the wattcher
The Wattcher is an electric plug that monitors energy usage in residential buildings and makes inhabitants aware both of the costs and their usage . The savings resulting from this awareness can range from 10 to 20 %. The original concept was developed by an inventor called Innovaders . At FLEX , we saw an entrepreneurial opportunity and approached Marcel Wanders to come up with an initial design . We further developed the product , through user tests , interface design and final production . Design consultants increasingly take on this entrepreneurial role , not waiting for business to come to them but actively seeking such opportunities .
Why is it that designers are so valuable in the development of innovative products and services ? Other disciplines , when presented this question , often mention our tendency to think ‘ outside the box .’ As globalisation continues to lower the threshold to entry , companies find it difficult to distinguish themselves through technological superiority . Where that business-as-usual approach is no longer effective , designers consider a much broader scope of solutions .
Sometimes , however , we are asked to think about the box and we begin to wonder what more the box can do . Take , for instance , a case where KPN asked us at FLEX to redesign the packaging of their doit-yourself internet , tv , and telephone installation box . Their original box caused major problems with the end-user and when we examined it , we immediately saw what the real issue was . Yes , there were issues with how the box looked ; the plain box with all the required tools tossed in failed to match customer ’ s expectations of the KPN brand . But customers were also at a loss how to go about installing the product , often opting for the most important-looking element first . The box did not provide any support to facilitate or to explain the installation . In our view , we should not only prettify the box , but we should broaden the brief to a much wider scope of solutions , including the packaging as a means to support and simplify the do-it-yourself installation . Designers have come a long way from only making things pretty . determined , we quickly synthesise an early idea , analyse it to determine why we think it suitable for the current issue , and present it to potential customers so they can comment on it .
When KPN introduced the newly designed box , their support staff saw a sharp decline in customers calling for help with installing the product . With a small investment in design , KPN now saves 2.5 million euro yearly on support calls . What this example illustrates is that improving customer experience or profitability doesn ’ t always revolve around breakthrough innovations . Sometimes thinking about the box itself is all that is required .
Sometimes thinking about the box is all that is required
With that early insight we set to work and within five weeks we could present customers with an early prototype that guided them through the installation step-by-step . It is an example of what Tom Kelley of IDEO has said : “ Prototyping is the shorthand of innovation .” I wholly agree with that idea and I think that that is where our strength lies ; instead of trying to analyse an issue until all the variables are
Jeroen Verbrugge — 1960 j . verbrugge @ flex . nl
. Managing / Creative Director at FLEX / theINNOVATIONLAB . Chairman CRISP Board
of Creative Professionals
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