Versa Vacuum
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Objective: design a stick vacuum for both home environments and workshop/construction settings.
Conclusions from Market Research
1. The majority of reviews address the weight of the vacuum. With an industrial-grade vacuum moving into the home, it is important to make sure it is easy to handle for a variety of users.
2. Weight increases as capacity and battery life increase. Proper material will help to reduce overall weight (i.e. the LG vacuum has the most features of the researched vacuums but stays under 7 lbs).
3. Accessories that are commonly used for home cleaning will increase the range of use of the vacuum beyond industrial applications.
Observational Research
The scenarios pictured above follow two different users (representing 2 personas: homeowner and shop owner) interacting with a stick vacuum in their respective environments. After analyzing actions and struggles of the users, I identified 4 main pain points.
1. Vacuum is hard to maneuver.
2. Vacuum head does not clean well around walls and corners.
3. Rollers are not good at picking up large pieces.
4. Surface type often determines the effectiveness of the vacuum.
2. Vacuum head does not clean well around walls and corners.
3. Rollers are not good at picking up large pieces.
4. Surface type often determines the effectiveness of the vacuum.
Ideation
After grouping post-its into improvement categories, I selected 4 that I thought had the most potential (side openings in vac head, dual-grip handle, easy-clean roller, and a new filter removal system). These 4 ideas were included in a survey to gauge manufacturing feasibility and potential to improve the user-experience.
The dual-grip handle and easy-clean roller were selected.
Refinement
Sketch pages and CAD iterations were done for various configurations of the canister and features to lock in aesthetics and assess usability. The functionality of the easy-clean roller was also explored and developed.
Final Design
This vacuum is feature-heavy and versatile when it comes to application, making it suitable for a variety of users and spaces.
The dual-grip handle provides a comfortable grip depending on what is being vacuumed.
The roller is easily removed from the head of the vacuum and twisting the bristles down allows them to be easily cleaned, keeping the roller working effectively.
2026 Retrospective
Given the wide scope of applications, the design needs to be suitable for all users. Your average renter is not going to want to sacrifice ergonomics for performance. Although usage and maintenance ergonomics were already addressed, they could be improved by optimizing weight balance and adding forearm support to reduce strain in the arm. The aggressive styling can be softened with rounded corners and smooth transitions between surfaces while maintaining the color scheme and angular design.
