Designed while working at Spanner Product Development.

Sphinx is designed for cat lovers and of course, cats. Where dry food is not the palate, wet food is not a problem. Multiple cartridges of wet food can be loaded inside Sphinx, then automatically dispensed with caloric control for the cat to enjoy. From thumbnail sketches to renders, the industrial team and engineers worked in tandem to produce a functional architecture with a refined shell. With an elevated design seeking to reflect a “friendly guardian”, the Sphinx is an innovative, tech-forward device elevating a cat’s feeding experience.

Process

Deliverable: Working Appearance POC

Starting with an initial internal architecture, the ID/PD team was tasked with developing a premium and smart yet friendly design. The device’s form and interface needed to be cohesive, blending seamlessly into any home while being welcoming for both humans and cats to use.

As the industrial design evolved, we worked alongside the mechanical and electrical team who simultaneously refined the internal architecture. This joint effort presented both a beneficial workflow for real time updates as well as challenges we learned to work through and overcome in finalizing the design.

Industrial Design Development

Moodboards | Visuals set the tone from form to details. Keywords for friendly, smart, and approachable drove the design language.

ID Sprint 1.0 | From thumbnails to rough CAD, an initial design direction was developed with the first tall architecture. With the towering height, the form was pushed to have a soft, non-threatening, egg-like shape. This brainstorm explored both a permanent base vs. sliding drawer on which the bowl would slide out. Both architectures had costs and benefits in user experience, functionality, and design aesthetics. A permanent base could be more stable with a separate form for the main body to break up the visual mass. In contrast, a sliding drawer could look fully complete when closed, only breaking form at feeding time with the bowl out. The latter choice was decided by the client.

Placeholders details of the following were included: part line for the cloche opening (to access food cartridges inside), interface (camera, light indicator, and mic), and handle.

ID Sprint 2.0 | With internal components able to be optimized for space, the product shortened in height. ID pivoted to update the form to fit the new architecture. Proportions felt more balanced and the form was not so massive. Further details were explored in this phase as well to make the device look more character-like, a “cute guardian, selling comfort.”

Industrial & Product Design Refinement

Interface | Visually exploring digital interfaces helped place how literal vs. symbolic a character-like face felt appropriate. Manufacturing was also considered for which would look best on a curved dome. Settling on dots provided indicators without being too literal. An initial CMF helped define what face would look best on a the base model.

Final CMF | Needing to fit in with a range of users, moodboards encompassed home decor while also embracing historical aesthetic roots of cats and the sphinx of ancient Egypt. Combining the past with the present, the CMF developed into beautiful palettes of calm, yet rich tones unfolding conservative earthly shades as well as compelling pops of color. A brushed aluminum finish gives a premium look and feel, contrasting nicely with the glossy dome top and matte black collar.

Details | Concepts for drawer profiles, venting, and buttons were iterated in the form to find the most cohesive design. For the drawer, a rounded rectangle allowed space needed for the mechanical hidden drawer slides while maintaining a soft shape and nicely nesting in along the bottom curved surface when closed. A dotted u-shape pattern filled the surface below the handle providing enough airflow needed and giving the most balanced and integrated look. Pill-shaped slits served as the exhaust venting along the matte black collar, seamless with a low profile while also mirroring the similar pill form of the top button.

Handle | Ergonomics, use case, and center of mass were considered when designing the size and shape of the handle. Using CAD surfacing and 3D prints, I printed out multiple handles to test the feel and form. Attaching it to the side of a bucket with added weight inside of it, I was able to feel for pain points and found larger radii gave more comfort.

Final Design & Model Build

A final CAD spec document with light DFM was prepared for the manufacturer. We held an in-person build where the engineers and our client did a fit check, learning what needs to be updated for the next POC . We also spec’d chosen CMF colors in person comparing pantone colors in different lighting.

Visit Sphinx’s Instagram here and visit their site, sphinxcatfeeder.com!