Co-Lean
Reimagining Toothpaste
ABOUT
I worked alongside a team of 5 to conduct user research, analyze, ideate, and prototype a redesign for the traditional toothpaste tube in order to reduce errors and improve efficiency, while addressing waste, hygiene and environmental concerns.
Key Skills
User Research, Product Design, Prototyping, Branding
My Role
After conducting user research, I was faced with creating iterations and prototyping the toothpaste tube redesign, as well as creating a brand identity that reflected the values of the new product.
User Research
In order to gain data on users’ frequent errors, insights, and expectations, my team divided each of the interviews into three parts: a pre-activity inquiry section, a hands-on activity demonstration section, where we observed the amount and methods users use to squeeze out the toothpaste. We then followed up with questions that allowed users to conceptualize their ideal design in order to gain insight regarding the problems with the current design.
We interviewed a total of 19 subjects.
Analysis + Findings
We narrowed down the main problems users faced:
Squeezing out an incorrect portion of toothpaste (pea-sized is the dentist recommended amount) (11/19, 58% of test subjects)
Toothpaste drying up and accumulating around the tip, preventing the cap from being screwed on correctly and reducing the hygenic factor (12/19, 63%)
Facing difficulty with squeezing out remaining portions of paste from an almost empty tube (15/19, 79%)
Voicing concerns relating to the the environmental waste of the tube packaging (cardboard box, plastic tube, tip,and cap), along with the wasted toothpaste remaining inside the tube.
Ideation
Initial sketches for individual toothpaste pods.
Sketches of possible prototypes were created in order to access the benefits and pain points of different packaging ideas.
Exploring Iterations
initial prototype
Since our initial prototypes did not solve the problem of plastic packaging waste and environmental concerns that had been raised by our users, we moved beyond redesigning different types of tubes and began to redesign the toothpaste product itself. Drawing inspiration from the individual serving-size design of Tide Pods and liquid gel pills, we created the idea of individual serving-sized toothpaste tablets
Final Prototype
01/ Toothpaste Tablets
This radical redesign of the paste itself involves individual serving-sized toothpaste tablets that provide the correct amount of paste each time. Users simply need to place the tablet in their mouth, and allow for their saliva to activate the paste. This design would eliminate the problems of wasting toothpaste that remained in the tube or using more than necessary for a single brush.
02/ Mechanical Dispenser
The dispenser includes a compartment that holds the tablets and dispenses them one at a time when the button is pressed. This physical constraint of producing exactly one tablet addresses the problem of not being able to control the amount of toothpaste that can be squeezed out of a traditional toothpaste tube, as well as the remaining paste that can not be removed.
By providing feedback to the user with the tablet that is dispensed from the press of the mechanism, users are now aware of how much toothpaste they need to use for a single brush. The remaining tablets in the dispenser are housed safely in the reservoir free from moisture, while the outer shell of plastic material protects it from water that can be potentially splashed from the sink.
03/ Reusability
While this dispenser is still made out of plastic, it generates less plastic in the long run due to its ability to be refilled.
04/ Colors
We chose a light blue and gray color scheme to reflect the clean and fresh aspect associated with the effects of using toothpaste.
Next Steps
Product Materials & Sustainability
Our next steps would be to create a zero-waste packaging prototype and test it with a bigger sample size of people. Furthermore, we would decide on the exact type of material required for each tablet of toothpaste. This material would have to be dissolvable on contact with human saliva/water, yet durable enough to contain and house a pea-size portion of toothpaste for long periods of time.
Thank you to my project partners Julia, Ana, Cindy, Justin, and Yuji for conducting user research and iterating through the design process with me.