Category: MGT 4952-Product

Water bottles are a hassle to bring around, especially if you only have a small purse to carry with you. In order to combat this problem, I created a thin, sleek, and customizable water bottle that can easily be taken on the go. Since the bottle is created out of stainless steel, it keeps drinks at their desired temperature. The flat bottom and rubber grips ensure durability and longevity. At the cap, there is a ring so that the bottle can be easily attached to a purse or bag with a carabiner. The colors are completely customizable, and it can be made to have images and text engraved onto the water bottle. I also made a collapsible water bottle made of silicone, while keeping it thin enough to fit in a standard purse. Depending on the customer’s purposes, the water bottles can come in various sizes, ranging from 8 ounces to 24 ounces. Regardless of the size, every bottle will be sleek and slim in design, ensuring maximum portability. I wanted to keep the design sleek and simple so I could appeal to as many people as possible. 

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For my cousin Anna, I came up with these four assumptions that are essential to the success of my product. Firstly, I assumed that she needed a small water bottle to fit in her purse. This is an important assumption because it is the basis of the product. It is also relatively easy to test because it can be answered with a simple question. Another assumption I made is that Anna is open and receptive to new ideas. This can be fairly difficult to test because she might think she is open to change, but in reality, she may be stuck in her ways. This is an important assumption because it means that she is actively trying to solve her problem, and therefore looking for an alternative. Another assumption is that she does not want to use a flask as a portable water bottle. Although flasks are small and thin, it may give off the appearance that she is an alcoholic. This is easy to test because I can just ask her how she feels about drinking water out of a flask. Lastly, I make the assumption that she prefers smaller purses because they are easier to carry around. This doesn’t make or break my product, because these bottles can easily fit in larger purses as well. However, the bag she chooses greatly depends on the situation, so it can be hard to prove whether she leans towards one or the other.

For this assignment, I decided to create a product for my cousin Anna. Anna is a big water drinker and brings a reusable water bottle with her everywhere she goes. Unfortunately, many reusable bottles are way too big and bulky to fit in a standard purse. Because of this, she often resorts to holding her bottle separately, or bringing a larger bag. She has even spent money to buy larger purses, in addition to buying less bulky bottles, in efforts to alleviate the hassle of carrying the bottle everywhere. Since she has spent money to actively fix this issue, I know that it is a problem for her. 

During my research, I found some roll-up bottles and flat rectangular bottles. Anna would not like either one because they are both made of plastic, and she tends to avoid this. During this process, however, I found that others also experience the same issue. Some companies even marketed their flat bottles as “purse bottles.” For my design, I created a flat rectangular bottle that comes in multiple sizes. They can also vary in material: either glass or stainless steel. The glass bottle has a sleeker design, but the stainless steel bottle would keep drinks at their desired temperature. I added silicone grips around the side to make it easier to hold, as well as to prevent cracks and leaks. For the bottle top, I added a circular ring that comes with a band/carabiner so that she can easily hold it. The carabiner allows the bottle to clip on to purse straps which means that she can easily bring her bottle with her anywhere, regardless of purse size. For larger bags, the bottle can be clipped to the inside so that she can easily locate it in the giant mess that is her purse. This bottle would solve her problem of reusable bottles being too bulky to carry in purses. 

I chose to create a Tamagotchi for this project because this was one of my first ever video games. I was about 8 or 9 years old when I first got it, and I took it everywhere with me. One day, I spilled pink lemonade on it and it stopped working, and that was the last time I was ever able to use my Tamagotchi. Quite tragic, really.