Wellements: The Future of Apothecary Retail Micro Pilot

Collection
Design Strategy (MBA) | Design Division

Course
Fall 2018Experiences StudioJustin Rheinfrank, Charlie SuttonDSMBA-606-02
Final project
Student(s)
Yesenia Hernandez, Sittidej Somprakit, Satwik Polkampally, Ehsan Darbandi, Stacey Fischer
Description
Wellements is a modern, corporate campus apothecary from Kaiser Permanente. Whether you’re running to a meeting or taking a break from a coding sprint, our certified herbalists and our remedy-assessing app serve up natural solutions to help you create your best life at work and beyond.

In the beginning, there was research. In-store observations of the environment and customers, store manager interviews, traditional apothecary to contemporary takes on an apothecary. What we found was that health & wellness customers encountered too many choices at apothecaries and pharmacies. There was no clear information. The overwhelming environment and the unknowable products made people confused and reluctant to ask for the help they needed. Perhaps our pop-up could assist customers before they arrived with an app, and provide context and direction upon arrival. 

We couldn't approach the entire health & wellness market. In our research, we identified increases in corporate investment in health & wellness, yet no on-site apothecary/pharmacy was being offered. So we saw an opportunity. We conducted interviews with our new target customers: corporate campus employees. We walked them through two concepts represented in storyboards. Our participants showed us that they want a natural approach to health and wellness, are proactive about their health, they optimize their time at work, and are interested in how technology can enhance their health routine. We arrived at our final people problem statement: People want customized or ready made natural remedies that are easy to understand and ready at hand.

In our Micro Pilot, we tested three hypotheses through the phygital (physical + digital) experience:
People value having multiple levels of interaction: grab & go remedies, exploring ingredients while invigorating the senses, and create a custom remedy at work. The customized remedy experience is immersive and helps employees take a small break from their busy schedule. Wellements alleviates the feeling of being overwhelmed by providing a guided apothecary experience.

Wellements provides a beneficial business model for all stakeholders.
Wellements provides natural, pre-made remedies that reduce employee stress and enhance their well-being at work. Wellements provides unique, valuable subscriber data to participating health care providers. Wellements helps corporations increase employee retention, engagement and productivity.

Links to resources


Details

  • Owner: Stacey Fischer
  • Collaborators: Yesenia Hernandez, Ehsan Darbandi, Sittidej Somprakit, Satwik Polkampally
  • Collection: Design Strategy (MBA) Program
  • Version: 1 (show all)
  • Status: Live