Sudzee

High Visibility Children’s Sponge

Sudzee is a brightly colored sponge designed for kids and users with visual impairments, making it easy to see and use. Its squeezable, soap-dispensing center simplifies dishwashing, while its playful form makes everyday cleaning more engaging and fun.

Course: Conceptual Product Solutions
Duration: 7 weeks
Team: Eli Turner
School: Wentworth Institute of Technology, 2026

Project Focus

Children with visual impairments are frequently excluded from household chores like handwashing dishes, driven by both physical barriers and societal assumptions regarding their safety. Current kitchenware remains heavily dependent on visual cues, and there is a significant lack of specialized products on the market tailored to the tactile needs of these children.

Providing inclusive assistive tools would enable them to develop vital life skills, fostering the independence and confidence necessary to participate fully in domestic life.

Existing Products

While existing products provide basic solutions for dishwashing, they do not fully address the needs of children with visual impairments. These products often rely on visual cues, require fine motor precision, or lack tactile features that make them intuitive and accessible.

As a result, there is a gap in the market for more inclusive kitchen tools that support both the functional needs and independence of children with visual impairments.

GENERIC KIDS SPONGE

PROS: Bright
Enjoyable use
Low cost
CONS: Increases contact risk
Lacks durability
Inefficient cleaning

PUSH PUMP DISPENSER

PROS: Tactile consistency
One-handed operation
Controlled dosage
CONS: Grime buildup
Force requirements
Low contrast

SOAP DISPENSING BRUSH

PROS: Low contact risk
Efficient cleaning
One-handed operation
CONS: Low contrast
Reduced tactile sensitivity
Unenjoyable use

Design Opportunity

Based on user research and market analysis, it is evident that a gap exists in the domestic empowerment of children with visual impairments. There is a clear opportunity to develop a specialized solution for manual dishwashing that moves beyond standard kitchenware, which currently fails to meet the specific sensory and safety requirements of this demographic.

The primary potential lies in creating an intuitive, tactile-focused interface, fostering autonomy in the kitchen. By leveraging inclusive design principles and adaptable materials, there is an opportunity to design a versatile, safe, and engaging tool that transforms a hazardous chore into a manageable life skill, addressing the functional voids left by the current mass market.

Sketching

This stage involved exploring targeted solutions to each pain point, ranging from glowing plates to sink bombs, before ultimately narrowing the focus to a playful sponge design that dispenses soap while scrubbing.

Scale models in different heights and diameters

Finding Scale

After identifying two main shapes from sketching, I refined the scale by testing different heights and diameters to determine the most comfortable size for the target audience.

3D Ideation

The next step was refining the forms by testing various grips, focusing on shapes that improve scrubbing leverage while reinforcing the UFO motif.

Refinement

After landing on a shape for the grip, I experimented with several iterations to both the alien and grip piece. This is where I honed in on the design language I wanted to use to convey the UFO concept.

This sponge uses high-intensity colors to appeal to a younger audience while remaining highly visible for users with visual impairments. Its integrated, squeezable soap-dispensing center eliminates a step in the dishwashing process, simplifying the task and improving the overall experience, especially for children with visual impairments.

The playful form also encourages imagination, making a routine household chore more engaging and motivating kids to participate more often.

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