Reset Tea Set

Project Length - 5 weeks

Design Insights

Motive

Due to long work hours and low pay, high school and middle school teachers find themselves in the top 20 most stressful jobs in the world. A tea set for teachers to use during their short breaks could help reduce stress.

Design

Reset takes the zen aspects of oriental tea sets and extrapolates those different features while still maintaining a familiar (non-foreign) feel to the product. As well as streamlining the tea-making process to save time and accommodate the teacher's style.

Tools

Paper Prototyping

Manufacturing Processes

Analog Sketching

Consumer Consulting

Fusion Modeling

3D Printing

Process

Meet Ava

Day in the life…

Ava juggles lesson planning, classroom management, and parent communication from early morning to late evening. Boundaries blur between work and home, and she often feels stretched thin by the emotional demands of the job. Her biggest pain points are a lack of true breaks and the emotional strain of teaching.

Consulting

I had the opportunity to reach out to a 6th-grade teacher to learn more about teachers’ behaviors and the break room environment where my product would be placed. From this, I gained valuable insights on how I should move forward with my tea set, including size and form.

Green Tea Benefits

The ritual of making green tea—measuring the leaves, heating the water, and watching it steep—offers a calming pause in a busy day, encouraging mindfulness and relaxation. Beyond the ritual, green tea is rich in antioxidants and contains L-theanine, which helps reduce stress and enhance focus without causing drowsiness

Teachers’ Break Time Journey

Design Goals

Aesthetically peaceful
Quick - no burden
Hand washable
Accommodating

Inspiration

Ideation

Sketching with focus on Zen form - Keeping in mind manufacturing processes

Initial low fidelity models were made to further understand size, form, and fit. Here I learned my initial pot was to big for a single person - zen set. I also learned about challenges in the manufacturing process of my design - Concave curves often lead to the inner walls not being able to slide up into place leading me to lessen these curves.

3D Ideation

Inner wall manufacturing collision

Concave & Convex.

Ergonomic Grip

I leaned closer to getting the right size for the coffee pot in this round of physical models. I lessened the concave curve and played with different handle designs. This type of handle is a familiar form for these teachers while still being comfortable.