2012 Galleries

The Spark Gallery pages are one of our most popular design destinations, with thousands of visitors each year. Check out some of the latest Spark entries, in the galleries below.

Helen

Winner - Silver

Competition: Spark:Concept
Designer: Ms. Kang Yujin
Design Type: product design

In using a water purifier, most of the visually impaired feel inconvenient in distinguishing hot water, cold water button and adjusting the amount of water. Since hot wire is installed in the hot water button of HELEN, a water purifier for the visually impaired, when touching the button, they can immediately see that it is the hot water button. Also, by using ‘rubber’ for the hot water button, ‘plastic’ for the water purifying button, ‘Aluminum’ for the cold water button, you can see function of buttons by button through relative texture of warmth and coolness. In addition, a water purifier HELEN to which the alarm rung when water coming out is finished, several markers engraved or embossed for easy recognition, sensor automatically adjusting the amount of water to the height of a cup and roundly and widely designed button etc. are applied is the most visually impaired friendly water purifier. [1] challenge 1. (Intuitive use) -3 BUTTONS DISTINGUISHED BY TEMPERATURE AND MATERIALS -ROUND AND WIDE BUTTON FELT BY WHOLE HAND -EMBOSSED, ENGRAVED MARKERS -SENSOR (Use of non-contact transducer type water gauge) It is the technology originally used when digging a tunnel and if water touches a sensor, it reacts as sound. By applying this to a water purifier, if placing a cup on the inside of a water purifier and pressing the water button, water is automatically filled 3 cm lower than the height of a cup and when the water coming out process is finished, the alarm rings. 2. [ Minimizing the moving line of the whole water coming out process ] Designed to be used intuitively, the visually impaired can use it in convenient and fewer steps. 3. [ Design that can be used by the visually impaired as well as general users Every person suffers from ‘physical disability’ when they are old ] The functions applied to HELEN will be useful for the visually impaired as well as those who have weak body. [2] Design solution 1. [ Change of buttons ] -Hot water, clean water, cold water. These three buttons can be distinguished by the difference of temperature and materials and were designed wide to feel the function easily through palms. Also, for the visually impaired who use Helen for the first time, braille is engraved on each button. 2.[ Change of marker ] To make even visually impaired match the position of a cup and position of outlet for water easily, the middle rack was engraved and the rack and body were designed to be easily separated by embossing the marking of rack handle position . 3. [ Change of sensor, sound notification function ] If placing a cup on the inside of a water purifier and pressing the water button, water is automatically filled 3 cm lower than the height of a cup and when the water coming out process is finished, the alarm rings.