Pea is a simple device to start your day. Its a portable bagel toaster and breakfast storage device. It symbolizes the warmth and cheerful nature of the rising sun and also takes a deep insight into the problem of skipping breakfast due to a hectic work schedule. The idea was to present something completely new; in a more playful and cheerful way. Also moving away from the ugliness of the boxy toaster the pleasing form creates an interactive experience. Once the bagel is in the toaster, there is an increasing glow when it is being toasted and the toaster glows the brightest once the toast is done and lights also move upwards to signify the stages of toasting.

My process for this project was to identify certain trends and users. My research into the breakfast eating experience was to observe and talk to regulars at cafe’s to understand the user. I made a survey of various breakfast appliances on the market with similar functions and analyzed the pros and cons of each of them to find out if there were any specific portable breakfast products, which presented a unique new market opportunity.

My first step was to analyze a toaster, to understand how it worked and what were the different components in it and so i took apart a toaster which greatly helped me with the way various components were assembled and how the heat walls protected the outer casing and so on.

Initial ideation was mainly to generate a form for the device and i started sketching using small thumbnails as it was quick and easy to generate lots of form ideas based on various references i was using. The initial rectilinear and geometric form even though was a trend most appliances went for, i wanted to stick to the theme of the sun and the morning and also a pleasing shape to be on a kitchen counter that would stand out from the rest of the gray and black appliances.

Also with the toaster i took apart, i created a junk prototype to understand the dimensions, a new loading and unloading mechanism, and also to understand how big the device needed to be and if it would be portable at all.

I stuck with the round form and the top shows the final design sketches which lead me into 3D modeling, I analyzed the ways it could open, the details and also the secondary functionality of this device which is to act like a storage as well.

Final renders of the product in use and also some detail design shots. The device can be completely closed at the top with a lid. The outer is translucent acrylic shell and the inner shell is made out of PET as it could be easily formed into two halves. The outer clear acrylic acts like a see through material to visualize the glow and also refracts light to produce a warm bright color.

Showing a journey map or how to use scenario. I analyzed a lot of scenarios with story boarding to understand the user and product interaction. The inner bowl also is protected by a blue wavelength technology that is used to keep fruit and other preservative foods fresh. The device also has a simple menu and easy to use touch screen buttons.

The final engineering design drawing showing the various orthographic views and dimensions.

An exploded view of all the various components of the device along with the charging dock to charge the device.