1. Untangle the
tangled
Report prepared by:
Tatiana Cardona
Sri Sandilya Venuthurumilli
Abhinay Reddy Gudimetla
PROJECT REPORT
DFSS
GROUP 6 DATE OF THE REPORT
05/09/2016

2. UNTANGLE THE TANGLE
Table of Contents
I. IDENTIFY ......................................................................................................................... 2
Overview
Background
Project description
Project goal
Project boundaries
II. PLAN OF ACTION ......................................................................................................... 3
Deliverables
Gantt chart
III. INVENT / INNOVATE ................................................................................................ 3
VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER (VOC)
Survey responses summary.
Affinity diagram
Kano Analysis
BENCHMARKING
QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT
House of Quality (HOQ)
IV. DEVELOP PHASE .......................................................................................................... 9
Design for x methods
PUGH’S CONCEPT SELECTION
DFMEA
Appendix 1: UNTANGLING THE TANGLESURVEY
Appendix 2: SURVEY STATISTICS

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IDENTIFY
Overview
In everyday world we can find opportunities to develop new products and services that can make life
more comfortable. Great innovations or simple improvements of products already in the market can
change the people’s perspective aboutlife andallow themtoenjoy doingmore thingswithoutsacrificing
time, orin enterprise terms:productivity.
Not just products evolve but the techniques used to make that evolution happen. Because there is not
prosperity in a product/service that is not aligned to a need to be satisfied, nowadays can be found
ManagementTechniques asDesignforSix Sigma(DFSS), whichallow companiestobe more successful in
the identification of needs and their connection trough the product/service system in order to reduce
lossesinthe production of useless products/services.
In orderto develop anew designforadevice thatpreventthe wire of the earphones fromgettingtangle,
thisdocumentwill presentageneral application of several DFSStoolsasanacademicexercise.
Background
The history of the headphones confirms someof the key mattersthey have evolvedfor:isolation of what
a person is listening to to the environment, portability (ability to be easily carried), and quality of the
sound. Afterthisanotherfeatures have beenincluded forexample noise cancellingandpretty design.
In terms of portability one of the most popular products in the market has been the earphones, a very
small headphone thatcan be worn inside of the ear; they can be easily fitin a pocketto be carried, and
offeran acceptable quality of the sound. However, if portability isalsoseenintermsof how ready isthe
productto be usedonce istakingoutfromthe container,thenthe timethisactivity consumes shouldalso
be takingin accountat the momenttoimprove the designof the earphones.
Lately, the trouble people are having with the earphones’ wire after they kept them somewhere to be
carriedhas become a very popularcomplaint;the wire getsotangle that itis annoyingtotry untangle it,
whichisfor mosta matterof time, alsoa factor of damage.
Although some of the devices created to prevent tangling work justfine for this purpose, some of them
are really basicmeetingthe customerrequirements, havinglow levelsof popularity.
Workingjudiciously inthe identification of the customerneeds,animproved producttopreventtangling
can be developed withoutinterfere withthe principal featuresof the earphones.
Project description
Apply DFSStoolstodesignadevice topreventthe wireof the earphonesfromtangling, reducingthe time
userstake to untangle themandcontrol damage.
Thisproduct isdeveloped primarily forearphones andnotforother kindof headphones orotherbenefit
differentfrompreventtangling.

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Project goal
To reduce toa 70% the average time aperson consumes gettingthe earphones ready touse. Thisistobe
accomplished bythe design of a device topreventtanglingof the wire withthe application of DFSStools
provided inclass. Thisprojectmustbe complete byMay 1, 2016.
Project boundaries
 As an academic exercise the DFSS tools are going to be applied just to the system level and no
furtherbecause of time limitations.
 The projectwill neithercontaininformation aboutmanufacturingprocess norassociated costs.
 The documented prototypes are justtodemonstratethe shape of the concepts andnotmeantto
be developed inthe real purposed materials.
PLAN OF ACTION
Deliverables
1. ProjectCharter
2. Planof action
3. Analysis of Voice of the customer
4. Quality Function Deployment(House of Quality systemlevel)
5. Documentation of conceptsgenerated.
6. SuperiorConcept.
7. DFMEA
Gantt chart
Table 1: Gantt chart
INVENT / INNOVATE
VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER (VOC)
 A 12 questions survey wasdesigned togatherthe voice of the customer. (See Appendix1:Survey)
 The survey was postedtroughgoogle forms(gotosurvey link:Untanglingthe tangle)

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 Almost3 weeks afterthe survey wasreleased itwaspossible tocollect159 responses. (Seeattached
file 1: Survey responses - spreadsheets)
Survey responses summary.
 Below there is an analysis of the responses per each question from the survey. For a better
understandingof the information see Appendix2:Survey responses statistics.
 Parettoanalysis wasusedforquestions 3and 4 where the resultswere notclearly conclusive.
 Histograms were forquestions 7and 12 to have a more visual tool to make conclusions.
Results:
1. Most of the people targetedforthissurvey wasbetweenthe agesof 20 to 29.
2. From which the majority were male (63.3%). Although not enough to let aside females for further
conclusions.
3. The information was collected mostly from people located in United States and India (91% of the
responses).
4. 34% of the people use their earphones once or twice per day, 24% three to five and 15% six to ten
timeswhile 6.9% neveruse earphones.
People prefertouse the earphones all the time thanuse themmore than10 times.
5. 50.6% of the time the people find the wire of the earphones tangled before use them, and 44.9%
sometimes findthe wire tangled.
6. 69.6% of the people estimate they take lessthana minute to untangle the wire. While 29.1% said it
takeslessthan5 min.
7. 79% of the interviewed wouldlike tohave an accessory to preventthe earphones wire fromgetting
tangled.
Reasons why:
Table 2: Answers question No. 7 Untangling the tangle survey
8. 39% of the people think thatprobably needthe product,20.8% thinkthey definitely needthe product,
while 20.1% remainneutral and11.9% thinkthey probably donotneedthe product.
9. Most of the people donothave yetan accessory to preventtangle (94.9%).
10. The question wasnotclear sothe answers.
11. 75% of the people is not willingto pay more than $4, 19% is willing to pay between $5 and $9. Just
5.5% of the people wouldpaymore than$10.
12. Reasons people think wouldmake more likely tobuythe accessory:

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Table 2: Answers question No. 12 Untangling the tangle survey
Affinity diagram
The affinity diagramtool isapplied tothe original datapool (survey responses) tostablish whatthe
customervaluesmore inthe developmentof aproduct as the device topreventtanglingof the
earphones’ wire.
The data pool has 159 responses (4blanks), andeachone maycontainmore than one category:
Table 3: Affinity diagram filter # 1
Aftera second roundcategorizingthe answers we obtainedthe nextprincipal needsexpressed bythe
customerinorderof importance:
Table 4: Affinity diagram filter #2 and final.
Kano Analysis
Categorization of the VOCaccordingtothe Kanomodel:
Reason Responses
Prevents tangling 69
Saves time 57
Easy to use 56
Easy to carry/keep 38
To prevent damage 26
Low price 31
Color and design 7
Universal (can be used in all kinds of earphones) 6
Filter #2 and final

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Expected needs:
- Usingthe device topreventtanglingshould notinterfere withthe quality of the soundgiven
by the earphones.
- It mustnot alterthe earphones ability of beingportable.
Expressed needs:
Thiskindof needs have beencollectedthroughthe surveyandanalyzed troughthe affinity diagram:
- The use of the device should preventtanglingof the earphones’ wire.
- Alsoshould save time
- Andbe easy to carry
- It shouldpreventdamage
- Have a low price
- Colorand design mustbe thoughtinthe developmentof the device.
- Andit shouldbe universal forthe all kindof earbud’s currently inthe market.
Exciting needs:
- Differentwaysof usage.
- Customization
BENCHMARKING
In order to deploy the quality function tool House of Quality, a research of what is in the market was
conducted withthe followingfindings.
Earphones features of interest:
- The lengthof the earphoneschanges betweenbrandsandevenbetweenthe differentversions of the
same brand, see examples of the bestsellingbrands inthe table below:
This table shows the total lengthof the earphones includingthe budscable (separated portion of the
wire).
Table 5: Earphones brands (Resources: google shopping, Amazon.com)
From the specifications given by the brands, there is very limited informationavailable about the width
of the wire,whichunfortunatelyisnotsignificantorconclusive.However,fromthe specsof the different
devicestopreventtangling(sleevetype) itcanbe inferredthe wire isusuallylesswide than0.3inches.
Brand
Length
(inches)
Bose 52
Apple 54.92
Skullcandy 51.18
Jvc 47.28
Beats 54
MEElectronics 51
Klipsch 51.18
Jlab 50.76
Sennheiser 55.11

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Devices to prevent tangling
Table 6 : Benchmarking, accessories to prevent earphones’ wire from getting tangle.
Note 1: thisqualification ismade basedonthe principal featuresfoundinthe market, howeverthe
devicescanhave otherfunctions, oralsofitinmore than 1 category.
Note 2: The table below containsome of the products inthe market(bestreviewed andbettersells
ranking), itisimportanttoclarify there are many others, withdifferentfeatures.
QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT
Selection of competitors:
Table 7 : Selection of competitors.

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House of Quality (HOQ)
House of qualitycan be alsofoundas: Attachment2: House of Qualityspreadsheet.
Relationships:
RELATIONSHIP MATRIX (Results):
Figure 2: HOQ Relationship matrix results
- The most relevantrequirements are forthe design accordingtothe weightof importance (form
mostimportantto less:
1. Time to operate de device
2. Material
3. Widthof the wire the
device canhold.
4. Size
5. Weight.
6. Lengthof the wire the device canhold.
7. Color
- The most difficultrequirements toachieve are (frommostdifficulttoless)
1. Size andLengthof the wire the
device canhold.
2. Time to operate de device and
color.
3. Widthof the wire the device canholdand
weight.
4. Material.
- Conclusions:The mostimportantrequirements are notthe mostdifficulttoachieve, althoughtimeto
operate the device isina mediumlevel of difficulty.

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ROOF:
Figure 1: HOQ Roof
- The longerthe wire the device canhold, biggerinsize.
- The thickerthe wire the device canhold, biggerin
size.
- Most of the time, the biggerthe device, the heavier.
- Most of the time, the longerthe wire, takesmore
time to operate the device.
- Sometimes, the widerthe wire the device canhold,
the heavier.
- Depending on the materials there are more or less
options of colors.
COMPETITIVE MATRIX (Results):
Figure 3: HOQ Competitive matrix.
Total Rank:
1. The nestEarbud case 28 points.
2. CordCruncher27 points.
3. Curvyman 26 points.
4. Retrak 18 points.
DATUM
- The best ranked accessory from the
competence is The Nest earbud case,
which is taken as the Datum for the
Pugh’sconceptselection.
- It also can be observed in the figure the
cordCruncher is more consistent
accomplishingthe VOC, butthe features
that doesn’t meet the customer needs
have a really low rate. Improving
- this concept would generate a really
goodrankingaccomplishingthe VOC.
DEVELOP PHASE
Design for x methods
Concept 1: Bracelet earphones
Thisconceptusesthe retractable earphones mechanismincorporated intoawristbandwhichisgreenin
color as shown in the picture below. The ideais to coverthe ear phones witha material of our choice to
provide the aesthetics. Itisdesigned inacompactsize thatiseasytowearaspossibleandall the materials
that are usedinmakingthisare flexibleinnature. Thisbandhasmagnetstoholdthe bandontothe wrist.

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We have anotherbraceletkindof structure whichhasmagnetsonittooandthe material usedtomake it
is customizable. This can be wrapped to your phone or can be attached to the pink colored band and
wrapped toyourhand. Thisismoreconvenientandcanbe usedaccordingtothe user’sneed.The problem
associated with this concept is the universality but after the second step of PUGH matrix we integrated
the universality of recoil conceptintobraceletearphone.
Concept 2: The loop
The “loop”concepthaswiredearphones whichare arrangedin
coil structure and is rigid. When the jack is plugged into the
audio port the wire untangles. The wire gets untangled due
whenthe soundwavespassthroughthe wire of the earphones
when the user plays some music. When the jack is unplugged
the wire comes back to its initial state. Another interesting
feature of this concept is the change in color of the wire
dependingonthe type of musicbeingplayedand the volume.
Thisis a very expensive conceptbutismore userfriendly.
Concept 3: Chained earphones
In this concept we have integrated earphones into a chain structure. The audio jack and both the ear
phones are closed togethertoform a loop as shown
in the picture below using the magnets. When the
user wants to use the ear phones, the jack and the
earphones are to be separated which are attached
by a magnet on the chain. Women can use this as a
trendy chainorbraceletandmencanuse itasawrist
bandor a braceletdependingonthe typeof material
usedtodesignthe chain. Differenttypes of materials
can be used for the chain ranging from metal to
fabrics based on the customer need. This concept is
not universal asthe earphones are integrated intoitandare not detachable.

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Concept 4: Button magnet
This is the simplest and easiest concept to untanglethe
earphones considerably in less time. The mini jack is
placedina single hole presentonone side of the button
magnet, where it can stay even when plugged into the
phone or iPod. The two earphones are placed in two
other holes which allows everyone to quickly remove
them whenever the user needs them and place them
back when done with using the ear phones. Adding
magnets, clip and radium to the product are the
additional featuressothatitcan be more attractive and userfriendly.
Concept 5: Strap
The “strap” concepts makes use of the hand strap with earphones attached to it. The strap contains
holders at the back as shown in the picture. The wire is inserted intothe holders whennotin use which
can be strapped to the hand. This concept is handy and more flexible. The problemwith thisconcept is
we have to place the earphones every time we have completed usingthem. Thistakeslotof time which
isnot an optimal solution.
Concept 6: Winder
A product that allows users avoid tangled mess every time
they pull earphones out of pocket or backpack. This product
can stay attached to headphones whether in usage or in
storage. It is not integrated and it is universal, so there is no
need to buy new set of earphones. It is a circular plastic
accessory that windsthe earphones intwowaysallowingitto
extendandretractaccording to the needs.

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Concept 7: Stretching sleeve
This concept is explained with more detail after the Pugh’s concept selection.
PUGH’S CONCEPT SELECTION
ROUND 1
Table 8: Pugh’s concept selection round 1
ROUND 2
Table 9: Pugh’s concept selection round 2

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SUPERIOR CONCEPT: The Stretching sleeve
Description:
Earbudselasticsleeve.
Instructions
Contains:1 Sleeve, 1plasticstickwithloops, 2endlockers.
Figure 4: Superior concept instructions.
Once the earphones are inside and locked, the stretching sleeve works by
retracting the cord into folded form during storage while permitting full
lengthextension duringuse, lettingyoucustomizecordlengthwhile granting
the convenience of accessibility.
To use the stretching sleeve simply pull one end of the cord out from its
sleeve.Whenready tostore pull the sleevebackoverthe excess cordlength.
Features
 Prevents tangling:The elasticsleeve adjustsfrom24inchesto50inch
eliminating excess cordage and providing tangle-free movement
duringkeeping.
 Easy to use and Reduces time: The operation of the device takes
approximately 3sec every time itstretches outandcome back.
 It is lightweight and Easy to carry: can be kept in any bag purse or
drawer-without ever worrying about tangled retrieval-or keep them
wrapped around the wristor neck to highlightfashion andfunction in
between uses.
 Colors andmaterial:more than13 colorsavailable inamaterial thatis
impermeable lightweightandflexible.
1. Insert end locker. 2. Insert the jack on
the loops of the
stick.
3.Insert the stick in
the sleeve.
4. Insert the second end
locker ans secure them in
the sleeve.
How does the stretching sleeve work?

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Specifications:
 Material:Stretchvinyl fabric.
Plasticlook fromoutside.
 Color: More than 13 colors.
 Length:Normal position 24 inch.
Stretched 50 inch.
 Width:1 inch
 Weight:2 ounces.
DFMEA
Table 10: DFMEA

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CONCLUSIONS
 UsingDFSStoolsforanacademicprojectUntanglethe tanglehavefinally come upwiththe design
of product as a superior concept i.e. stretch sleeve. This satisfies all our customer requirements
like universality, low cost, trendy designs, lesstime to use, easy to operate, convenient to store
and protecting the earphones from damage. The concept selected went through the FMEA
analysis andthe mostimpactingriskswere assessed.
 The major accomplishmentthatneeds amention iswe have made a conceptthat costslessthan
10$ andreduces the time to usage by80 percent.

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REFERENCES
 Thompson D. 2012, How Headphones Changed the World. From
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/05/how-headphones-changed-the-
world/257830/
 Habil, 2015.The Complete History of Headphones. From http://pulseaudio.com/the-complete-
history-of-headphones/
 Griffiths,S., 2014. Mystery unraveled:Headphones canform 120 'complex knots'in your pocket
because loose ends weave through coiled strands. From
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2662681/Mystery-unravelled-Headphones-
form-complex-knots-pocket-loose-ends-weave-coiled-strands.html.
 Benjamin, T., How to Use Benchmarking Techniques Effectively. From
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/use-benchmarking-techniques-effectively-13083.html
 Heckler, B., 2016. 5 Fundamental Areas that Are Key to Success for Innovative Manufacturers.
From http://www.industryweek.com/innovation/5-fundamental-areas-are-key-success-
innovative-manufacturers.
 Gygi, C., Williams, B., and DeCarlo, N., Six Sigma Failure Mode Effects Analysis.Six Sigma For
Dummies, 2nd Edition. From http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/six-sigma-failure-
mode-effects-analysis.html
Aboutthe devicesandbenchmarking:
- http://www.amazon.com/Stashcord-Prevents-Tangled-Earbuds-
Original/dp/B004SY9J0G?ie=UTF8&refRID=FTHQXXNXTH36Q750B964&ref_=pd_ybh_a_61
- http://www.amazon.com/CordCruncher-Tangle-Free-Adjustable-Headphones-
Metal/dp/B019YY5782?ie=UTF8&refRID=AB352TXPBTV4RXKRKPTE&ref_=pd_ybh_a_19
- http://www.amazon.com/Nite-Ize-Curvyman-Cord-
Supervisor/dp/B002LED4II?ie=UTF8&refRID=VR95FS9CHJ5Z5PFD1AR2&ref_=pd_ybh_a_20
- http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Innovations-Nest-Earbud-
Case/dp/B00CBKBD44?ie=UTF8&refRID=XRGR2WCZP667575590XE&ref_=pd_ybh_a_21
- http://www.amazon.com/ReTrak-Retractable-Stereo-Earbuds-
ETAUDIOBLK/dp/B00CTEL83S?ie=UTF8&refRID=B76MMYGW8EVC38NNKNN2&ref_=pd_ybh_a_
28
- http://www.amazon.com/Recoil-AUTOMATIC-Headphones-Retactable-
Organizer/dp/B00CXZTFGU?ie=UTF8&refRID=GHK1JMEW8EQ25CGEAB54&ref_=pd_ybh_a_30
- http://www.amazon.com/Kikkerland-HH40-W-Small-Bobino-
White/dp/B0042RVA4W?ie=UTF8&refRID=BB7840GHKP56XH99XAXC&ref_=pd_ybh_a_36
- https://www.cordcruncher.com/

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APPENDICES
Appendix 1: UNTANGLING THE TANGLE SURVEY
Introduction: As a team of graduate students atMS&T University,we are researching the market preferences for the development of
a new product as a class project:Earphones accessory to prevent tangling of the wire. We would appreciateyour help in answering a
few questions for us. Answering the survey will take about3 minutes.
1. Age:Under 20
20-30
31-45
46-60
Over 60
2. Sex: Male
Female
Prefer notto answer
3. Country:
4. How often do you useearphones per day?
Onceor twice
Three to fivetimes
Six to ten times
Morethan ten times
All thetime
I never useearphones __________________________End of
the survey.
5. How often do you haveto untanglethewireof your earphones?
Every time beforeI usethem
Sometimes beforeI usethem
The wirenever gets tangle
My earphones arewireless______________________ End of the survey.If you areusingwired earphones continuewith
the questions.
6. How long does ittaketo untanglethewire?
Less than a minute
Less than fiveminutes
Fiveto ten minutes
Morethan ten minutes
You giveup untangling
7. Would you liketo havean accessory to preventthetangling of thewire?
Yes
No
Why __________________________________________________________________________
8. When you think abouttheproduct,do you think of itas something you need or you don’tneed?
Definitely need
Probably need
Neutral
Probably don’tneed
Definitely don’tneed
9. Do you alreadyusean accessory to preventtangling?
Yes
No
If yes,describeit______________________________________________________________________
10. Does the accessory keep thewireuntangled?
All thetime
Mostof the time
Sometimes
Never
I don’tuseany accessory
11. How much areyou willingto pay for a productwhich prevents tangling of wired earphones?
$1 - $4
$5 - $9
$10 - $19
$20 - $49
Morethan $50
12. Whatwould makeyou morelikely to usea productto preventwiretangling?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

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Thank you for taking the time to help us.

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Appendix 2: SURVEY STATISTICS
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
0.
27.5
55.
82.5
110.
United
States
India South
America
Other
locations
United
Kingdom
Location
Series1 Series2
0.0%
25.0%
50.0%
75.0%
100.0%
0
15
30
45
60
Once or
twice
Three to
five times
Six to ten
times
All the
time
More than
ten times
I never use
earphones
Frequency of using earphones per day
Series1 Series2

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