Idea Generation

5 min readOct 17, 2019

Mind Map:

Exaptation:

I started by drawing up things I liked and then extracting parts of the things I liked into ways to clean a toilet. I realized if I wasn’t thinking too hard or being too critical of my ideas that I could be more creative in thinking about how the task gets done.

TILMAG:

Functions of a toilet brush are fairly simple: clean the bowl of the toilet. I tried to focus on what functionality makes a good toilet brush. I broke it down into four categories: Cleans curves, easy scrub, sturdy, and flexible. While the last two categories seem opposite, it is extremely important for the current design of a toilet brush in the way that it is to withstand force of person pushing the brush around and into the bowl. I realized a lot of useful cleaning supplies were found in the kitchen that function similarly.

Cloth + Telescope: telescopic handle with many cloths attached to the end. Can compress and then easy to conceal. Cloths are machine-washable and reusable.
Straw Cleaner + Power Cleaner: High Powered water shoots out of sides of long flexible metal tube
Veggie Brush + Fishing Pole: fishing pole and veggie brush combination where you can stand very far away from the toilet.
Car scraper + Hair Brush: mitten from scraper keeps gross from getting on hands. Hair brush soft bristles sofly scrape away ick.
Magic Eraser + Lint Roller: rolling magic eraser keeps toilet ultra white
Swiffer Wet Jet: The mechanism of squirting the toilet bowl solution into the toilet while cleaning implemented in the head of the brush. Could also really use a curved wet jet to clean the bowl and the outside…
Toothbrush: the brushing motion is the same, does a toilet brush really need bristles all the way around? Half brush might work better and get less dirty.
Flex Seal: Magic tape that prevents leaks. Could coat the brush in it, it is hydrophobic. Could also cover the whole bowl in a layer so it would never get dirty.
Sink Scrubber: The toilet brush of sinks. The bristles are a lot softer and the handles are much grippier. Incorporate suction cup bottom into brush to keep the brush out of the way, sticking to the bowl.
Sponge: the scrubbing sponges with the rough surface are really good at getting rid of ick. It could be attached to a long, curved stick for best reaching

SCAMPER:

When creating my scamper chart I kept getting stuck in cleaning supplies. Looking at similar cleaning supplies that did the same task but better or in a different way. Overall the scrubbing motion of pushing was not the best for anyone that doesn’t want to crouch down to clean or sit on their hands and knees. From my research, everyone that owns a house or apartment or something will have a toilet brush. This is an integral part of the bathroom and needs not to be looked at as how can I improve this, but how can I clean a toilet? A lot of my solutions were automated or less taxing on the body. Others were to make the overall cleaning experience more fun. My favorite idea was the all in one cleaning tool. Imagine one spray and one tool that cleans everything in your house. What could that look like? How similar are cleaning products anyways? Do we really need all the supplies we have? Could one spray and one brush thing do it all?

TRIZ:

{Attempt 1}

Adaptability or versatility + Strength =

parameter change
local quality
color changes
universality

{Output}

Hard soapy exterior that when wet, breaks down bacteria

2. Make the water boil to kill bacteria

3. Multi-functional different attachments for in bowl and outside

{Attempt 2}

Ease of Operation + Shape =

dynamics
discarding & recovering
Pneumatics & hydraulics
mechanics substitution

{Output}

4. adjustable arm of brush on ball socket joint- easy rotation

5. make the “brush” itself on a ball socket joint

6. Multi-functional different attachments for in bowl and outside

7. motorized spinning brush cleans itself after use, use with crank like egg beater

8. magnetic brush head makes easy clean but string magnet keeps it on

9. completely versatile cleaning tool different brushes and telescopic lengths, stuck together with magnets.

10. handle filled with liquid so it had better balance, less hard scrubbing

contoured toilet brushes are real just not popular

10 Ideas:

I got more and more excited about my ideas as I was developing them. It started with what if this could do more than just clean a toilet bowl and went from there. Essentially all of cleaning uses a sponge-like texture and a rough like texture. I tried to challenge myself to push the ideas i’ve already had and liked further.