Welcome back to Lana’s Input!
This week we’re going to be talking about prototyping. This is the creative process which follows brainstorming and identifying a problem to solve and it has been so much fun. I really enjoy creative problem solving and using technology to cleanly resolve this issue, presenting it an aesthetic form. For our Chipotle project, I was able to redesign the Chipotle rewards app in order to take into account our Pedal Points innovation. This has been especially exciting for me because although we did not end up building a physical prototype of the pedals, I was able to use skills I’ve learned to electronically design the aforementioned app as well as build an online model of how the table and energy counter might look (I love designing things like this).
The process of brainstorming as I’ve talked about before was really exciting because we came up with so many ideas that I never could have imagined thinking of. In the end we actually decided on this pedal idea which was originally one of our “wild” ideas. Turns out to not be so wild, and even though our innovation for Chipotle is going to be almost a metaphor for health and sustainability, bringing all of Chipotle’s current and past green efforts into the forefront of the minds of consumers. This resolves an issue that we all personally identified for the company which was that not a lot of people realize what a sustainable and proactive company Chipotle is. By subsequently placing a more “wild” representation of wellness and sustainability in various restaurant locations, we will remind patrons that Chipotle is a great and green option for their food consumption.
The feedback process of prototyping is so important as well. Not only were we able to flush out some of our issues by talking to potential customers, but we were able to take suggestions and alter our original design of the pedals as well as the way that the rewards app works and what kind of activities will get you points. Now, customers can see how many calories they are burning and how much energy they’ve generated for the company as well as the rewards points they’ve earned. It was definitely more difficult than I though suspending judgement and defensiveness in recording feedback. Of course I want to defend our idea and have everyone understand, but it was a great opportunity to work on this (as opposed to trying to sell the product) and instead be able to garner information regarding the more confusing aspects of our product.
Let’s prototype!
xoxo Lana