English | Deutsch Ever the innovator, Tupperware sought to improve the design of their famous product for consumers who need more flexibility in their storage. Problem: Many people devote an entire cabinet to storage bins, yet they have trouble finding a container that is the right size. And when they do, they have trouble finding the lid that fits. Tupperware wanted to help users consolidate and quickly find matching lids and bases.
To optimize storage flexibility, the Tupperware containers needed to be malleable. Everything that transformed itself was included for study. A diversity of inspirations like the Chinese takeout box, origami, bendable straws, and spring-loaded mechanisms were explored. Many of the ideas were rough-prototyped, from the most whimsical to the strictly mechanical.
The winning concept was derived from the accordion-style expansion of drainage pipes. We created a form that would flatten to occupy little storage space, then extend into a full container when in use. These can even be loaded into the dishwasher like plates and washed flat.
The new design is also color-coded, so it's easy to locate the right size container and its corresponding lid.
frog delivered design prototypes and design-for-manufacture (DFM) direction straight to Tupperware for engineering intent. The end product is the efficient, flexible FlatOut!™ Tupperware series - an overwhelming success.
In December 2004, FlatOut!™ was named by Fortune magazine as one of the Best 25 Products of the Year. The containers were also awarded a Good Buy Award by the Good Housekeeping Institute, named "Product of the Year 2005" by the German Consumer Plastics Institute, and garnered an IDEA (Innovative Design Excellence Award) from BusinessWeek.
Rubbermaid quickly recognized the innovations made and has recently released products with a similar design.
