I took a part in a product development and design thinking project that was carried out in collaboration with Stanford University. I was a part of a team consisting of engineers and designers and we did a project to Suez, a huge global company that works in the areas of water and waste management. During this 10-month intensive strecth, I was engaged in numerous different tasks: Everything from user research to mechanical engineering and design. This has been by far the most meaningful and educational project I have been involved with. Product development, user-centric design and innovative thinking have had a huge impact in me, and I would like to apply my marketing knowledge to those areas in the future.
Our brief was to come up with new concepts and products that will bring the brand closer to the end user. To get a brief idea of what our final product was, read the following quote from the executive summary of our project documentation.
"The Mainstream concept consists of a network of intelligent Mainstream fountains, which are located around the city in public traffic junctions, universities and offices to mention but a few. The user buys the Mainstream stainless steel bottle from the store instead of the plastic ones. That bottle can be filled from the Mainstream fountains, which recognize the bottle and its user via RFID technology, which also allows for electronic billing. In addition, it enables the users to get instant feedback about the environmental and economical impacts of their actions. That positive impact can be magnified with voluntary donation programs, which help make the difference on the societal level. In a nutshell, Mainstream offers the users an innovative, easy and sustainable way of hydrating themselves. But most of all, it encourages them to do the right thing and feel good about themselves."
Below are the pictures from our final, fully functional prototype. More about the project, pictures etc. can be found in http://saveme310.com/portfolio-items/case-suez-2010-11/
Our brief was to come up with new concepts and products that will bring the brand closer to the end user. To get a brief idea of what our final product was, read the following quote from the executive summary of our project documentation.
"The Mainstream concept consists of a network of intelligent Mainstream fountains, which are located around the city in public traffic junctions, universities and offices to mention but a few. The user buys the Mainstream stainless steel bottle from the store instead of the plastic ones. That bottle can be filled from the Mainstream fountains, which recognize the bottle and its user via RFID technology, which also allows for electronic billing. In addition, it enables the users to get instant feedback about the environmental and economical impacts of their actions. That positive impact can be magnified with voluntary donation programs, which help make the difference on the societal level. In a nutshell, Mainstream offers the users an innovative, easy and sustainable way of hydrating themselves. But most of all, it encourages them to do the right thing and feel good about themselves."
Below are the pictures from our final, fully functional prototype. More about the project, pictures etc. can be found in http://saveme310.com/portfolio-items/case-suez-2010-11/
