Overview of Product
The Procrastipencil is a plastic mechanical pencil with a scoop and ball at the end where the eraser would normally be. The ball is handily made of knead able eraser so that it can be replenished, reshaped and sized any way you like. The cup at the end of the pencil has a scoop-like shape that comes to a point and acts like the backboard of a basketball net. The tip can pull down to protect the eraser when it is put away in a bag or pencil case.
Why it is Fun
The purpose of the toy portion of the pencil is to get the ball or eraser into the cup at the end of the pencil. The process is simple and involves little or no explaining because the same concept has been used in different forms for decades. The Procrastipencil combines the utilitarian purposes of a pencil with the playful aspects of the original ball-in-cup game; creating a toy that is truly dual purpose. The fact that it is a playful twist on the pencil allows for a broad target age range because most people cannot resist it.
The Procrastipencil is a plastic mechanical pencil with a scoop and ball at the end where the eraser would normally be. The ball is handily made of knead able eraser so that it can be replenished, reshaped and sized any way you like. The cup at the end of the pencil has a scoop-like shape that comes to a point and acts like the backboard of a basketball net. The tip can pull down to protect the eraser when it is put away in a bag or pencil case.
Why it is Fun
The purpose of the toy portion of the pencil is to get the ball or eraser into the cup at the end of the pencil. The process is simple and involves little or no explaining because the same concept has been used in different forms for decades. The Procrastipencil combines the utilitarian purposes of a pencil with the playful aspects of the original ball-in-cup game; creating a toy that is truly dual purpose. The fact that it is a playful twist on the pencil allows for a broad target age range because most people cannot resist it.
Prototype
My prototype was simply a drawing pencil with a piece of illustration board in a cone-like shape attached on the tip by glue and duct tape. A piece of embroidery thread protruded through the middle of the cup and the ball of eraser was stuck on the other end.
Feedback
User testing concluded that:
Aesthetics could definitely be improved
Eraser was too big (easily fixed on the spot)
String was not strong enough
Users enjoyed:
The scoop shape of the cup which made it easier to succeed
The utilitarian function of the pencil
The game in general, they found it very addicting
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