mini fridges

It took me a while to decide on a product. I've pretty much decided on the mini fridge. Here's some things that interested me in the mini fridge:

1) familiarity and accessibility

I've used them and found them useful (I seldom, if ever, use the other products). Also, mini fridges are ubiquitous at colleges (the other products seem much less common in the dorms).

2) complex interactions

The patterns of accessing and arranging items inside the refrigerator seem more complex than the patterns of usage for the other products. What is stored inside the fridge and how it is stored and accessed seems to vary quite a bit, even for a particular individual (compared to the other products). The exterior of the fridge also usually used like a piece of furniture. The top surface is usually used as a table or countertop and the front is sometimes used for magnets and notes. So, maybe there's some interesting ways to redesign the exterior.

3)"food" is an interesting topic

-we all need food
-we are all programmed to find food pleasurable
-most experience enjoyment associated with food , e.g. social interactions centered around food, or the enjoyment of preparing food

Studying how people college students store, retrieve, prepare share, enjoy and otherwise relate to food may suggest new ideas for designs (not restricted to a mini fridge).

I'll try to organize and post some of my findings about mini fridges soon.