Having collaborated or/and developed Products across various industries for Companies ranging from startups to SMEs and Fortune 500 in Asia, Europe and N.America, in a series of 7 posts, we share Factors we experienced and affected our Design and Product Development processes.
Here, in our 5th post, we focus on “TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS, DISPLAY”, as Products get ready for unboxing.
Here, in our 5th post, we focus on “TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS, DISPLAY”, as Products get ready for unboxing.
disclaimer: The examples presented below are nor Projects/Products 03 designed/developed unless otherwise stated. All rights remain with their owners.
TRANSPORTATION - The production line eventually started rolling, the Products pass quality control and everything looks like is falling eventually into place. The only thing left is the Products to be Transported from the manufacturing plant to logistics centers, to wholesalers’ warehouses, even to individual customers. Only to find out that because of the overall design and packaging the Products fall in expensive Product shipping class. Or, when the Products stacked the one on top of the other, the bottom ones cannot bear the compression and get damaged. Or, that the +60°C temperatures inside a metal container during a month-long ocean freight, were enough to melt the glue fastening two parts and the Products to arrive dismantled.
These are just few of the problems that not appropriately designed Products may create. Researching and foreseeing how, when, for how long, how many Products will be Transported it is critical for the Products overall quality.
IKEA by ingeniously designing its VÅLLÖ watering can, manages to stack them and ship thousands of them in one container, while consumer goods companies pass their clothes-cleaning detergent bottles from strict compression and vibration tests to simulate their transportation via trucks in bumpy roads.
These are just few of the problems that not appropriately designed Products may create. Researching and foreseeing how, when, for how long, how many Products will be Transported it is critical for the Products overall quality.
IKEA by ingeniously designing its VÅLLÖ watering can, manages to stack them and ship thousands of them in one container, while consumer goods companies pass their clothes-cleaning detergent bottles from strict compression and vibration tests to simulate their transportation via trucks in bumpy roads.
SIZE - In business world, time is money. In retail world, space is lots of money. Despite Product transportation from the factory to anywhere, Size directly affects costs related to packaging, warehouse storage, shipment to end customer, while bigger or smaller retailers are reluctant to dedicate valuable Products with big footprint and not proven sales.
When we designed SLIM folding-chair for ShiangYe, ours and the whole Development’s Team primer consideration was to reduce its size without compromising its durability. When folded we achieved a record 2.5 cm thickness that allows minimum space for its transportation (a 40 ft container can fit 4.000 chairs)., display and storage. SLIM’s best selling market is, expectedly, Japan.
When we designed SLIM folding-chair for ShiangYe, ours and the whole Development’s Team primer consideration was to reduce its size without compromising its durability. When folded we achieved a record 2.5 cm thickness that allows minimum space for its transportation (a 40 ft container can fit 4.000 chairs)., display and storage. SLIM’s best selling market is, expectedly, Japan.
PACKAGE - A Product’s Packaging is perhaps the most overlooked factor in the Project, Product and Supply Management chain, especially by young Organizations. The Product’s size, parts (if knocked down), shape and fragility will influence the Package’s dimensions and construction complications. There are also cases, that it is not the Product that will prescribe the Package’s features but the opposite.
For example, the Client for whom we currently design an IoT product, identified North America as its main market. To cut costs, our Client set as top priority the Product when packed to fall into the Small standard-size Product size tier as defined by Amazon’s FbA service.
For example, the Client for whom we currently design an IoT product, identified North America as its main market. To cut costs, our Client set as top priority the Product when packed to fall into the Small standard-size Product size tier as defined by Amazon’s FbA service.
PRODUCT DISPLAY - RETAIL - When you find yourself in a store wandering around, perhaps trying to choose a toothbrush, you do not hear the sounds, see the evidence of brutal fights happening right in front of your eyes. Similar in brutality to the ones happening right now somewhere in the Eurasian steppe where an eagle grabs a rabbit or in an Amazon forest where a tree is struggling to grow higher than others around it, to first get access to the valuable sunrays.
On the shelves of brick and mortar stores, constant fights take place between Products, competing for a better position/placement and customer attraction. In this harsh environment, Designers and Development Teams are asked to provide the Product with mainly two “weapons”. First, an overall size that complies with the retail environment display standards and minimal real-estate requirements. Secondly, distinctive design, especially for FMCGs products that are visible through their packaging and are placed right next to competitive products; just like the toothbrushes.
On the shelves of brick and mortar stores, constant fights take place between Products, competing for a better position/placement and customer attraction. In this harsh environment, Designers and Development Teams are asked to provide the Product with mainly two “weapons”. First, an overall size that complies with the retail environment display standards and minimal real-estate requirements. Secondly, distinctive design, especially for FMCGs products that are visible through their packaging and are placed right next to competitive products; just like the toothbrushes.