Yoo Dental Floss Holder - Product Design

brief

design a reusable floss pick that can replace disposable flossing containers.

what is the current flossing experience?

finding folks who floss

user research

I started my exploration by finding people who claim to floss regularly. I asked them to floss in front of me, so I could get a better understanding of the process.

I conducted surveys for college-age students to better understand their conventions around dental hygiene.

Most of the people I surveyed don’t floss regularly and they all currently use floss picks. I decided to modify the floss pick and make it easier to use.

This lead me to create a journey map to see how people actually floss and where there are design opportunities for people to improve their dental hygiene.

thumbnail sketching

initial prototyping phase

One of the first prototypes for a floss holder, 3D printed. Ultimately was too small, and the y-shape was too fragile, making it easy to snap.

Rapid prototype made by inverting a clothes pin. I learned from this prototype that keeping symmetry in the design would keep structural integrity of the product. I also learned that external floss housing made the product awkward to hold.

I knew I had to maintain symmetry of the design, while also having internal housing for the floss roll.

This 3D printed floss holder is composed of two separate symmetrical pieces that connect.

Housing for the floss was placed at the bottom half of the product. From this prototype it was determined that low placement of the floss roll made the product awkward and unwieldy. The upper pick region of the part should also not be as wide as the body, so that the tool can fit in a human mouth.

final design

Floss housing was moved to the center to improve grip.

what I learned

Through this project, I learned that surveys can be a powerful tool to get insights that will direct the design. I also learned how fun it can be to brand a product! I really enjoyed picking the colors, finish, and materials… ultimately seeing the product come to life. I also learned how to use adobe animate, to animate the cartoon seen at the end of the video.