NEEDS
3.1 Find
Needs
As time goes, humans are pampered with new
inventions and technological advances. One such invention is the washing
machine. With it, we don’t need to put so much time and effort washing our
clothes, and instead use it to do other things. This machine also makes washing
a bunch of clothes an easy task, however, drying the clothes is another matter
entirely. Many people in the world rely on the sun rays to dry their clothes.
Even those who live in big cities have a hard time drying their clothes since
there’s not much space for it, and the air pollution discouraged people to hang
their clothes outside. These people then had no choice but to hang it inside,
which takes too much time.
To solve that problem, another machine was
invented, the clothes dryer. It does its job pretty nicely and is pretty much a
must-have machine in laundry services in the cities. However, the machine is
not without its flaws. Some of them includes: High energy cost. Dryers use a lot
of energy, for example, in the United States it is perhaps the largest
residential energy end use, which reached about 66 billion kWh per year, or
around 5.8% of all the residential electricity consumption in US. They’re also
not all efficient in removing water. Most conventional dryers are about 50-70%
efficient at removing water. Some citizens also want to keep one themselves in
their houses, but there’s also different preferences regarding its size and
practicality.
In short, the existing product
hasn’t been able to answer the needs of consumers yet, which is marked by
complaints and problems regarding the performance efficiency, energy cost,
practicality, capacities, etc. We also tried to make it environmentally
friendly and any other innovations that will suit the various needs of the
consumers. Therefore, before designing the product "Practical Clothes
Dryer", we do a survey to identify the needs and desires of consumers.
3.2 Obtaining
Consumer’s Opinion
The survey methods are done by direct
interviews and spreading questionnaire. Interviews conducted directly to our
target market or customer, housewives and people who worked in a laundry
services, basically those that will want to use a clothes dryer. Though we also
included students who washed their clothes by themselves. The results of the
survey are considered to represent the consumer needs of clothes dryer. The
survey on "Practical Clothes Dryer" will be shown based on the
questions in the consumer survey
3.3 Consumer
Data Result
Survey to consumers mostly done by spreading
the questionnaires to the respondents, while others were done by direct
interview (interview). The more respondents participate, the better it
represents the needs of consumers who want a clothes dryer. Here are the
results of the survey that was conducted to 111 respondents:
- How often they wash their clothes
Based on survey results, 41% of respondents washed their clothes every
day, 35% washed theirs once a week, 17% washed theirs twice a week and 7%
choose other option. It is clear in figure 1 that most, almost half of the
respondents washed their clothes every day, with those who washed theirs once a
week not too far behind. This is because the survey was conducted in the
Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia around so it can be seen that
most of the respondents are students and employees. For the topic of
"Clothes dryers" the target respondents should be people who wash
their clothes in large quantity or often wash them. So the results of the
survey conducted on respondents suits our target consumer and it shows that
both need to be considered.
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| Figure 3.1 Percentage of How Often the Repondents Wash Their Clothes |
Based on survey results, 28% of respondents use T-shirts, 23% of
respondents use Shirts, 7% of respondents use Suits, 0% of respondents use
Coats, 1% of respondents use Kebaya, 2% of respondents use Gowns, 30% of
respondents use Pants, and 8% of respondents use Short Pants. This survey is to
know what kind of clothes that they usually wear, so we can adjust to it. The
survey shows that most respondents wears T-shirts, Shirts, and Pants. Meaning
the product will need to be in a considerable size. This is expected since most
of them are university students and employees.
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| Figure 3.2 Percentage the Type of Clothes Used |
Data result showed that the material of the clothes are 1% from
Sutera, 29% from Jeans, 4% from Wool, 51% from Cotton, 15% from Bahan. With
Cotton being the most used materials, it shouldn’t need to much time to dry it,
but as shown in Figure 2., that of the survey results, one of the majority of
respondents wears pants which are most likely made from cotton. So clothes
dryer that we want to make must be at least excellent in processing or drying
cotton. Clothes dryer will be great if it can be dry all of type that metioned.
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| Figure 3.3 Percentage of Clothes Material |
- How many use washing machine
The result showed that 50% use it, and 50% don’t. Based on survey
results, we found out that most of them use washing machine. So, they’re likely
to wash clothes in high quantity.
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| Figure 3.4 Percentages of people who use washing machine |
- What time do they wash their clothes
Based on survey results, 61% of respondents wash them in the morning,
11% in the afternoon, and 28% on the evening/night. Apparently, many
respondents washed theirs in the night, where there’s no heat to dry them.
Thus, the dryer will be more useful for these people in this type of situation.
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Figure 3.5 Percentage of the time they wash their clothes
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- The place to hang the laundry
Based on survey results, 56% of respondents said they usually hang
their laundries indoor and 44% other
said they hang laundries outdoor. The
percentage is near each other, eventough the respondents that hang laundries indoor
are a little much than outdoor. We can conclude that many people are interested
or habitually dried their laundries indoor, so maybe they intereseted in
clothes dryer that usually operated indoor.
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| Figure 3.7. Percentage of Consumers’ Reliance to the Sun |
Based on survey results, 87% respondents depend on the sun ray to dry
their clothes, and the minority, 13% respondents are not depend on it. Majority
of the respondent’s answer said they depend of sun in order to dry their
clothes. So when rainy seasons or bad weather, they can do their laundries. So
when this situation come, hopefully clothes dryer can solve the problem because
it doesn’t depend on sun.
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| Figure 3.6. Percentage of the Place to Hang the Laundry |
- What they’ll do if it’s still wet
Based on survey results, 1% of respondents will pile up their clothes
in one place when their laundries still wet or undried, 61% will spread out in
the sun indoor, 24% will dry their clothes indoor, and 14% other respondents do
nothing. Based on result we can conclude nothing much people can do effectively
in order to dry their clothes.
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| Figure 3.8. Percentage of the Respondents Will Do If It’s Still Wet |
- Whether they have a clothes dryer or not
Based on survey results, 27% of respondents have
or use a clothes dryer and the least majority of respondents, 73% of
respondents said the don’t have or use a clothes dryer. This result said enough
that clothes dryer not a common household that every people have. This could be
a chance to develop a new image of
clothes dryer and persuade people to buy product that we want to
invented.
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| Figure 3.9. Percentage of Whether They Have a Clothes Dryer or Not |
- Demand for a clothes dryer
Based on survey results, 82% of respondents would like to use clothes
dryers, while only 18% didn’t. Data retrieval is intended to measure the
incidence or to estimate the number of consumers who will need clothes dryers.
And it shows how high the demand on clothes dryer among the consumers is.
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Figure 3.10. Percentage of Demand of Clothes Dryer
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Based on survey results, 6% of the respondents said that they have no
idea about clothes dryer, 19% answer clothes dryer as an expensive stuff, 71%
thought about clothes dryer as practical household, and the minority, about 4%
respondents said clothes dryer is a small cheap stuff. Based on this answer we
can conclude the majortity of respondents thought the concept of clothes dryer
should household that can be used practically.
Figure 3.11. Percentage of Demand of Clothes Dryer
- Time to use a clothes dryer
Based on survey results, 32% of respondents said they will use clothes
dryer after washing clothes, 27% will use
clothes dryer during the rainy seasons, 29% will use only when it’s
required, and the minority of respondents
abou 12% answer they will use a clothes dryer when in hurry need a dry
clothes. Based on the answer we can
conclude the right time to use clothes dryer is right after washing clothes. So
it will be an everyday clothes dryer.
Figure 3.12 Percentage of Demand of Clothes Dryer
- After using clothes dryer activity
Based on survey results, 31% of the respondent will drying their
clothes again and majority of the answer that about 69% of the respondents sain they will fold or
ironing because it should be dried enough so no need to dry it again. It
conclude that respondents want a full process drying machine product.
Figure 3.13 Percentage of Demand of Clothes Dryer
- Ideal operation time of clothes dryer
Based on survey results, 23% of respondents have no idea of how long
it takes to dry their clothes with clothes dryer, 70% want less than one hour,
7% wants 1 until 2 hours of operation time. The majority of answers want less
than one hour should be conclude that clothes dryer that respondents want is
fast enough.
Figure 3.14 Percentage of Demand of Clothes Dryer
- Innovation for a clothes dryer
Based on survey results, 30% of the respondents want a machine that
not take a large portion of time and place, 8% want a clothes dryer that can
process their laundries into scented or not smelly, 32% of respondents want a
clothes dryer that not damaging their clothing, 11% want clothes dryer that not
damaging the color of their clothing, and 19% other want an affordable clothes
dryer. This all innovation that mentioned should be a specification in order to
make a good clothes dryer based on respondents opinion or demand.
Figure 3.15 Percentage of Demand of Clothes Dryer
- Ideal capacity of a clothes dryer
Based on survey results, 18% respondents want a 5 pieces of clothing
capacity, 43% respondents want a 10 pieces of clothing capacity, 2% respondents
want a 12 pieces of clothing capacity, and 37% respondents want a 15 pieces of
clothing capacity. We can conlude that respondent want an medium or large
capacity dry processing machine, or at least a machine that can process their
everyday laundry.
Figure 3.16 Percentage of Demand of Clothes Dryer
- Operation of a clothes dryer
Based on survey results, 4% have no idea about it, 81% want a clothes
dryer with an electrical power, and 15% other want a mechanical power clothes
dryer. Majority said it should be a device with electrical power because
respondents more convinient about it.
Figure 3.17 Percentage of Demand of Clothes Dryer
- Main idea of clothes dryer
Based on survey results, 24% said they want practical clothes dryer,
20% want an affordable price, 15% want an efficient clothes dryer, 2% want a
modern clothes dryer, 1% want an attractive appearance clothes dryer, 16% want
a safe and enviromentally friendly clothes dryer, 11% want an cheap at
operating cost clothes dryer, and 10% want a large capacity of clothes dryer. This
all the option that respondent want when they buy a new clothes dryer. This
option should be conclude in process of making the product.
Figure 3.18 Percentage of Demand of Clothes Dryer
3.1
Interpreted Needs
Result from all pie chart above should be
interpreted so that we can specify what actually respondent’s needs based on
questionnaire that distributed. List of need is made from
question that we distribute in questionnaire form to several respondent that
came from different group, occupation, economic life, age, gender, et cetera in
order to get what consumer wants in wide area. Respondent yet chosen from their
experience about clothes dryer as household goods or even tools in workplace,
like a drycleaner or laundry, so that at least respondent know what they want
to answer because the experienced it.
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