Project Blog

Project Blog

One of the main things that I took away from this project was the idea that even after you get an data from potential customers, you must continue to go back to them as you work on your prototype. It’s not just a one and done type of thing. The whole idea of developing prototypes and eventually products is a long process that involves a good relationship between researcher and customer. For example, our initial data showed us that our target market valued relationships very highly. It seems like so many times companies will get initial ideas and just run with them. The need to reevaluate with the target market is put to the side and because of that, lackluster products are developed. I really enjoyed the emphasis that Professor Walls put on going back multiple times to our target market to continually improve our prototypes. Our first Girl Talk TV came out very boxy, and the girls found it difficult to hold. We then came up with a more ergonomic model, but the girls felt that the keyboard was too small on the newer model. So that gave us even more input for our product. It seems as if you could continue to do iteration after iteration and keep coming up with new improvements for our product. This was certainly one the key take aways from the project though, and one that I hope to apply later in my career—never forget about the target market and continue to go back to them during the researching and prototyping phase of product development.
Another key concept that I took away from this project was the importance of generative research. I have just never thought that photo journals from a few members of the target market could provide such key insights into customer wants and desires. Our group received photo journals from six girls that fell inside of our target market. They each took about ten different pictures of their bedrooms. Each one of the pictures revealed a different nugget of information that we just couldn’t have gotten from a typical survey. I don’t think we would have gotten the same sense of the desire of these girls to have ownership over “her” room. Also, the importance that these girls placed on their relationships was revealed from their stuffed bear collection given by family members, or bracelets made by a boyfriend that was proudly displayed on a desk. Each one of these pictures made it very obvious how these girls felt about their rooms without them having to say a word. Photo journals can really help reveal the real identity and tastes of individuals. They, along with other generative research methods, are important tools for revealing insights about your customers.
The first day we discussed the project in class, I honestly felt shear terror. The idea of essentially inventing a new product and doing research all semester to come up with that product was intimidating. But as the project progressed throughout the semester, each step was taken one at a time and really made the project much more manageable. One of the most overwhelming moments was the day that you brought materials to class to start working on our prototypes. It was at the point where we had all of this information, but what do we do with it? This is where my group made this project experience so much more enjoyable. I certainly couldn’t have come up with our idea on my own. We balanced the prototyping class with brainstorming product ideas and playing with the clay dough. That’s what I most enjoyed about the process was my group. We were able to focus and come up with quality work, but still manage to enjoy ourselves at the same time. During one meeting we spent perhaps four to five hours straight together, and it went by so fast because of how hard we were working and how much fun we were having while doing it. Another thing that made this project so manageable was the help that Professor Walls gave us. The structured class updates and work days that he gave us were phenomenal. It kept overwhelming anxiety from sinking into me. I felt like if we ever had an issue with the product, Professor Walls made it easy to ask for and get assistance.