Wallet Project
The Interview
Nicholas needed a wallet that did two key things.
First, it had to be convenient and practical, because he needed something that cold hold a lot while also being foldable for easy storage.
Second, the wallet had to attach to his phone. Nicholas was tired of having to awkwardly switch things in and out of his pockets. By combining the two into one, Nicholas could save himself a lot of time and a lot of frustration.
In the end, his ideal wallet was a combination of the designs, as illustrated in the notes. He like to foldable aspect and money pouch of #3, but didn't like the idea of velcro getting stuck. He liked the design of #2, but didn't like the pockets directions. He liked the phone connectivity of #4, but didn't want a single pocket wallet. In the end, I combined the three by rotating the pockets of #2, adding the pouch from #3, and the phone connectivity from #4, while placing tape guards on the exterior velcro to prevent it from sticking to pockets.
After my conversation with Nicholas, I set out to produce wallet designs to meet his needs. I produced a variety of designs, some were simple with only one or two pockets; others were complex folding contraptions.
Building
An early prototype of the wallet, built by folding paper
the next step in the prototype, using tape to connect the sides
The money pocket that Nicholas asked for, built in to the wallet
The final evolution of that pocket, but in a better built wallet
The Result
The wallet in its folded form
The outside of the wallet, unfolded
The inside of the unfolded wallet, when folded, the inside velcro attaches to the phone
A Happy Customer!
Reflection
When I started this project, I likely would have designed the wallet that I wanted for myself. In all honestly, I probably would have met with the customer, listened to their needs, but ultimately built my own ideal wallet operating under the assumption that I know best. However, going through the process helped me build empathy. I realized that what I wanted wasn't what was best for everyone. Where I needed something simple, durable and reliable, Nicholas needed a wallet that prioritized the flexibility that I wanted to do away with. This process also helped me understand a business mindset. It's not about building your own personal perfect product, it's about understanding customer needs and building a product that meets them. I will take this understanding into future projects. When doing my final project, my motivation will be to create something useful, not just something I find cool.
IB Style Reflection
Empathy
- Originally I would have ignored customer needs for what I wanted.
- Sitting down and talking to Nicholas helped me understand his needs and made me realize that helping others through technology is better when you listen.
- The design process helped me think about people everywhere who suffer from problems that I have never faced, and inspired me to find solutions for problems I don't even face.
the Business Mindset
- It's important to build products that people need.
- Needs should be taken into account before designing a product. It is a bad idea to design a product and hope that the need is there afterwards.
- What one customer needs may be different from what another customer needs. To successfully innovate, everyone needs to be taken into account.
The iterative design process
- Discussing needs and wants with the consumer is the important first step for production.
- It's important to create many designs of a product and discuss them with consumers.
- The final product should take the best, most desirable aspects of every one of the wide variety of designs based on what the consumer needs.