P&G - Sponsored Design Project

Design Research - Product Development - Rapid Prototyping

Working to improve a current Procter & Gamble product by interviewing consumers, iterating on our requirements, and developing a conceptual prototype as part of a sponsored project at Northwestern University.

*Note: Project is under NDA, specific insights have been omitted, and prototypes have been blurred.

My "Main" Role:

  • Developed research guides to interview consumers in their home environment and at a central research site

  • Directed brainstorming sessions for product concepts and research stimuli

  • Led the synthesis and refinement of our design requirements

  • Designed and fabricated our final prototype delivered to P&G

Timeline (Sep 2024 - Dec 2024):

Sprint 1

3 Weeks

Empathize & Define:

Problem identification and definition

Sprint 2

3 Weeks

Concept & Design:

Design requirements creation

Sprint 3

3 Weeks

Solution ID & Refine:

Solution identification and refinement

Sprint 4

1 Week

Implement:

Final solution and storytelling of design

Sprint 1 - Empathize & Define:

To develop a solution that addresses consumer pain points, we first needed to empathize with their experiences and define the problem space. We visited eight consumers in their homes interviewed them about their habits. We then consolidated and synthesized this research as a group to uncover insights in the form of tensions, pains, gains, and frameworks. From these insights, we developed "How Might We" statements, which enabled us to turn abstract ideas and themes into actionable prompts for next design sprint.

Sprint 1 Task Summary:

  • Conducting secondary research to understand the problem space and develop questions

  • Interviewing consumers in their home environment to empathize with their experience

  • Consolidating research across the team's 8 interviews

  • Synthesizing tensions, pains, gains, and frameworks from our research

  • Developing "How Might We" statements from synthesis to work towards product development

Sprint 2 - Concept & Design:

After Sprint 1, we felt confident enough to create a consumer persona and journey map based on our research findings. We also began brainstorming design concepts based on our HMWs. Our best concepts were presented to consumers as a research activity during our first "Central Site Visit" (CSV1). The themes of "Storage" and "Ergonomics" were also tested during CSV1 through separate activities we developed. By the end of this sprint, we had gathered enough information to write design requirements that defined the standard of what our product concepts should satisfy from a functional and emotional level.

Sprint 2 Task Summary:

  • Outlining our consumer persona and journey map

  • Developing initial concepts from HMWs

  • Creating stimuli and activity guide for our first "Central Site Visit" (CSV1)

  • Synthesizing our consumer feedback from CSV1 into additional tensions, pains, gains, and frameworks

  • Defining design requirements based on synthesis

Sprint 3 - Solution ID & Refine:

In this sprint, we were finally converging on a solution. We leveraged group brainstorming sessions to develop solution concepts based on our requirements. These concepts were then turned into stimuli for our second "Central Site Visit" (CSV2). We also tested variations of a specific action our consumer performs while using the current product and assessed our consumers' perception of slightly different product forms in additional activities during CSV2. After synthesizing our learnings from these activities, we aligned on a final design that met our user-defined design requirements. This design was presented to peers and instructors in multiple design reviews, where we incorporated feedback and made improvements.

Sprint 3 Task Summary:

  • Identifying possible solutions based on design requirements

  • Creating MVP stimuli and activity guide for our second "Central Site Visit" (CSV2)

  • Synthesizing our consumer feedback from CSV2 into a narrowed design direction

  • Presenting design direction in multiple design reviews; iterating on our design and incorporating feedback from peers and instructors

  • Aligning group on a final design solution

Sprint 4 - Implement:

We consolidated all our efforts from the previous sprints into this final week, culminating in our final design. My primary role was to produce the physical product and final product renders with another teammate. Using SolidWorks, KeyShot, 3D printers, and Adobe Illustrator, we produced high-fidelity conceptual prototypes and renders that integrated with parts of the current product in real-life settings. I also contributed to our final presentation and pitch video, which told the story of our research and highlighted its value for our consumer. We presented this to P&G stakeholders in Cincinnati and delivered our final concepts and research documentation. The project is currently being further developed by P&G.

Sprint 4 Task Summary:

  • Iterating and refining our final design solution

  • Fabricating and producing a high-fidelity prototype and product renders

  • Conveying the product story through a presentation and pitch video

  • Presenting to P&G stakeholders in Cincinnati and delivering final concepts and documentation