Prototyping, surprisingly enough, is not something I have done in any other class over my four years in college. Since this is not an activity that I do regularly, I found myself thinking about it and working on it more than on my other class work (whoops). Instead of sitting down to read a book or article for another class, I pull up my laptop and work on my groups “Johnson & Johnson +” website. Even though this is not something I do frequently, I think I enjoy it so much because it is so applicable to the real world. When I start working, hopefully right after graduation, prototyping seems like it will be a likely step in my everyday work life.
Our group decided on creating a website and a small tangible “vending machine” made from a shoe box to demonstrate our in store component. The website felt like a good idea because in this day and age people use the internet and/or apps for basically everything. It only seems right that our company keep up with the times and provide a subscription service that can be signed up for online, following suit of companies like Ipsy, Birchbox, etc.. We also created a rewards program for our consumers. With our products in glass bottles, consumers will get points, which then turns into discounts, after returning glass bottles so they can be refilled and used again. This makes the company more sustainable and environmentally friendly so the packaging doesn’t end up straight in a landfill and also makes the process more direct to the customer. Our little “vending machine” is for our loyal in store shoppers. It allows you to purchase products in varying quantities in the new eco-friendly packaging.
I really valued the hands on component that the process of prototyping calls for. Instead of assigning each group member a part of a report to write or so on, we were able to get together and use all of our individual strengths and ideas to create a new and innovative system. My first impression of prototyping was that it would be an elementary like crafting experience, but it really surprised me. I also surprised myself. I don’t consider myself to be particularly creative, but when placed in the situation when my group had to design something new, I found myself coming up with pretty good ideas. I feel like this process was not only good for my group’s project, but also to show myself what I am capable of as well.