2013 Graduation Design Project Ke Lai / Yu-Chi Chien

城 市 草 本

herbanherban

A New Choice to Decoct Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Design MotivationChinese ethnic groups and Chinese herbal medicines are inseparable from ancient times; The side effects of traditional Chinese medicine are less than Western medicine and it’s much milder. however, people tend to forget the wisdoms passed on by our ancestors during the process of modernization.

People used to decoct herbal medicines with ceramic pot in the past, but it is more convenient to use the electric kettle now. Long-time decocting and complex steps of herbal medicines still make lots of people decline to them. They indirectly cause people feel unfamiliar with their own culture.

It is our hope to improve the electric kettle, simplify the using process, and abbreviate the decocting time to make Chinese herbal medicines more casual.

BackgroundTraditional Chinese medicine is a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years.

The human body system is open, large, and complex. Thus, it is nearly impossible to understand the mechanisms of body by using a purely reductive method. This is where the behavioral and experience-based method of traditional Chinese medicine can provide the means to see the body as a whole system.

Typically, one batch of medicinal is prepared as a decoction of about 9 to 18 substances. Some of these are considered as main herbs, some as ancillary herbs.

CurrentProduct

Lid Body Heating Core

Power Base Power Cord

Weight : 2.7 kgHeight : 30.5 cmWidth : 29 cmDiameter : 17.5 cm

StandardSteps

Washing the Herbs

Soaking the Herbs

Herbal medicines need to be cleaned in order to remove dust and pesticides.

Soak herbal medicines in a bowl of water. It helps the herbs to release ingredients.

First Decocting

Second Decocting

Insert the plug to start decocting . After the heating light switches to the preservation mode, you can pour the medicinal liquid out.

Herbal medicines require second decocting to completely release the internal ingredients.

MixingMedicinal Liquids

Pouring the Herbs

Mix the first and second medicinal liquids to balance the concentration.

Before washing the kettle, pick out the edible parts, and pour out the herbs.

Washing the KettleAfter the wash, the kettle needs to be decocted twice with pure water to ensure that no medicine remains.

Problems & Solutions

Washing the Herbs ConvenientlyWhen washing the herbs, they need moving between different containers.

Add an internal filter to put herbal medicines, and it also can be a washing sieve.

Computing the Time by WeightThe decocting time is estimated by the water level which is usually inaccurate due to the herbs inside. After decocting, the liquid quantity is usually less than a bowl. (The basic quantity we need to drink.)

Use an internal filter to prevent liquid from being absorbed by herbs, and compute the time by the induction cooker which could control the remaining quantity accurately and display the lasting time.

Variety Flame Intensity ProcessIn tradition, herbal medicines should be fast boiled by strong heat, and keep boiling by gentle heat.

Adopt the induction cooker to heat, measure temperature, and set schedules.

Reducing the Weight of KettleThe ceramic kettle is too heavy to hold and pour especially for elders.

Use steady enamel and glass to less weight, and improve gripping mode.

Heating More EfficientThe heating core inside the kettle easily burns the herbs.

Adopting the induction cooker to heat which is more efficiency and saving time.

Omit CoolingAfter the first decocting it should wait a long time until the kettle cools down.

Use the induction cooker to omit cooling.

Shorten the Decocting TimeDecocting time is too long without efficiency.

Shorten whole process, because the ingredients have been entirely boiled out at about 40 minutes.

Medicine MixerIt needs a lot of containers and complicated steps when mixing the medicinal liquids.

Combine the kettle and the containers to simplify the pouring and mixing steps.

Picking Out the Herbs RapidlyThe structure of the kettle is too hard to pick out and pour out the herbs.

Divided internal filter makes the herbs taken out easier.

Easy to CleanShould be careful that the power base cannot get too much water when wash it, and could not use it until completely dry. The heating core inside made the internal structure too complicated to wash.

Separate the kettle from the power base. Without the heating core, it could simplify the internal structure which could be easy to wash and also enlarge the capacity.

Modern AppearanceThe old and traditional style estranges the young people from the Chinese herbal medicine.

The trendy and fresh appearance could attract more people and fit for the modern living environment.

PersonaAnne, Female, 26 years old, Virgo.

On vacation, she usually enjoys the quiet afternoon at home without any disturbing.

Soaking up the sunshine from windows, and reads the essay found at the bookstall.

She loves an orderly and tidy life, and has a little neat freak.

She develops a practical personality, so she do everything step-by-step, and she thinks waiting is a kind of happiness.

She focuses on the details of life, and pursues the aesthetics in practice.

Target User15-30 years old. Female novices are target users, and general people are minor customers.

What kind of traditional Chinese medicine do you usually take?

Powder

Teapill Tablet

Soup (Instant) Soup

How often do you take traditional Chinese medicine?

Once a day.

Once a month

Once a year

Once a week

Once a season

Why don’t you take traditional Chinese medicine?

The medicine tastes bitter.

The decocting steps are too complex.

The medicine is too expensive.

Other

The ingredients aren’t clear.

The decocting time is too long.

The medicine doesn’t take effect immediately.

Have you ever taken traditional Chinese medicine?

Yes No

User Research

Why don’t you decoct the medicine by yourself?

The steps are too complex.

The flame intensity is hard to control.

The smell is too strong.

The cooker is too heavy.

The medical soup is too bitter.

I don’t know how.

Other

The cooker is hard to clean.

The decocting time is hard to compute.

The time is too long.

Why do you take traditional Chinese medicine?

For menstruation.

For illness. For keeping health.

For getting tall.

For improving constitution

For losing weight.

Other

Why do you choose to decoct the medicine by yourself?

It’s more effective.

It’s milder. Other

It’s clearer.

Sketches

Customer Journey

Wash the herbs and distribute them into edible and inedible parts with the internal filter

Put the edible herbs in the kettle, and separate the inedible part into the filter. Rotate the filter to the correct height which prevents the medicine from being absorbed by the herbs.

Place the kettle on the induction cooker which computes the weight without water.

Pour water to 3 cm over the herbs, and soak the herbs for 20-30 minutes in 1st decocting.

Cover the lid, and set the quantity you need to drink.

Press the “Start” button, and the cooker will display the remaining time.

The herbs will be fast boiled by strong heat (1500W), and keep being decocted by gentle heat (700W), after the cooker detects the temperature.

When the weight reaches the quantity you set, the cooker will stop automatically.

Pour out the medicine.

Remove the lid and filter with the inedible herbs inside. Pour the medicine (1st decocting) back, and fully mix with the current medicine in the kettle.

Distribute the medicine to 2 bowls of soup, and drink them in the morning and evening.

Wash the kettle.

High Borosilicate GlassBody

EnamelInternal Filter

PCTGEnamel

Lid

Mark Bumps

Screw Thread

Screw Thread

Design Features

l

l

EnamelWhee

PCTGHandle

stainless steelMatel Plate

PCTGInduction Cooker

Screw Thread

Touch Pane

Ceramic Plate