- Problem definition/Problem statement (repeat here the problem you defined in the prior weeks including for whom, i.e., the description of your user)
- Users with less strength forced to make many trips in order to carry their groceries in due to the overwhelming weight groceries can consist of.
- Why is the problem important:
- This problem is important because their many users that have trouble carrying their groceries back to their homes. I brainstormed this idea based on my grandma, she is weak due to her age, lives in a third-floor walkup apartment, and has no help. A product such as I am working on can help relieve a lot of the stress and pain caused by the heavy weight of the bags and the points of pressure they place on the hand. The multiple trips and weight of the bags can cause a lot of pain and pressure for an average person, adding in elderly and injured people this effect will only be worse.
- Alternative ideas & Feedback
- Briefly describe here the 5 or more ideas (you can use the brief description that you used last week – and even include your drawing if you like)
- The first idea that I had come up with consisted of a stroller or cart like build in order to carry the groceries in with a bin and handlebars attached. The second idea I had come up with was a bar or beam on which you can slip the grocery bags and carry them along a rod, at the end there was rubber ends in order to stop the groceries from sliding off. The third idea I had come up with was a hook like figure in order to hook unto multiple grocery bags at a time to alleviate the pressure from the fingers. The fourth idea I had designed consisted of my second and third ideas combined, it was a rod with two hooks like ends in order to hold onto the grocery bags. The fifth idea I had developed consisted of an upgraded version of my third idea (the first hook). In this idea I had attached two hooks onto one handle to maximize the bags carried and added a lightweight padding to the handle in order to limit the pressure felt on the hand.
- What was – in a nutshell – the feedback for each of those ideas? What did you learn? (ca. 5-6 sentences)
- The feedback I received one each idea will be very helpful into the final product. On the first product I received feedback stating the circular wheel would make the process just as complicated when the time came to carry the cart upstairs. This was an important aspect to point out as it is part of the core problem I am trying to ease on people, not contribute to, on my second idea (the rod like design) many people pointed out that the rubber endings would be a good addition but would still not completely eliminate bags sliding off the sides. On my third idea (the hook) majority of my feedback consisting of the handle not being sufficient in order to relieve the pressure but the hook did supply a study base for the grocery bags. On my fourth idea (hook attached to the rod) majority pointed out that it would be impractical to carry around when going shopping. On my fifth idea (dual hooks attached to a lightweight handle) my responses were overwhelmingly positive due mainly to the lightweight handle.
- Briefly describe here the 5 or more ideas (you can use the brief description that you used last week – and even include your drawing if you like)
- Taken together: what did you learn overall? What is the common denominator across your users’ feedback and comments? Do you see a pattern? Did they give your ideas what to improve – and how? [Note: you can learn a lot from failure – so consider this an important learning for next steps!] (ca. 5 sentences)
- My user’s interviews were very helpful in helping me choose which idea model would be best to start with. After the feedback I received it was clear that the hook was a very important spec in order for people to comfortably carry groceries with ease. After this it seemed that both models with the Dual hook had the most success among the interviews. This feedback helped me decide that it would be either model 4 or 5 that I would proceed with. After factoring in feedback people gave me and their concerns on how easy it would be to travel with the product it was clear to me that model five was the best option. It is clear that this product needs to be easy to travel with and not just what creates the most ease, as people would be traveling around shopping with the product.
- Describe here the new solution (ca. 4-5 sentences and feel free to draw it!):
- The new solution I had come up with is based on my model five design. It incorporates all the aspects including the dual hook and lightweight handle, but it is clear that this item needs to be small and compact. The new design features a lightweight handlebar, dual hooks on both sides allowing for maximum items. The hooks would be attached to a short and slim stem in the middle in order to make the product small. In order to add to the compact design of the product the hooks would be foldable. The foldable hooks would leave the product compact and easy to travel with.
