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 …
The experience studio course is a key highlight of the DMBA program. The course helps us continue to craft human-centered design in business specifically focused on the design of user experience, service, and holistic interactions based around a 5-E framework (Entice-Enter-Engage-Exit-Extend). In the Fall 2018 experience studio course, the semester-long project was designed around “the future of retail.” Centered on the retail subject of tea, the team behind Alchemy Tea Lab developed a hypothesis, conducted research, developed multi-layer, high and low fidelity concept sketches, 3D AR/VR models, and multi-scale prototypes, built a full-scale “phygital” (physical and digital) retail pop-up and micropilot test, and analyzed the results to determine if we were successfully able to meet our challenge. The future of retail: tea challenge statement was: How might we… provide a fun and engaging experience that empowers our customers* to make informed, confident decisions around the purchase, preparation, and co…
Micropilot Vision: The Giving Forest is a toy experience designed for children that allows them to donate a toy that has been outgrown. It is designed to be simple-to-navigate and engages children in a giving experience, with a store assistant to guide them towards receiving a memento of their visit afterwards. Positioning Statement: For parents and children who have too many toys, The Giving Forest is a toy donation space that teaches children about generosity. Unlike the overwhelming and over-stimulating toy stores of today, The Giving Forest is the antidote to consumerism: a simple and focused experience that rewards children for being generous and helps parents create a culture of giving at home. Results + Next Steps: The experience surprised & delighted, and revealed a bigger opportunity with the potential to take “giving” into other contexts. Further testing & validation will surround the toy donation moment, the pre-donation experience (how can parents talk to children about choosing the toy to do…
For men who have a desire to express gratitude, Signature is a comfortable environment that has resources to remind them how easy it is to say thank you. Our services are designed to provide a safe-space to feel comfortable with pen and paper.
Practice First was a future of retail micro pilot engineered and hosted by a group of C10s for Elizabeth Glenewinkel and Justin Rheinfrank’s Fall 2018 Experience Studio course. Through their research, the students discovered two primary insights – that (1) hardware stores have an opportunity to be more inclusive; many female-identifying customers felt that the male-dominated environments created an atmosphere of condescension and dismissal and (2) the knowledge transfer between customer and staff member often had a much higher value than the actual financial transaction; a customer can enter the store with a problem and leave with $1 product and a solution. However, this can lead to more questions, which prompted our plan for users to get hands on experience in a single visit. With these insights, the team identified and combined two opportunities – “How might we create a hardware experience that’s inclusive to audiences outside of the category’s ‘norm’?” and “How might we transform the hardw…
People feel overwhelmed and unengaged with the news. Now Here This responds to today’s chaotic digital news environment. By engaging listeners through an audio-based experience, Now Here This uses meditation and news to unlock greater presence and engagement with what’s going on in the world. Where physical walls typically divide people and digital walls enable hostility, this wall is a physical gathering place and an opportunity to participate in public discourse through recording and listening to the opinions of others.
Our research into laundry habits uncovered significant pain points around hand washing of delicates and special clothing. We also noted that people are willing to take extra steps to care for their delicates and specialty fabrics. We created a concept store that sells softly-scented laundry soap that cares for delicate fabrics while also caring for skin.
For people who have fear and uncertainties with autonomous vehicles, the Omo Pop-Up Stop builds familiarity and acceptance around the technology behind autonomous vehicles. Unlike Tesla’s Pop Ups, the Omo Pop-Up Stop creates social influence and understanding around its safety features so its "riders" can feel at ease. By providing a pop-up stop for autonomous vehicles combining the benefits of a cars salesman, and the flexibility of a car as a service business model, we are enabling people to try, gain confidence, and use an AV for the first time, affordably.