Colour-changing tea set
When making tea for two or more people, tea is often steeped in a pot as an intermediate step between the kettle and the cup. Below is a concept sketch of a tea set consisting of a teapot, cup, and tray. In our original idea, colored lights were embedded in the teapot and cups; now, we've reconsidered and put the lights in a tray. The color around the teapot's spot on the tray reflects how steeped the tea is, while the cup’s spot indicates the temperature of the cup's contents.
Finally, here is the image of a teacup with a detachable handle, and a photoshopped glowing version. Rather than opaque porcelain, we envision the handle as a clear material to allow the LEDs to shine through. The original product (a "snap cup") can be found here: http://www.designboom.com/contest/view.php?contest_pk=16&item_pk=12826&p=2
Group members: Kylie, Jeff, Rowyn
Our concept from the initial proposal for a "colour-changing tea set" has not changed substantially. The tea set still changes colors to indicate the degree to which it has been steeped (in the case of the teapot) and temperature (in the case of the teacups). We discussed our personal tea-preparation scenarios and realized that we often start water boiling or tea steeping, and then adjourn to an adjacent room. As a result, we sometimes forget about the tea and return later only to find out that, for example, the tea has been over-steeped. To address this issue, we devised the concept of taking a token with you to the other room as a reminder, which changes color to reflect the state of the object. Inspired by the detachable handles on snap cups (image below), we thought handles which fit around your finger or wrist would make perfect tokens. In the storyboard below, the tea kettle and teacup handles indicate the water’s temperature. The tea kettle is outside the scope of the project, but is included in the storyboard in order to show the process from end to end.
When making tea for two or more people, tea is often steeped in a pot as an intermediate step between the kettle and the cup. Below is a concept sketch of a tea set consisting of a teapot, cup, and tray. In our original idea, colored lights were embedded in the teapot and cups; now, we've reconsidered and put the lights in a tray. The color around the teapot's spot on the tray reflects how steeped the tea is, while the cup’s spot indicates the temperature of the cup's contents.
Finally, here is the image of a teacup with a detachable handle, and a photoshopped glowing version. Rather than opaque porcelain, we envision the handle as a clear material to allow the LEDs to shine through. The original product (a "snap cup") can be found here: http://www.designboom.com/contest/view.php?contest_pk=16&item_pk=12826&p=2
