WARME
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Table of contents 1 Introduction ............................................ 4
1.1 WARME ........................................................ 4 1.2 The client and the brief ................................ 6 1.3 Gantt Chart ................................................... 8
2 Research ..................................................... 10 2.1 Market analysis & secondary research ........ 2.1.1 Findings from secondary research .. 2.2 Deciding on a target group .......................... 2.3 Primary research .......................................... 2.3.1 Why .................................................. 2.3.2 How .................................................. 2.3.3 Findings ........................................... 2.3.4 Affinity map and our insight ...................... 2.4 Persona and timeline ................................... 2.5 Deciding on a direction ................................ 2.4.1 Criterias for the product ................... 2.5 Four different ideas & selecting one ............ 2
10 15 16 18 18 18 20 22 24 26 27 28
3 Final concept ........................................... 30 3.1 Diving deeper into the problem .................... 3.1.1 What is comfort? ............................... 3.2 Moodboard and sketches ............................ 3.3 Prototyping ................................................... 3.4 Final design .................................................. 3.4.1 Material and size .............................. 3.4.2 Technology ...................................... 3.4.3 User interaction ................................ 3.4.4 Storyboard & contextual use ............
30 30 31 32 34 36 36 38 40
4 Resources ................................................... 41
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1. introduction 1.1 WARME / wɔːmē / WARME is a group of people with different backgrounds who work collaboratively to achieve a common goal. The group brand identity is communicated through a carefully designed logo and chosen colors. The logo is inspired by the shape of a flame that symbolize inspiration, hope, life, nature and warmth. The colours are carefully chosen to reinforce and accompany logo, and are inspired by the tranquility of staying warm and comfortable in the winter.
From Norway where I study Interaction Design. I am currently doing my Erasmus yaear at Loughborough University, studying UX Design.
Alex Soltysiak UX Designer
KJERSTI BJELKARøY Interaction Designer
From Poland. My undergrad is Communication Graphic Design and I am currently doing my masters in UX Design at Loughborough University.
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I’m from China. My undergrad was Art Design, and I am currently doing my masters in UX Design at Loughborough University
Ruotong wang Product Designer
From China. My undergrad was Industrial Design and I am currently doing my masters in Industrial Design at Loughborough University.
Na wang
Mingjun du
Product Designer
Graphic Designer
From China. My undergrad was Industrial Design and I am currently doing my masters in Industrial Design at Loughborough University.
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1.2 The client and the brief
Dunelm is the UK’s No. 1 retailer of homeware products, and their major focus is out-of-town retailing together with multi-channel convenience. With their ’Value for Money’ customer proposition, Dunelm aims to provide good quality products for great prices, deep availability and friendly service. Dunelm believes that doing this gives them powerful customer appeal and clearly differentiates them from other retailers.
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WARME was asked by Dunelm to research how they can help their customers to keep warm at home without ‘turning up the dial’ and at the same time save energy and money. Dunelm suggest that the product could include aspects of generating, preserving and managing heat, and for it to be a saleable product within their ‘Winter Warm’- campaign. This report will take the reader through the research that is conducted by the team WARME, and the insights that were gained from the research. It describes how the insights were used to define a direction for the project and the development of different concepts, and how prototyping was used to explore the shape of the final concept. This project identifies what the target user value in the experience of keeping warm at home and meet these values with the final concept ‘Presence’.
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1.3 Gantt Chart The Gantt chart is a visual description of the group project process. It shows how the team have been working throughout the 12 weeks. 13th-17th Feb Search information about Dunelm Secondary research of existing heating products and methods Discuss gantt chart and brand identity
Week 1
Week 3
1
2 Week 2
6th-10th Feb Site visit and client briefing Introduction of the project
8
27th -3rd Mar Shadowing observation and interviews in Dunelm Identify body map and house map Map the findings and persona
3
13th-17th Mar Gather initial ideas Depth interview and organ key insights
Week 5
4 Week 4
20th-24th Feb Observation research of Dunelm and read products’ review online Competitive analysis Project direction report (assignment 1)
6
5
Week 3
Week5 6th-10th Mar Talk the feedback of assignment Talk better use of what the group found from the secondary research
Narro
27th-31st Mar Gather all ideas Highlight the insights Update persona and final direction
nize
Week 4
8th-12th May Prepare the final presentaion Present to other group and get more reflection Improve the final idea
Week 5
8
7
9
Week 5
20th-24th Mar ow down the design direction Get new findings
22nd-26th May . Write the individual reflection Submit the assignment 3
Week 4
10
11
Week 5
Week 3
1st-5th May .Work on ideas with the final dirction
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15th-19th May Make final presentation . Work on the booklet together Submit the assignment 2
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2. Research 2.1 Market Analysis & secondary research
The desire to have a comfortable home makes heating appliances popular on the market. Variations of the same or similar product appeal to different market segments, and so consumer brand loyalty is relatively low and does not play a crucial role when choosing a product. More importantly, consumers are influenced by online reviews to determine the quality of the products. Comparisons of the price is a crucial element when it comes to choosing a product. The aim of the market analysis was to get an overview over the existing products on the market that keeps people warm. It was important to the group to understand what people value in these products and what could potentially be improved.
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In order to get an understanding of the market, the group researched existing heating products and divided them into three different categories in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses. WEARABLE PRODUCTS that include heating technology including socks, vests, and pads. TRADITIONAL PRODUCTS, the most typical products that are used in domestic households like electric heaters, blankets, hot water bottles etc. INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS, characterised by using innovative and advanced technology. From an initial analysis of the three cathegories, the team decided to focus on the second category. These types of products fit well with Dunelm’s profile and portfolio of products, and people are familiar with these methods. In addition they hold a great share of the market and buyer power. These methods stayed with us throughout the whole project, and moreover we also see them as our biggest competitors.
TRADITIONAL
WEARABLE
INNOVATIVE
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HOT WATER BOTTLE Strenghts Warms quickly Easy to use. Waknesess Not aesthetically appealing Hassle to fill it with hot water every time
NO
2
Price range £0.2-2.00
NO
Strenghts Soft touch Good warming effect Waknesess Viewed upon as old fashioned Not safe Unpractical when you want to move around Price range £20.00-150.00
1
NO
PORTABLE STOVE Strenghts Easy to use Warms up a room quickly Waknesess Can be dangerous if you forget about it Demands extra power and extra cost inthe house Price range £20.00-100.00 12
ELECTRIC BLANKET
3
4
NO
MAKING A CUP OF TEA Strenghts Warms quickly Easy to use.
Anaalysing traditional products Since traditional products became the main interest for further research in this project, the team decided to look at Dunelm’s existing heating products and the reviews they have online. This created an opportunity to understand customer profiles and what type of products they are interested in. To have an even better understanding of the existing products on the market the group also considered other companies’ products, such as Amazon and John Lewis. At this stage, the team addressed the most common methods that people use to keep warm. The methods are hot water bottles, portable stoves and radiators, and electric blanket. A fourth method of keeping warm, so characteristic of the British people that it drawed the team’s attention, is making a cup of tea. The team decided to add it to the list and look closely at it as because of its simplicity, it is often underestimated as a method for keeping warm.
Waknesess Not aesthetically appealing Hassle to fill it with hot water every time Price range £0.2-2.00
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Analysing Comments The reviews were also submitted for content analysis to identify repetitive words, patterns and conjunctions created by the users when describing warming up appliances. This method allowed the team to extract what people think about the usability and effectiveness of the products, and also helped the team understand what people like and dislike in these products.
Moreover based on the comments three main factors were found to be motivating customers to purchase products. Firstly, they want to try something new because they get bored of using the old product or they want an upgrade it. Secondly, they replace a product that has been worn out or has been damaged. Thirdly, they experiment on a new product because they imagine it will fit into their daily lifestyle and give them comfort.
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The team analysed over seventy reviews and subsequently converted secondary research into a quantitative data. This created an opportunity to determine the target market audience and understand their buying triggers, expectation and needs. Comfort, quality, value for money and practicality were the most repetitive words that were used when reviewing the product.
2.1.1 Findings from secondary research & Directions for primary research When the data was analysed following insights were identified: 1. People use methods to get warm in order to assure an added comfort experience. The feeling of being warm is always associated with a sense of comfort. The analysed materials specified that people who use another source of heat than the central heating are usually in a state of relaxation like watching tv, reading a book or sitting still in one place. 2. Quality and a beautiful appearance
of a product are factors that are crucial for customers. Consumers of heating products are likely to pay more money for better quality of the product. 3. People have individual thermal preferences, and therefore it is important that the product can adjust the temperature and create a personal experience. The product should also be practical in a portable way and possible to be used during daily tasks. 4. When people decide to buy a new product they expect it to be more efficient than the old version they have.
Users
Tasks
Drawing an UTE diagram helped the team to decide on two directions to explore further in the next stage of the research. Keeping in mind all the information collected so far, the team was determined to investigate 1) how people keep warm at home during the day and 2) what parts of the body they struggle to keep warm. Since a lot of the reviews are about providing comfort, exploring what it means to stay comfortable also became a focus for the primary research.
Enviroment
KEEP WARM AT HOME •
Female
•
Heat the whole home
•
Old house
•
Eldery couples
•
Heat the one room
•
Living room
•
Youngers
•
Heat the feet
•
Bathroom
•
Sitting still
•
Heat the hands & shoulders
•
Bedroom
•
Relaxing
•
Enviromental-firndly
•
Kitchen
•
Reduce bills 15
2.2 Deciding on a target group Based on the initial research, the group decided on a target group for further research. The target group is partly based on the seven customer types described in figure 2.2.a. These were provided to the group by Dunelm, and they are defined by Dunelm’s own research. The group decided to proceed with the types “Stylish and Settled” and “Classic and Content” as these types matched best to the types that were observed during the team’s initial visit to different Dunelm stores. In addition, they were found to match the types recognised during the secondary research and last but not least these types are part of the largest customer group shopping at Dunelm. The target group is described as people in the age segment of 50-60 years. They often shop at Dunelm as husband and wife, they live in a house and have a stable economy. In their shopping habits they are experienced, but also open to experiment on new products and so likely to be interested in a Winter Warm product. With a stable economy, they are willing to pay more in order to get a better value. They care about quality, comfort and aesthetics.
Stylish and settled
12%
36% Contemporary unisex
35% Assured
33%
Classic and content
16%
Mainstream
31% Classic
30% Contemporary unisex
28%
2.2.a Seven customer types 16
Classic
Savvy home lovers
15%
Confident nest buildrs
8%
33%
41%
Mainstream
Contemporary unisex
32%
39%
37%
37% Assured
Mainstream
Assured
Contemporary unisex
Necessity buyers
Mainstream
19% 39% Contemporary unisex
33% Classic
Quality replacers
14%
33% Contemporary unisex
33% Mainstream
32%
price led replacers
Mainstream
17% 30% Contemporary unisex
22%
Classic
Classic
30%
21% 17
2.3 Primary research
2.3.1 Why The reason why the team conducted primary research was to understand what the targeted user value in the heating products and methods they use. The team wanted to look further into the target users’ pain problems when it comes to keeping warm at home. As mentioned before, the team found from secondary research that comfort is a complex feeling, and the team wanted to to better understand what comfort means to the targeted user.
2.3.2 How The team conducted Shadowing Observation on 120 people at two different Dunelm stores in order to understand what types of customers go there and what kinds of products they would purchase, and also to confirm if the user group that we targeted was relevant. The team also conducted interviews on 18 participants representing the targeted group at the Dunelm store in Loughborough. During the interview, the team showed the people being interviewed a map of a house and the body, and asked the participants to point out where in their home they felt
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cold, what time they felt cold during the day and also what methods they prefer to use in order to prevent getting cold. The team also conducted 17 depth interviews on friends and family. The team wanted to explore if the same pain problems of keeping warm was present in other user groups, like for example students, and therefore the team decided to conduct research both within and outside of the targeted user group. The team asked the interviewee to tell the a story from they wake up to they go to bed: how do they keep warm in their homes, and in what way do they struggle to keep warm.
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IN-STORE INTERVIEWS
120 SHADOWING OBSERVATION
18 DEPTH INTERVIEWS
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2.3.3 Findings
From the shadowing observations and both kind of interviews the team had several findings:
Shoulders
wear extra clothes
body map These are the parts that people pointed out they often feel cold. As we can see, it is feet, shoulder, arms, knees and especially hands. The methods they use to keep these bodyparts warm are slippers, socks, foot bath, put on extra clothes, make a cup of tea, do some activity.
Knees
Putting on a blanket
Hands
Making a cup of tea Warming them on the radiator
Feet
Wearing an extra pair of socks
“ I wash my feet in hot water if they are cold. If my shoulders or my back is cold, I’m not bothered with taking a shower…”
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house map From the map of the house we can see that people feel most cold in the living room/lounge and the team was also told that it was in the afternoon when they were sitting still, typically to watch tv, working on computer, reading a book or just relax that they felt cold.
“ It isn’t pleasant when you stay in one room that is hot and cozy and then you need to transfer to the bedroom or kitchen and the temperature changes drastically.” “I usually turn on the central heating when my hands gets cold. When the feet gets cold I can always put an extra pair of socks or warmer slippers.” “I stopped using my electric blanket because my husband told me it was not safe to have in the bed”
An interesting finding is that the wife in the house often felt colder before the husband did. They also told us that they go to Dunelm because they like the size of the stores and they enjoy to go there to have a look at and feel the different products.
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portable
individual
Able to be easily carried or moved
Different people have different thermal preferences
COMFORT People feel that they deserve to feel warm
Living room is treated as the heart of the house
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2.3.4 Affinity map and our insight
In order to analyse the findings from the primary research, the group made an affinity map. The main insights from the affinity map are:
1
2
3
People stay in one or few rooms in the afternoon. The living room is treated as the heart of the house, and therefor it became a focus onwards for the group.
When people feel cold, the threshold for turning up the dial is not high. Money or environmental consequences are not a motivations to not turn up the dial. The goal is to make the home to feel warm and cozy. People feel that they deserve to feel warm.
People turn up the dial when they want to stay warm and at the same time move around in the house. Different people have different thermal comfort. Therefore it became a focus for the team to make something portable and that can to be used individually.
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2.4 Persona and timeline
“I’m looking for good quality things for my home that will last.” Jane, 55
“I like my home the way it is and don’t see the point in changing it all the time .” Harold, 58 At this stage the group had defined a target group that worked as a guide for what the group focused on during the initial research. In order to get a clearer and more defined image of the target group, and in
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order to maintain the design process user centred, the group defined a persona. The persona is a woman named Kathrine, and her husband is taken into consideration as part of the persona, as they live together.
SHOPPING HABITS As Kathrine and her husband have a stable economy, they are open to spend money on new solutions if they are not too expensive, and if they feel the value is worth the money. For Kathrine it is important that what she brings into her home is beautiful and decorative, and she sometimes goes for spontaneous and seasonal buys. She takes great pride in her home and likes to impress friends and family with her home and make them feel comfortable when they visit. Kathrine’s husband feels that they have enough blankets and portable stoves, and he shakes his head when she comes home with yet another throw for their living room.
During the interviews that the group conducted in a Dunelm store, the participants were asked to talk the interviewer through their day and tell about where in the house, and at what time they struggled to keep warm in their home. Based on this, the group was able to map out Kathrine’s day and address her pain problem. The map can be seen in figure 2.4.a. As seen in the top horizontal line on the figure, the temperature in the house stays stable throughout the day. During this time, Kathrine’s comfort decreases gradually as she gets colder and colder.
At a point she is so uncomfortable that she heads over to the dial to turn it up, and so the whole house is heated. From this, the group found that in order to keep Kathrine from turning up the dial, the final concept will have to be a solution that meets Kathrine before she becomes too uncomfortable, and that is designed to be used in this gap. In addition to this, the group also realised that the final concept will have to be a solution that is a compromise between Kathrine and her husband. The final solution would have to be something that the both of them are ok with bringing into their home.
GOAL: Kathrine’s goal is that she wants her home to stay beautiful and cozy, and for herself to stay warm in the afternoon without her husband to be overheated. ABOUT: Kathrine is 55 years old, and her husband is 58. She works 50% while her husband works 100%. They have two grown up children that studies at university, and comes home during the holidays. They live 5 minutes outside the town centre of Loughborough. On her spare time Kathrine enjoys to spend time in hAer garden and go for walks and go shopping in town. Kathrine often gets cold before her husband when they both stay inside during the day.
NIGHT
MORNING Turns up the dial Temp. in house
Katherine’s comfort
The gap that our product needs to fll. 25
2.5 Deciding on a direction At this stage the group had addressed the main insights from the research, and defined a persona and her pain problems. The group wanted to stake out a clear direction for the final concept that could work as a guideline when taking decidisons onwards in the project. This direction is described in the following concept statement:
“ The final concept is a decorative product that seamlessly fits into the everyday life of the user and makes the user feel comfortable, welcome and warm.�
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2.5.1 Criterias for the product The group decided on four design principles that would apply for the final concept. The design principles are based on what the targeted user group and persona wants and need, and what the brief demands. What does the targeted user want and need?
• • • • • • •
Feel they get value for money For the product to be safe Get an instant feeling of getting warm Feel comfortable Be able to move around and keep warm The product to be easy to use Heat hands, neck, feet, shoulder
WHAT DOES THE BRIEF DEMAND?
• • • • •
Easy to install Unique for Dunelm
And so our final design principles that would work as guides onwards in the project are:
Easy to use & Portable Makes people feel warm quickly Unique for Dunelm to provide
The customers to not turn up the dial Product to fit with the WW campaign Make people feel warm in their homes
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Stone for a mug A cup that stays warm for longer than traditional mugs, either by insulating the mug, or integrate a heating element. The idea is based on the insight that people feel that a cup of tea is too hot to touch when it is freshly made, and that it quickly goes cold. It is a redesign and improvement of the traditional solution of making a cup of hot tea.
c
a Redesigned radiator
Wearable electric and none electric blankets A wearable blanket or a garment that integrate electric heating or pockets for hot water to heat the user. The idea is based on the insight that people have individual thermal comfort, and would like to stay warm while they are moving around, and it is a redesign of the electric blanket. 28 2.5.a Four different directions
b
An innovative portable stove, based on the insight that people prefer existing and traditional methods even though they are not optimal. People place their hands and feet on the radiator, and hang their clothes on it, even though this is not what it is designed for. The idea is a redesign of existing stoves and the radiator.
lighting and heating A decorative element that works much like a hot water bottle. The idea is based on the insight that people would try out new warming products if it will make their home more beautiful. It is a redesign of the existing hot water bottle that is used to heat different body parts.
d
2.6 Four different ideas & selecting one
the dial against how high acceptance the group suspect the ideas would receive as new ideas on the market. The method was presented in the module Design for Behaviour Change by Garrath Wilson (Wilson, 2017).
With a concept statement in the back of the mind, the group started to refine previous ideas and ideate on new ones. The ideas at this stage was condensed down to four different directions, or main ideas. Illustration 2.6.a shows what insights the ideas can be traced back to.
The map can be seen in figure 2.6.b. From the map the group concluded that the idea of the “decorative hot water bottle� scored highest of all the ideas, and combined with the fact that this was the idea that intrigued the group the most, the group decided to proceed with this idea.
Mapping ideas In order to decide what idea to further develop, the group mapped the ideas based on how much they would keep the user from turning up
+
KEEP USER FROM TURNING UP THE DIAL
d
a
2.5.b Mapping the ideas
b
ACCEPTANCE
c
+
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3. final concept 3.1 Diving deeper into the problem 3.1.1 What is comfort? At this stage the group had decided on a direction for the final product. One of the main insight from the research, was that comfort is a complex feeling that consists of, and is built upon, several emotions. The group wanted to dive even deeper into the pain problem of the persona and the brief from the client, and answer the questions: what does it really mean to feel warm and why do people want to keep warm? Through a brainstorming session, the group explored the complexity of comfort and addressed several emotions related to the feeling of being warm.
Positive thinking Welcomeness Positive atmosphere Peace Presence of life 30
From the brainstorming, the group addressed that warmth can be achieved through several senses, not only what people feel, but also what they see, for example light. Light can turn a cold, dark and “abandoned� room into a warm and welcoming one, giving the feeling that it is full of life. Scientists have observed that under certain lighting conditions, workers are more efficient. Making the color temperature warm can affect our wellbeing and mental health. It is also proven that in a warm environment, people are more productive and happy. Switching between low temperature lighting in the morning
What does it mean to feel
warm ?
(imitating the sunrise) and high temperature lighting in the evening (imitating the sunset) can affect our cortisol levels and help us respectively prepare for activity and night rest. In addition, a study from Yale states that the brain sees little difference between physical warmth and social warmth (Widrich, 2013). The group was inspired by this research and started to play with the thought that social and physical warmth could work together to stronger affect how humans perceive heat. From this, and from the fact that many of Dunelm’s customers go there to buy light, the group decided that the final concept could include lighting in a decorative but also heat generating way.
Relaxation Comfort Cozyness Calmness Pleasant
3.2 Moodboard and sketches
The mood board shows what the group wished to achieve visually with the final concept, and it served as an inspiration for the group during the sketching of the ideas. The shape of the final product is strongly inspired by the moodboard and the group feels that the bowl shape is a decorative and at the same classic element to have in the living room. At this stage the group decided to physically separate the heat generating element of the solution from the light element, so the product could be used to light up the room independent of the heating element being used or not. Putting the light and the heat together in the same element would result in the light being covered when the product is in use.
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3.3 Prototyping
The way the group conducted prototyping was by experimenting on objects that had the similar shape as the shapes on the moodboard. The group used play dough to shape the heat element, and started with this element as it would decide the shape of the light element. The group asked co-students to hold the play dough in their hands and shape it to a shape they would prefer if they were to use it for heating different body parts. Based on the feedback from this, the group sketched up 5 different ideas for the shape of the heating element. The shapes can be seen in figure 3.3.a. The group decided that idea 3 was the best shape of the heating element as it could easily be held on to with one hand in order to place it on different body parts.
Idea 1
Idea 2
Idea 3
Idea 4
Idea 5
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3.3.a Ideas for the heating elemenr
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3.4 Final concept PRESENCE
PRESENCE
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The final product is called Presence. The name is chosen because the group wished for the concept to give the user a feeling of warmth and welcomeness, and that the room it was placed in would give a feeling that it had a presence of life.
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The light element The light element consists of two parts; the bowl shape and a base. The user can rotate the bowl on the base in order to achieve different light effects. Presence could be placed in the corner of a room, making the room look warmer with the light. The interaction consists of changing the direction of the bowl, so the lamp can shed the light in different directions. The interaction can also be that by rotating the bowl, the temperature of light can change from a warm light tone to a colder light tone.
INDUCTION TECHNOLOGY In order to make the final product portable and for the visual expression to be as little disturbed as possible, induction technology is chosen for charging the heating element. Induction technology is a technology widely used in the smartphone market.
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Material and colour Plastic have been chosen for the main material of the final product. It has two benefits, one is that it lowers down the cost of production. The second is that plastic gives the product the possibly to be made in different colors. It can also imitate other materials such as wood-like plastic or marble-like plastic.
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3.4 Final concept
Heating element The final shape of the heating element allows the user to easily hold it by one hand and warm different body parts of which they feel cold. The group have played with the thought that it can be used to have a relaxed massage on different body parts.
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lighting element The light will change through different user interactions. For example, when the user picks up the heating element, the light shortly brightens up like a small pulse, as to give a signal to the user that it knows someone is present. When the heating element is charging, the light of the lamp can for example be dimmer than usual, and when it is ready charged, the light can be brighter to encourage the user to come over, and seek for the attention from the user.
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1
2
3 40
Before going to sleep, a female person is checking every room in the house. She turns off the main light in the living room and Presence works as a corner light. The warm light makes the room look warmer. At the same time, the heating element is charging.
During the day when the woman feels cold, she easily picks up the heating element and turn it on. The heating element is always ready and accessible, and starts heating and warm the user when she turns it on.
In the evening, the woman is enjoying her leisure television time with her husband. With the help of the heating element, she does not need turn up the dial to a higher degree as usual. Her husband is not affected and this way both of them feel comfortable.
4. RESOURCES
Wilson, G, Mitchell, V , Deakin, R. (2017) ‘What is behaviour?’ Available at: file:///Users/kjerstibjelkaroy/Downloads/Garraths%20DfSB%20 Workshop%20Notes%20(4).pdf (Accessed: 18 May 2017 [Online]) Widrich, L. (2013) ‘The Science of How Temperature and Lighting Impact Our Productivity’ Available at: https://blog.bufferapp.com/the-science-of-how-room-temperature-andlighting-affects-our-productivity (Accessed: 18 May 2017 [Online])
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