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Swash.
Background
Problem
Idea
Design
Swash.
Easier to Use. Easier to Love.
Modular Washer/Dryer System
Personal Project · 2023
Swash. is a modular Washer and Dryer system made for laundromats. Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Aiming to create a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Background
The Market. The Competition.
The Current Market
A huge and emerging market. Laundry industry is a rapidly growing global market worth more than $100 billion, with an annual growth rate of more than 6% in the next 5 years. This is particularly true in large cities, for example in New York City, only 30% of households have in-house washing machine. Creating a huge market of consumers who are willing to pay more for a premium experience.
Approximarely 27% Growth
in Market in the Next
5 Years
Only 30% of households in New York City have in-house washing machine
Competitors
Market with a missing puzzle. Currently, the laundry market is mainly composed of traditional self-service laundromats and a more premium wash-and-fold services that have emerged in recent years. But each has their own problems, I believe there is a middle ground in between, which can deliver a better, and more user-friendly laundry experience, more adaptable to the fast-paced life and consumption habits of big cities.
Traditional
Laundromat
Swash.
Wash-And-Fold
Service
The Problems
Possibilities to do better.
What People Say
Learn From the experienced. To have a better understanding of the experience and problems of using existing products, I interviewed five people who used to live in big cities and used laundry services day-to-day for a long time.
“Swash. is a modular Washer and Dryer system made for laundromats. Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. “
Brian Sandoval
“Swash. is a modular Washer and Dryer system made for laundromats. Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. “
Brian Sandoval
“Swash. is a modular Washer and Dryer system made for laundromats. Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. “
Brian Sandoval
“Swash. is a modular Washer and Dryer system made for laundromats. Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. “
Brian Sandoval
“Swash. is a modular Washer and Dryer system made for laundromats. Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. “
Brian Sandoval
Pros and Cons
Pros and Cons. I also collected bunch of information on the Internet to have a better understanding of the problems and experiences that people have in the current laundry system. The following are the flow charts of the two current mainstream methods, combining with the interview summary, formed a list of pros and cons for each.
Pros
Affordable price
Get clothes immediately
Fully self-service
Cons
Requires multiple interactions, long waits in the store
Public use, lead to hygiene concerns
Clothes may be stolen or left behind (eg a sock)
Need to queue up when there are many people
Inconvenient payment methods
Awkward situations like cloth stuck in a machine after finish washing because people not getting it in time
Pros
Easy to use
Save time and trouble of going to a store
Cons
Expensive
Need to wait 1-2 days to get the clothes
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Sanitation concerns caused by lack of transparency
The Idea
Possibilities to do better.
The Idea
Based on the background and the question mentioned above, I believe the reasonable direction is still A self-service laundromat. But improvements should be made to avoid the drawbacks of traditional laundromat and embrace the advantages of new wash-and-fold services as much as possible.
After careful consideration, I have arrived at a solution which based on a modular laundry system with replaceable drums. Each user will have their own drum, which can be used as a laundry basket. In the store, customers only need to place their loaded drum, filled with dirty clothes, into a specially designed washing machine for laundering.
This solution addresses many issues compared to traditional self-service laundry stores. Each person using their own drum means that the part in direct contact with the clothes during the washing process is no longer shared, which can greatly address hygiene concerns. Additionally, this solution transforms the basic unit of the entire laundry process, from individual cloth like shirts or socks, to one drum per person. This helps prevent left cloth behind and theft issues. Moreover, this solution simplifies the process of transferring clothes from the washer to the dryer. This task can be performed by store staff or even other users during peak hours, allowing users to run their errands while their laundry is being processed. This significantly resolves the time wasted in traditional laundromat, while still offering the advantage of short finishing time compared to wash-and-fold services.
More than
90%
Less wasted time compared to traditional laundromat
Up to
96%
Less finishing time compared to wash-and-fold service
Achieving
0
Direct cloth contact with people or machine
Design
Possibilities to do better.
Idealization
Form follows function. With a clear vision in mind, all that's left is to design the phisycle form. After a long and intense designing process, returning to a more fundamental level, considering how to define a washing machine where the drum and the main body are separate, I settled on a form that is very different from traditional washing machines but aligns more closely with the new design objectives.
Overview
Beautiful and compact. Featuring a design where the washing drum and the machine are separated. With body dimensions of only 610mm*610mm*300mm, it occupies much less footprint than conventional washers. The external design adopts a cubic shape, making it convenient for modular stacking and perfect for usage in public establishments. Also giving it a high-end and futuristic appearance.
CMF
Elegant, and designed to stay that way. The whasher is primarily made of stainless steel. Which not only adds to its aesthetic appeal but also makes it easy to clean. The use of original metal without spray paint ensures minimum traces left during long-term use. The replaceable drum features a combination of acrylic casing and stainless steel, allowing users to observe the washing process, not only conveys cleanliness but also complements the overall appearance of the machine.
The Drum
Market with a missing puzzle. Currently, the laundry market is mainly composed of traditional self-service laundromats and a more premium wash-and-fold services that have emerged in recent years. But each has their own problems, I believe there is a middle ground in between, which can deliver a better, and more user-friendly laundry experience, more adaptable to the fast-paced life and consumption habits of big cities.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
The Washer
Market with a missing puzzle. Currently, the laundry market is mainly composed of traditional self-service laundromats and a more premium wash-and-fold services that have emerged in recent years. But each has their own problems, I believe there is a middle ground in between, which can deliver a better, and more user-friendly laundry experience, more adaptable to the fast-paced life and consumption habits of big cities.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Modularity
Market with a missing puzzle. Currently, the laundry market is mainly composed of traditional self-service laundromats and a more premium wash-and-fold services that have emerged in recent years. But each has their own problems, I believe there is a middle ground in between, which can deliver a better, and more user-friendly laundry experience, more adaptable to the fast-paced life and consumption habits of big cities.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
The Dryer
Market with a missing puzzle. Currently, the laundry market is mainly composed of traditional self-service laundromats and a more premium wash-and-fold services that have emerged in recent years. But each has their own problems, I believe there is a middle ground in between, which can deliver a better, and more user-friendly laundry experience, more adaptable to the fast-paced life and consumption habits of big cities.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
User Experience
Market with a missing puzzle. Currently, the laundry market is mainly composed of traditional self-service laundromats and a more premium wash-and-fold services that have emerged in recent years. But each has their own problems, I believe there is a middle ground in between, which can deliver a better, and more user-friendly laundry experience, more adaptable to the fast-paced life and consumption habits of big cities.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.
Elegant, and designed to stay that way.
Featuring a swapable drum machanism that works across the system. With it’s elegant design and beautiful material. Creating a high-end, user-friendly laundromat experience.