BP8: Prototype Session X2
We were faced with bad news the moment we layed out supplies on our working desk
23rd June 2019
First off, one of the bunches of flowers somehow ended up growing mould :(
Apparently one of the dried flower models wasn't a very high quality dried artifact, and because it was wrapped in plastic bag, the moisture in the air eventually encouraged the growth of mould.
A very early prototype which one of our group members built, using the same flowers, also had this moldy issue. The jar was sealed tight, hence replicating the ideal conditions which would encourage mould growth as well.
Our team has decided to discontinue the use of flowers from this supplier, and is working on preventive solutions which would ensure this does not happen to our final products.
Focusing on the future: New Products In the making
While the mouldly flowers are a step-back which we never wanted to face, we (fortunately) have other suppliers and potential ideas we wanted to test out. These prototypes were designed to reach product-launch quality so we could start selling them soon.
As we worked on the prototypes, we had a better feel of the capabilities and strengths of the materials we had bought. Some ideas worked out as planned, while some didn't.
For example, I had an idea of placing a beautiful big rose smack in the middle of a nicely spreaded out decorative mesh. Short answer: It didn't work because the rose was too heavy, and the rose just looked very awkward in the jar. Plus, the colour matching just didn't work.
#IdeaScrapped
Our team worked cohesively to improve on each other's designs, give feedback and produce a high quality product. Each of us had our strengths. The girls were great at doing creative stuff with our materials, while we guys were good at ensuring the product would hold itself together when the product reaches our consumers hands and used for its intended purpose (to beautify the desk, of course!)
We worked from afternoon to night to try and turn each of our ideas (discussed in group chats) into reality.
Fortunately, One of the ideas I thought of managed to be transformed into a beautiful reality. Introducing the NatureRose Bloom (on the right).
(We have not firmed up as a group on the name yet, so this name might change in future.)
What you see on the right was during the prototyping session: I was trying to add even more colours into the design, however I realized rather than making the overall product look prettier, it made the flower design look cluttered.
After much consultation with my team mates, presenting the NatureRoseDesk. See below!
Flormiere Presents: The NatureRose Bloom and CoupleDream
Kimmy came up with the Beautiful Buttterfly fixture above. It was a great fit that made my prototype look better than I Imagined!
We also have another design which our group pioneered. This would cater more to people that loved to have tiny figurines on their desk, for something cute to look at.
This design is likely to appeal more to couples that perhaps wanted to celebrate their monthsary or date, or in general, love the lavender flowers and cute figurines.
Naming: TBC (Maybe the CoupleDream?) We'll see.
Some Takeaways from the process:
As we put in effort making the various prototypes, I observed a few more potential shortfalls our group needs to consider
1) Cost of Goods: Based on our small focus group results, it seems like most customers are comfortable with paying between $20-30 for a good quality artwork. We need to ensure that we can delivery great quality products within this price point.
2) Logistics issue: While the product looks good now, because of the nature of the product, it is easily mishandled, and this will cause the product to be ruined. We need to find a way to deliver these products around Singapore (or Overseas) should there be a market for it.
3) Customization comes at a cost to us: Offering customization will mean we need to hold more inventory, which will be a problem if we can't convert the inventory to cash (through sale of products) at a later stage. We will try to mitigate this by carefully searching which designs are more likely to work with our market first.