Social Q - Street Cart

Our professor came to us with this project brief, of designing a food cart that is able to accompany multiple activities and allows the vendor to sell whatever they may want to sell by changing storage and workspace modules. The basic concept behind most of our thinking was to really focus on modularity and give the user many options on how they might want to set up their mobile store. When the team and I really started ideating and coming up with ideas that would answer the problems in the project brief, we started out way too complex, our designs had many moving parts that would allow the cart to change form and change the way the vendor would interact with the cart. We had many ideas of pulling or sliding modules out to create a larger environment for the vendor to sell their goods. In this phase I think we lacked attention to the actual context this cart would be used in and were trying to answer all of our problems by making the cart expandable and to be able to change for each user.

In the research phase, we had a lot of notes on where these carts might be used and how they might be used by the vendor and the customer. A lot of the precedents we saw lacked a focus on aesthetics and more focus on how the cart will be used by the vendor and what can make it easiest on the vendor to supply goods all day. We wanted to create an in between of these, creating a cart that looks good and clean and not so busy with advertisements and menus, but also keeping the vendor in mind and focusing on how that user will be in the elements all day on the street, and how to make the vendor the most comfortable they can be for the duration of the work day. Focusing on the different procedures the vendor might have to go through in a day really inspired the design of our modules and to provide a module for every scenario the vendor might find themselves in.

Next was the ideation phase, this is where our team had its most fun being able to come up with crazy and unique ideas that would answer some of the problems given to use in the brief and discovered in the research phase. We noticed in the ideation phase that we were focusing too much on the modules and different ways the vendor can interact with it. Most of our ideas were far too complicated and made the vendor have to go through way too many steps to fully open their store such as, pulling modules out on rails, setting up canopies with poles, and attaching menu boards and other advertisements. Towards the end of the ideation phase is where our design really got some of its good features. We took a few of our designs and really tried to simplify our designs so that the interaction between the cart and the vendor will be the easiest possible and make the vendors life the easiest. This is where we came up with our final design after really simplifying everything we were trying to do, we started with a simple structure that would then be able to hold the modules that would be designed for multiple storage options with different cabinets and work surfaces. This system is what really shaped our thinking on how the vendor and the customer will interact through the cart and focus on the post pandemic norms.

The next phase is where we really started designing the details and connections of our projects, also designing the specific storage options of the modules and how the vendor would be able to use them to make its life easier. The cart really started to form the aesthetics we were looking for as we were designing the individual modules and the materials used in those started to form the look we were chasing for so long. During the process we were scared of the aesthetics of the cart because we were focusing on the system of the whole cart and how the modules will help. But once we started adding materials and finishes to the cart it developed a look that we really enjoyed and made the cart look clean and industrial. The base was made up of tubing that would be the main frame of the cart and allow the user to apply finishes the way they picture their cart looking. The look of the modules would also be chosen by the vendor and what materials they might want to use for the specific modules. For example, if the vendor wants to sell coffee then the vendor will probable choose a material that won't stain from coffee and can be easily wiped down and cleaned and same for a vendor that would be selling pastries as they may not need an easily cleaned surface or the work surface that the coffee vendor would need to prepare the drinks. Overall, the cart was designed and manufactured in a way so that the vendors can pick and choose on what they might need for the specific activity and products they are selling. Not only would they be able to pick storage options and shelving options but they also get to design what their cart will look like and how they may apply finishes to the modules.

In conclusion, the way the team and I approached the project creates many different ways someone could use this cart and the cart would be suitable for any product the vendor might want to sell, We really focused on the customizable aspect and giving the vendor many different options to make this cart suitable for themselves and what they plan on selling. Designing modules taught me and my group mates to design with a lot of consideration to the user and how the user will interact with our design. There are a lot of things to keep in mind while designing a cart that can be changed and customized, and giving the vendor the power of using our design to create something of their own and unique to them.