you know which way to put the batteries in. Cost: .03$
- Plastic Base: Holds everything securely in place. Technically has 2 pieces that form the one base; they lock together. Every piece except the spring attaches directly to this base. Made from plastic. Cost: .o5$
- Plastic Supporter 1: Used to secure the stem to the plastic base, preventing sliding and friction. Rubber/flexible plastic material. Cost: >.01$
- Plastic Supporter 2: Used to prevent friction between the motor and the base of the stem. Plastic. Cost: >.01$
- Metal Plate: Probably holds motor in place comfortably. Doesn’t allow it to touch sides of the plastic base and cause unnecessary movement. Unknown metal. Cost: .02$
- Motor: Honestly probably has smaller parts inside that I did not manage to break apart. Definitely has metal in it. Used to create movement, using battery power to do so. Turns the neck/stem. Cost: .50$
- Spring: Attaches to the stem/neck. Creates a whisk, so air can easily enter the mixture you are frothing. Material is an unknown metal. Touches only the stem. Cost: .01$