About
Lodge is a modular, flat pack post natural disaster shelter service. Lodge is a durable, reusable solution for natural disaster relief. Lodge can coordinate with relief agencies, rent the shelters to the agencies, and then sanitize and store once they are no longer needed at the disaster site.
How can a shelter become a home?
Natural disasters devastate the areas they hit. They directly damage infrastructures, hospitals, and homes. Most relief after natural disasters is basic: shelter, food, and clean water. Post-natural disaster shelters are meant to be temporary, but temporary does not have to mean canvas tents.
Toxic Materials + Loud Packaging + Gendered Product = 'Feminine Hygiene'
I interviewed and surveyed over two hundred people to find out how they feel about their periods. Many of the men I interviewed told stories of not changing tampons in public, going past the allotted time they should be inserted. They were more afraid of being “outed” due to the loud packaging than the possible toxic infection they could get from leaving a tampon in too long. Even merely carrying menstrual products around was a risk, because the packaging was overtly feminine normative.
Concept Development
When developing concepts, I wanted a design that would reduce the physical confrontation to blood one has when using menstrual products. Regardless how someone identifies, once a month they must confront that they are biologically female. Seeing the blood red color is a visual and physical confrontation to their gender identity. I also want a design that had noiseless packaging, and external packaging that was gender inclusive. I chose a menstrual cup concept because it would eliminate potential toxic materials and septic infections. There are no other menstrual solutions on the market that are specifically designed for individuals who do not identify as a woman.
Protyping
I tested eight different versions of my menstrual cup. The molds varied slightly between runs based upon human factor measurements that were available for vaginal factors and current cups on the marker. I interviewed current users of the various cups, tested current cups myself, and poured over thousands of online reviews for fifty menstrual cups. Based on these findings, I created low fidelity 3D printed molds that allowed for rapid prototyping and testing of the cup functionality. I cast over three dozen cups testing cure time, durometer, fill technique, and mold material. If you need to know anything about silicone durometer, I'm your girl! For the packing, I created mock ups that allowed me to test packaging functionality and overall experience.
Final Concept
The final concept consists of a reusable menstrual cup, applicator, branding, external packaging, and internal disposable packaging. I wanted to create a full solution that took all of my pain points into account.
Final Product & Packaging
The packaging is a play on red blood on white menstrual products. There is no information printed on the box, so the user must open it to learn more. The slight stripe of red around the parting line dares the user to open the box. The blood red color on the packaging is a promise: this is the last time you will see blood red again. The external packaging is meant to resemble high end electronic packaging, rather than typical menstrual packaging.
The Other Cup is inserted with an applicator, then opens to collect menstrual fluid once inserted. After twelve hours the cup is removed with the same reusable silicone applicator, and a new clean cup is inserted. When the cup is not inserted, it remains closed and contains the menstrual fluid. You never need to touch the cup or interact with blood. The black color of the cup obscures the color of any residual blood left on the surface. The cup and applicator are then deposited into hemostatic packaging that absorbs the menstrual fluid as you go about your day, and the cup can be rinsed later at your convenience at home.
The interior has space for storing the applicator, cup, and hemostatic packaging, at home in a bathroom when not in use.
Other is the world’s first menstrual solution that considers all gender identities. Menstruation is a topic that is not spoken of very often, and I hope to change that with the Other Cup. Gender identity is not a choice, but I wanted to create a new choice for menstrual products that considered other genders. From the design to the branding and packaging, there is no other menstrual product like it.
For further information on functionality, please contact me via the email listed on my About page.
Mary Suttle/Other/2017