Grand Garden Tools

In our Design and Engineering class we explored the concept of efficiency, this unit’s purpose was to teach us if given the opportunity to make something better and give it to the world what direction would you take it in. What first do you think of when you revise something and how to advertise it in a way that is useful. The project is asking us to combine our skills of problem-solving, logic, empathy, and creativity to create something for a certain demographic of people that aren’t focused on a lot. Empathy is a very important part of the project because you have to understand the audience you’re trying to sell and appeal to if the product is going to become a success.


The first thing required to do after selecting a tool to revise was to interview someone you know who gardens. My interviewee taught me that it all matters in how you feel, because above all else gardening is supposed to make you feel good; it’s supposed to make you feel productive. Something they said during the interview was "While I do like gardening a lot I find it hard sometimes to find tools advertised and suited for someone like me. Tools should be easy for anybody to use, easy to store, and worth the investment." Which is advice that I carried and incorporated throughout my design.




With the ideas given to me by my interviewee, I could start brainstorming and visualizing what I want my new tool to do. When thinking something up I immediately thought of people who have a hard time moving or standing for long periods of time, like those who use walkers or wheelchairs. My new tool is a chair made to help you cut weeds, it is charged through an electric motor in the back. It cuts weeds via a blade tucked into the front of the chair with a cover so that you wouldn’t cut yourself on anything. The chair comes with a button pad and lever that helps with steering, along with its own vacuum to help pick up all the things you’ll be chopping down. The vacuum pack is attached to the back of the chair and can be taken off and emptied out whenever.

Made of mostly metal and plastic the rectangular base of the chair would approximately be 30'' by 30''. The total height would be 37.5''. Driving at a maximum of 5 mph. Visual of chair. DN 2021
Below here I did some quick extra calculations to find the volume and surface area of the vehicle. The surface area was 6300 inches and the volume was 33750 inches squared. Mathematics of chair. DN 2021

My tool is taking something that exists and making it easier and faster for those that aren’t usually thought of when making yard work tools to use. It has mobility for those who have a hard time walking or standing for long periods of time, it has power for those who have a hard time operating or holding a tool, and (if turned on) will clean all clippings made with the machine. The chair has a wheel and axle being used of course for the wheels of the vehicle but also for the blade at the bottom that does all the cutting.

Like any multi-featured tool, you of course have got to know how to use it. Below this, I have included a drawn-up storyboard including some important information about the machine and how to make it work.

Storyboard. DN 2021

While this project wasn't the easiest of things I had a lot of fun making it. It challenged you to use your empathy to build something to better people's lives. I learned what is important when thinking for other people, and how to think hard on the details and revise something to make it the best it can be. The project of course had its challenges, I wasn't too sure how I would advertise my machine effectively in the slightest, but I got feedback and we as a class revised our tools to the best of our ability. The thing I like most is that we listened and built off each other's ideas and the chance to artistically express the idea.