Ideas to practice.

The Samsnite pillow from Stansted airport by Wendy Ng

Hey everyone, this is the packaging from the travel pillow we brought from Stansted. It costs £11.99 produced by Samsnite and brought in WHSmith. I’m sorry of the size of the scan are restricted but all I want to pointed out is the product is ‘made in china’ but relocate and brand in Worcester.

The main text on the front of the packaging read as:

• Engineered for comfort
• Ergonomic shape cradles your head and neck to help prevent stiffness and pressure build-up
• Self-adjusting Polyfiber fill provides customized support in any seated position
• Fleece cover is removable and washable for easy care
• Handy spring clip lets you attach pillow to bag straps and carry-ons for easy transport

Feasibility Report by Oleg Akberdin

FEASIBILITY REPORT

Date: 17 November 2009

Introduction

CreativControl – is a product design and marketing agency. We are specialised in new product development and innovation. We practise design thinking process which has been delivering outstanding innovations around the globe for decades.

The CreativControl team has got the right set of skills in developing new products and selling it to real customers.

Our philosophy is to innovate and improve quality of life by pushing boundaries in order to achieve desirable affects.

The market and its needs

The UK has been an international hub for travellers across the globe for centuries. Today, technology makes it possible to cross continents at any time, if there is a need.

CreativControl has been studying the market of low-budget travellers to identify its needs and limitations.

Low-budget travellers while travelling have to compromise on luxury and endure some forms of uncomforting situations in order to reach their destinations.

CreativControl intends to develop products that meet the physical needs of travellers.

Resting time is essential for travellers between the trips and most of the situations are in unsuitable environments such as airports, train-stations etc.

CreativControl wants to give a chance to travellers to equip themselves with a product which allows them to rest more comfortably wherever they are.

The product

The product we will be producing will be a moulded foam cushion. It is designed to support the neck in an unusual sleeping situation. We have taken in clinical studies[1] in the design phases though this is not a medical product but instead takes medical findings and repackage them in a unique design.

The unique design style is that of fresh, colourful and simple design. This will allow ease of production and marketing.

The simple design will allow production costs to be kept feasibly low. This means that we will be able to easily and quickly mass produce the product. With the mass production and low running costs it will mean we can have a quick turn around from production to sale.

These design features will allow the product to meet the need of the market. The low production cost will mean we will be able to sell at a low cost while still making a profit there fore meeting the need of the Economy traveller. While the various medical studies we have looked into will mean that the product will be able to let the economy traveller sleeping reasonably comfortably in almost any situation. Finally the colourful and simple design meets the requirement for easy marketing.

Alternatives & Competitors

Our direct competitors are the companies that produce other neck resting solutions such as travel pillows and the inflatable neck rest. From our on site research we identified our competitors in several convenience stores that carry their own line of neck resting solutions or sell branded merchandise thereof.

Our product will innovate and add to the existing products. By doing customer surveys we identified specific needs that are not readily available in the current market.

In short, our product will provide a better solution for the costumer’s problem and will ideally be available slightly under the current market price.

Market entry strategy

Creativcontrol’s marketing strategy can be divided into a direct to customer strategy and a business-to-business or b2b strategy.

Our direct customers will be made aware of our product through trial. We will create an opportunity for trial and purchase on locations that are relevant to our product. The trial will raise awareness of our product and will generate feedback which we can then use to modify and improve the product.

For our b2b strategy we will identify key selling points throughout London and convince the businesses to add our product to their catalogue through our market research findings and our recent track record of self generated sales.

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[1] Helewa A, Goldsmith CH, Smythe HA, et al. Effects of therapeutic exercise and sleeping neck support on patients with chronic neck pain: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Rheumatology. 2007; 34: 151-158.

 

Prototyping the “comma” by Oleg Akberdin

6th meeting summary by Wendy Ng

These are the link of the posts about ‘How nature does it’ and ‘how nature does sleeping?’ – our very first inspiration.

We had our new concepts after last night meeting, instead of a chair we will further develop on a existing neck-rest.
The neck rest existed now never too comfortable to sleep with because the shape is lacking good support and very weak aesthetic design.

We are aiming at create a new shape with produce very good support around the neck, and suggested new way to sleep with a neck rest! (pictures to follow)

The innovation of this product will be adding smell that encourage quality sleep with the pillow. For example lavender generate calmer moods, and it also proven that smell of freshly cut grass also help relieve stress.

We also mentioned about adding chemical warmers feature inside the neck rest. video on chemical warmer

Another concept that we came up was inspired by the shape of ‘comma’, comma has a meaning of short rest and we will further develop the shape of it as a neck shape.

Part one – Problem Understanding by Oleg Akberdin

RESEARCH

TRAVELLER JOURNEY. VICTORIA COACH STATION. ON THE COACH. STANSTED AIRPORT

5th meeting summary – skype with Corrine. by Wendy Ng

So what has been going on with creativcontrol within the last couple of meetings.

On the 5th meeting we had, we manage to get Corrine to skype with in the middle part of the meeting. We had a lot of progress after talking with her. Basically there are a few things worth to make a note:

1. Think about how kids sit n a car/ or baby-chair
2. Further develop the idea of “How does nature does it?”
3. Set up a date to visit Stansted or any city airports, with new questionnaires and make new videos.
4. Before the visits contact airport and request permissions to film and take photographs.

Straight after the meeting we had, we officially start over again. Harry had his business trip to Belgium and successfully get interviews with some travelers and manage to take some pictures.

Wendy attempted to contact Stansted and Gatwick. Gatwick has not come back to us so far whereas Stansted had already rejected our request for the first time. However, further email will be sent as a follow up.

Oleg, Maarten and Harry will be responsible to finalise the feasibility report.

Jack will continue to draft some good designs.

Do it again and fast. by Oleg Akberdin

SLEEPING IN THE AIRPORTS/TRAIN STATIONS.

PLAN

PART 1 PROBLEM UNDERSTANDING

1. Empathy method

Going to the airport and experience for ourselves difficulties with nights in the airports/train stations, waiting times etc.

Video on

• Cognitive
• Emotional
• Physical

2. Observation in the environment ( in the airport )

Customer journey. Where and how the problem can raise?

Visual map

3. Public interview

Questionaire

4. Research on sleeping posture

5. Competition

6. Restrictions ( materials, weight, size etc. )

7. How nature does it. Animals sleeping, resting.

PART 2 PROBLEM SELECTING

To clarify and shape the problem to have clear vision on the issue, key learning:

• Systems analysis
• Identifying the target audience
• Personas

PART 3  SOLUTION UNDERSTANDING

• Goals definitions, needs to be fulfilled
• Success criteria
• Cost
• Sketching and visualising to communicate solutions

PART 4 SOLUTION SELECTING

Prototype as many as possible ideas, present to the target audience. Then build on the best idea.

6th November. Class presentation by Oleg Akberdin

 

Personas Mace 09 on Vimeo by creativcontrol

Prototyping Mace 09 on Vimeo by creativcontrol