Water Bottle Design Concept
Observation / Analysis / Product Vision / Prototype / User Testing / Presentation / Strategy
This water bottle was designed to make Full Stack Development students at Prime Digital Academy more productive and efficient.
THe challenge
Prime Digital Academy gives Full Stack Engineering students a water bottle to use for the program. The goal was to design a custom water bottle to suit the specific needs of aspiring developers at Prime.
Fly-On-The-Wall Observation
During fly-on-the-wall observations, daily routines and habits of Prime students were observed and documented. Prime is a fast-paced learning environment where students are always multitasking or on-the-go. Students often carry several items at once and are working alone and in groups to meet tight deadlines.
Students need a water bottle that is easy to carry and won't slow them down.
Heuristic Analysis
In order to maximize student enjoyment of the water bottle, it must not only serve its purpose of containing water, but also do so without being a hassle in any way. Heuristic evaluations help determine user problems. Neilsen’s heuristics (used in this study) are a set of processes used to determine the usability of an object or interface.
In this study, tasks were performed, analyzed and ranked on a heuristic ranking scale to determined what is working and what isn’t working with the design of the water bottle Prime students were given the previous year. Students need a bottle that is easy to transport and easy to grip, which where two main concerns following the analysis of this bottle.
Prototype
A rapid low-fidelity prototype of the product concept was created using found materials.
The water bottle has a sleek, cylindrical design with a solid screw-top lid. The lid handle is wide enough to grip and carry with ease. The bottle unscrews at its mid-section to reveal a separate, insulated compartment below--for transporting more than beverage or snack at a time.
Product Vision
A series of product concepts that solved the key usability issues were sketched out. Top design concepts were presented and critiqued. The far right concept solved the most problems that came up during the fly-on-the-wall observations and the heuristic analysis, thus was selected for the prototype phase.
The concept is easy to carry and makes it simple to transport multiple things at once.
User Testing
A contextual inquiry brought users eating and drinking habits on campus to light. Users were asked to hold multiple items at once, including a water glass and a coffee cup at the same time, during a simulation to gather how confident users felt when transporting several items at once.
“Moving quicker through the hall could make me more productive.”
3 out of 3 students interviewed say this bottle could improve efficiency on campus.
Users were given the prototype and asked to think aloud to gain insight on whether they were able to properly use the water bottle's lower compartment and to determine whether students believe having two storage compartments would make transportation easier. After these tests, users completed a brief survey to capture their thoughts on efficiency and productivity on campus, and how this concept might play a role in that.
Presentation
A persuasive presentation was prepared for the board of stakeholders to serve as a bid to win the design contest.
Moving forward
Before the bottle can be put into production, a higher-fidelity prototype must be created, keeping materials and functionality in mind. User testing and stakeholder testing will determine what additional changes to make before production.