Introduction:

Aim:

Only fourteen percent of new product development projects are a commercial success, how can a company efficiently deliver innovative products with a higher success rate?

Getting the right balance between familiarity and differentiation is often a challenge while developing radical solutions. Companies struggle to decipher whether products are too similar to gain competitive advantage or too radical to adopt. Uncertainty about the adoption patterns of consumers is the foremost concern for managers while deciding which disruptive technologies to invest in. The proposed methodology tackles these issues head-on by firstly providing a framework to deliver differentiated concepts. Secondly, developing a visual tool to understand user lifestyles and thirdly, providing a decoding process to answer these perennial questions through direct consumer feedback.

Use design-driven innovation to transform an embryonic idea into differentiated concepts. These are tailored to fit unmet consumer aspirations and blend into their daily lifestyle.

Project Background :This project follows from a previous research carried out by researchers at C4D, Cranfield University, to investigate new optimised oral care solutions for a target consumer group in collaboration with P&G. Ideas were generated and tested according to a pre-defined innovation territory. The top idea was selected and carried into this project. The journey of transforming this top idea into an embodied concept delivering unique value propositions was undertaken in this project.

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������Masters Thesis Project with P&G: Sept 2011

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Literature ReviewInnovation is the “the process of bringing to market goods and services that are new and significantly improved” . Radical innovations often disrupt the market, often catering to unmet user needs, enabling consumers to quickly transition to them (Christensen, 2007). They provide a new basis for performance, which often overshoots the performance of current products thereby displacing them (Christensen, 2005). These products form their own categories where there is less or no competition, and can change market norms to their own advantage , emanating their importance.

The next step defined factors proven to influence innovation adoption (Arts at al., 2010). These were:

Familiarity of the consumer with characteristics of the new innovationCompatibility with the current consumer lifestyleConvenience in becoming part of their daily lifeRelevance to their needs and aspirationsDifference which sets it apart form its competitorsEmotional appeal would signify whether users can connect to it on a personal level

Popular tools used by different disciplines to measure and assist the enquiry of these factors were researched.

Market research findings show that experts like Goffin (2010) and Chrsitensen (2010) highlight that current methods like contextual observation, interviews, lead user groups and repertory grid analysis only pushes one to follow strategies targeting “large, obvious, existing markets” providing incremental innovation.Goffin (2010) explains that to create breakthrough innovations, hidden needs of the consumer, which they themselves are unaware of, need to be uncovered.Users cannot tell you what they want; instead Verganti found the approach of “making proposals to people” more rewarding.

Design driven innovation highlights the importance giving radical new meanings to a product (Verganti, 2009). It is the process of transforming insights into new meanings for products, capable of creating an emotional bond with the consumer.

Physiological tools like cognitive mapping and storyboards were found to be effective in enabling consumers reflect their perceptions with problem areas (Swan,1997). It provided an intuitive and visual method for consumers to communicate their experiences. Norton (2009) proposes the use of storyboards to provide a visual tool where the context, issue and proposed concept can be presented. This allows different teams in the NPD process to have a unified vision, working towards a holistic strategy. Storyboards are engaging and easily understandable by consumers. They can easily envision the proposals making it a powerful tool to test concepts and gain valuable feedback (Norton, 2009).

MethodologyThe methodology was formulated using many of the tools studied in the literature review to provide a holistic methodology of testing concepts. Scenario Tool Development Stage 1 The objective of the scenario insight tool was to act as a visual stimulus to help consumers map out their own personal scenarios. It was designed to be simple and intuitive, catered specifically to three consumer groups within the targeted consumer segment. The typical daily activities, for each of the sub-groups were brainstormed to generate a series of mini-scenarios. These mini-scenarios visualised small daily rituals, which the consumer could use to visually communicate their 'typical day' to the researcher. Further components were added to specifically understand the oral care experience of the consumer. Additional components were designed to understand the oral care experience of the consumer.

Concept Generation Process Stage 2

The pre-tested idea direction and innovation territory prescribed by P&G was then unpacked into fundamental principles defining the essence of the idea. Functional experiences and emotional sensations able to deliver these were then brainstormed. Different combinations of these were then used to form a range of concept variations. The time and language of the day were then integrated into these concepts to form a range of differentiated oral care solutions.

Consumer Immersion Stage 3 Consumer testing was carried out in two-hour sessions for three groups of consumers within the target consumer segment. These were single women (20-30 yrs. old), women with children (30-40 yrs. old) and older women (40-50 yrs. old). The scenario insight tool provided a visually engaging process where these consumers were quickly able to create their own personal scenario map. They used this to communicate their current oral care experience. The second part included proposing the concept variations generated and obtaining direct consumer feedback for them, with consumers choosing and placing their favourite concepts on their personal scenario charts.

Decoding Process Stage 4 The design driven methodology illustrated alongside was used to identify meaningful patterns from the data collected. This was analysed to identify similarities and differentiations between the three consumer groups. Scenario Findings aimed to recognise patterns in consumer behaviour, and pinpoint opportunity spaces where current oral care products were unable to reach. Concept findings distilled out key design (engagement) elements, which served as emotional and functional reasons to believe. These were embodied into three final concepts variations, which over 50% of the consumers chose.

ConclusionSpeed in bringing out a constant stream of new innovations, and adapting to changing consumer needs are crucial in maintaining long-term competitiveness. In order to increase the flow of successful disruptive innovations, deep consumer insight right at the start of the process is necessary in ensuring companies are moving in the right direction. Current techniques revolving around ethnographic approaches are unable to meet these constraints of time and cost.

This research has looked into these pressing issues and exemplified some leading edge research done in this field to provide multiple benefits for P&G. The proposed consumer insight tool provides a superior technique, and has been successfully tested with 18 consumers to provide qualitative data quickly. Results are obtained as visual consumer scenario boards making it easy to identify patterns in consumer lifestyles and habits. It also dives deeper to outline consumer dissatisfactions and point towards latent consumer needs. A visually engaging tool, which enables consumer to build their own scenario, hence it can be simultaneously done by several consumers. It is highly repeatable and can be adapted to test a range of other product categories within P&G.

Pre-defined idea directions, outlined by P&G, were transformed into differentiated concepts through a framework, which radically innovated the concept meaning. This provided a range of 'new' product meanings to be tested through the use of functional and emotional engagement metaphors.

Testing these concept variations with the consumer insight tool enabled contextual feedback to be received, as the holistic concept experience was reviewed. This framework enables an embryonic idea to be transformed into a differentiated concept through an intense 'evolutionary metamorphosis'. Feedback received was decoded to distil winning design elements, which communicate performance against criteria most important to customers. Decoding consumer feedback and behaviour patterns, enabled concepts to be aligned against when and how they would be used, thereby smoothening product adoption. Most importantly, the research provides concrete evidence for the potential of the concept category to be potentially disruptive and capable of transforming the current Oral Care Landscape.

The final concepts have been embodied with quintessential aspects, which communicate the holistic concept essence, to ensure the meaning remains intact in the later stages of development. In this way, the research has not only provided final concepts capable of impacting the oral care sector, but also provided new creative frameworks through which a battery of new radical concepts could be developed.

�������������������������������������Masters Thesis Project with P&G: Sept 2011

IntroductionThe advent of an age where a new breed of consumer demands instant and effortless gratification is more or less upon us. A host of recent technological advances have helped drive the emergence of this 'formidable consumer' and fuel their expectations and desires. One company that has been successful in facing this challenge through a host of successful innovations is Procter and Gamble. This project draws onto P&G's pioneering approach in placing the consumer at the heart of its new product development process.

A hugely important element of their customer-focused strategy has been their research into psychographic profiles. This research has led to the identification of four specific global consumer profiles; one of which it has been discovered maps very closely to the free spirited 'formidable consumer', who do not like routines and want all-in-one solutions.

This project takes on the challenge of translating these findings into disruptive product concepts.

Aim

Objectives

The aim of this project is to develop unique and powerful solutions with a potential to revolutionise the current oral care landscape. It addresses the need to develop ideas to make oral care cleaner and faster. In doing so, the concepts will need to bring sensorial and emotional experience that delight their user.

• Using cross category mapping to form analogies indetifying new trends.• Distil mapping analogies to create a range of innovation drivers.• Use these drivers to generate product and service concepts which meet latent needs to the targeted user group.• Develop the concepts through identifying sensorial and emotional design ques.• Bring lead concepts to life through insights into their commercialization strategy.

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MethodologyThe methodology was formulated using many of the tools studied in the literature review to provide a holistic methodology of testing concepts.

1. Landscaping Oral CareIn identifying the 'big picture' of the oral care sector, four main areas were studied to encapsulate the fundamentals of oral care. The Lifestyle Aspiration research extracted key attributes of target consumers. This information was visualised into profiles to aid understanding.

The General Oral Care research analysed current oral products of P&G and their competitors. This information was crossed examined with the Lifestyle Aspiration to identify times of day where there were no products available or used. In doing so, the team had identified two main gaps that could be exploited.

To understand the branding strategy of P&G and their competitors, an analysis into product's packaging and advertisement was performed. Emotional and technical attributes were compared with the price of the products. A diagram showing how the brands compared showed the variation of the brands analysed.

The technology research looked at the technology available in oral care today. It focused on the cost of the products in comparison with the performance.

Lifestyle aspiration pics General Oral Care cards

Branding Technology

2. Cross category mapping

The results of the background research were then collated and brought forward into the cross category mapping, which goes beyond the field of oral care. The cross category mapping involved the search for new technology from cross sectors. Products successful of displaying the same attributes required from future oral care products were selected. Key innovation triggers were identified to form a spider matrix, to allow more detail research to be focused on particular topics, and to link technologies with similar attributes. This formed an overall picture of the different technologies and design signals capable to delivering the targeted attributes. To move forward, the team needed to decode and extract the key essence of the ten different innovation triggers selected.

5. Refinement

The concepts were tested with the target consumers.

New insights decoded from the consumer feedback

were incorporated in the refinement of the final design

of 12 chosen concepts. Interaction with specialists

from P&G discussed with the team on how the

concepts could be turned into technical possibilities.

Through the adaptation of oral care professional

expertise and consumer’s feedback, the concepts

were transformed into commercial possibilities. A strategy towards how these

products could be developed and marketing was then developed, for further work to

be done on the concepts.

3. Mapping distillation for concept generation

In distilling the cross category analysis, the team worked

together to decode the quintessence of innovation

triggers identified. Through discussing, the team refined

and finalised the innovation drivers in aid of ideation.

However, purely developing the innovation drivers was

not enough. In order to enable rapid idea generation, a

clear understanding of the condition of usage was also

needed to prescribe solutions. At this stage, previous

research into the consumers’ lifestyle was reviewed,

resulting in the formation of scenarios for each innovation

driver.

These scenarios highlighted possible opportunity gaps in

the consumer’s day where these technologies could be

used for a new solution.

sample innovation triggers templates

4. Idea Generation

In the ideation phrase, the team once again diverged to

generate a total of 55 concepts using the innovation

drivers and scenarios.

After discussion with clients, the concepts were

reviewed with the initial brief, and condensed to 24

concept proposals to be presented in the consumer

immersion process. Each concept visual was

supported with their innovation driver to give a

background to the inspiration of the idea as well as the

sensorial experience it aimed to communicate.

6. Final ConceptsThe findings from the consumer immersion session were distilled to provide a concept proposal for the final designs. This summarised the customer feedback, what made the concept stand out and how it could be used by consumers. A sample has been attached here.

ConclusionTo maintain its position as the international leader in the oral care sector, P&G must develop products matching their consumer’s constantly change lifestyle. In doing so, they must identify new trends and align products faster and better than their competitors. This report described the formation of strategic creativity model, capable of efficiently generating, testing and validating innovative concepts. This creative model is able to quickly identify trends from other categories and route it to form innovative product concepts, which are aligned to user needs. There were four key stages in this process included first, determining the current composition of the oral care sector achieved through secondary research. Next, inspirations were delved from different sectors and distilled to form innovation drivers for ideation. Scenarios were formulated next to accelerate and focus the concept creation leading to the generation of fifty-five concepts. A review of the initial research in the target consumers aided filtration of the ideas and helped use the right sensorial signals that could emotionally connect with the target group. Through testing with consumers, ideas were refined, and insights for their latent needs were captured. Along with this, the interaction with technologists allowed the technical feasibility of the 12 final ideas to be discussed for future development. As a result, this report has established new gaps in the current market and highlighted trends to expose a new strategic direction in oral care. Looking back, coming up with ideas was not difficult. The challenge lied in the ability to generate a number of ‘relevant’ ideas rapidly, within a specific requirement frame. This project created and tested an efficient way to generate, test and validate a battery of innovative concepts in a short time frame that is crucial in today’s faced paced environments.

����������������������������������������������������������������Design Research project at Elephant Designs, India

Introduction

Why LEDs are the future of lighting?

The Indian Middle class is constantly growing. It is currently estimated to consist of over 150 million people accounting for sixty percent of the total consumption in the country. This is reflected also in the growing demand for electricity that is taking its toil on the power sector in India. All states are facing acute power shortages. With the growing environmental crises, a huge opportunity is seeing in energy efficient technologies.

This project was done at a leading design consultancy in India to gain insights for LED home lighting solutions for the Indian Middle Class. Lighting consumes eighteen percent of the total power generated. We still see a high use of the power-eating incandescent light bulb with CFL’s rapidly growing in demand due to their comparative energy saving.

LEDs consume a tenth of the power of bulbs with a life of more than 30,000 hours. They withstand greater shock, temperature and vibration variation. With high durability and a low maintenance costs LED technologies are advancing at a rapid pace. Their small size makes then easily flexible and adaptable. However the main

disadvantage lies in the higher cost to achieve similar watts.

The growing interest in LED lighting and its rapid pace of development signals that this is a promising technology for the future.

This project was done for a local lighting manufacturer to gain valuable insights for the potential of this technology in the Indian Middle Class. Insights gained aimed to fuel an array of disruptive concepts to introduce LED lighting into the price sensitive Indian market.

Aim

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Field ResearchField research consisted of studying the way lighting was used and perceived in 30 local households. The insights were developed through observational research, pictures taken from the houses as well as in-depth contextual interviews. This helped gain a deep understanding of the people emotional and functional needs and aspirations. Additionally it helped understand the difficulties faced by current lighting methods.

Insights from functional households (lower-middle income group)

Lighting used sparingly as a necessi ty to avoid high electricity bills

Small crammed living environments with one or two light fixtures

Lights are often bare causing strain to the eyes

Would like new lighting formats to fit into current bulb fixtures

High lighting levels for living room and bathroom, low lighting levels for kitchen and bedroom.

Would like dimmibility feature in lights especially if it helped reduce consumption when dimmer light used

Due to crammed rooms they want small compact lighting with a wide spread

Insights from functional households (lower-middle income group)

Ambience is important especially in the living room where guests are received

Living rooms have multiple lights with shades whilst bedrroms have simplistic tube lights

Would like dimmibility feature so that not many fixtures are required for different lighting levels

High lighting levels seen in all rooms

DecodingThese insights were then decoded to form a target consumer profile. A scenario of his needs, concerns and aspirations was drawn to encapsulate the target consumer. Six areas of improvement were then identified which would enrich the light offerings made to Rajesh, the target consumer.

How can we give efficient spread of light?

How can the light adapt to the crammed living environments so that it is not blocked by projecting furniture?

How can we reduce the glare of the light fixture without compromising on the lighting level?

Can we combine three lighting level requirements in a single fixture?

Can we transform the light from focused to ambient lighting as per our need?

Can we make the replactment of lights an easy and safe process for older consumers

Idea GenerationThese insights were then decoded to form a target consumer profile. A scenario of his needs, concerns and aspirations was drawn to encapsulate the target consumer. Seven areas of improvement were then identified which would enrich the light offerings made to Rajesh, the target consumer.

Prototyping

ConclusionLED solutions were discovered to be extremely beneficial for home lighting due to their many benefits, especially higher energy efficiency. Detailed research into the living environments and experiences of consumers helped generate qualitative insights into their latent needs.

The format of the proposed final design enabled a lot of adaptable and flexible lighting solutions to be designed. These solutions are particularly useful in Indian households, which are often small and crammed. The modular design of the light allows users to choose the level of lighting they prefer. This also lets the light be adaptable to changing needs.

Although the concepts proposed suited to solve the consumer concerns, the invaluable insights received from field research would enable many other such concepts to be generated in alignment with consumer aspirations.

�����������������������������������������������������������Master’s project on Integrated Strategy Communication and brandingJan 2011

Introduction

New Tudor Brand strategy

The Tudor watch brand was started by Hans Wilsdorf, the creator of Rolex, on 6 March 1946. He stated that it was created to “sell at a more modest price than our Rolex watches” whilst having the “standards of dependability for which Rolex is famous” [1]. Although the Tudor watch brand shares a rich heritage with Rolex it lacks individuality and distinction due to which it was often considered as a cheaper Rolex. Tudor watches exhibit high levels of technical excellence with trendy designs. However even with the high demand of mechanical chronographs, the popularity of Tudor watches is extremely low compared to its competitors. The main reason behind this is a weak and unclear brand strategy. Through extensive research, this report outlines a branding strategy capable of truly re-inventing the Tudor brand, giving it a distinct personality and connecting to its users on a personal level.

The branding strategy proposed focuses with focus on heritage and philanthropy. These will be the pillars of its differentiated and unique brand startegy. The heritage theme builds on the aristrocatic name of the Tudor brand. The brand also has a glorious past where Tudor watches were used the French and US navy. The new brand will capitalize on these, in the past Tudor stoof for the ‘warriors of their

home country’, the new Tudor will be for ‘warriors of the world’. The philanthropic theme will capitilize on the growing importnce of global issues. The NGO sector is now the eighth largest economy in the world— worth over $1 trillion a year globally. This shows how global issues are concerning the average citizen today. The new Tudor brand catches on these trends and identifies itself as the watch ‘for people who want to make a positive difference to the world’.

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The graph compares the popularity of international sporting events on the left, with the popularity of international charity organisations on the right.Charities can be seen to have a strong following, matching a lot of the international sporting events often used for promotions. These charities would be new avenues for the Tudor brand to create awareness through sponsoring charity events and conservation projects. The World Wildlife Fund has over 4 million people worldwide, the Wildlife trusts in UK alone have 800,000 members.

With Tudor backing these causes in their core brand startegy, it would enable customers to identify with a watch which believes in the same values they believe in. Branding is all about making emotional connections with people through common beliefs and aspirations. The new Tudor brand will do this by sharing the same dreams its consumers have about the new world.

Number of fans on official face book page (y-axis), year sporting organisation was founded (-ve x-axis) and year charitable organisation was founded (+ve x-axis)

New Brand Slogan

“We all like indulgence, but let's take self-indulgence further to enrich change in our lives and in our world!”

A watch for those who inspire and enable change, a watch for achievers. The youth today are enthusiastic, dynamic and concerned about their surroundings. The surge in environmental charities shows a shift towards a more conscious, responsible and un-pretentious society that wants to make a difference. The Tudor watch will be targeted to those individuals who have substance, and who passionately follow their dreams.The target customer would be the same as identified by Tudor, young dynamic professionals between 25 to 40 years. The lifestyle aspirations chart generated for these young professionals is shown below.

Brand Ownership

“I make a difference”

“From the origins of elegance”

will be built on “Raw Elegance”, it is not pretentious, it is genuine and it is a symbol for the goal you genuinely believe in and strive towards. It is ‘the luxury with responsibility’. Two powerful slogans will be used as branding signals to powerfully connect with the consumer. They encapsulate the brand message in a bite sized format which is perfect today, where there is already an overload of marketing activity in front of consumers.

for sporty watches which will build on the philanthropic theme. This powerful slogan connects to a very personal inner need of the target audience to make a difference.

for the classic and glamour watches which will build on the heritage of the Tudor dynasty.

The new Tudor Logo

The old Tudor logo with the Tudor rose and the Tudor shield is perfect for the new branding strategy and has therefore been brought back. The Tudor shield represents protection, power and strength and the Tudor rose stands for elegance and beauty.A combination of both denotes preservation of timeless beauty and elegance in tue with the new brand strategy. The typography of the brand has also been brought back to bring the identity of Tudor’s aristocratic name out.

The new Tudor Logo

New Marketing campaign

The new marketing campaign will use Inspiring commercials depicting the story of real life heroes who make a difference will be used to inspire and move the customer.

Brand ambassadors will also be used as powerful tools in marketing campaign. The new brandig strategy would use brand ambassadors who are not only successful but also believe in the same values as the Tudor brand. They will be celebrities who are actively involved in environmental causes. Examples include Pierce Brosnan, who passionately leads appeals and charity work in environmental issues.

Scarlett Johansson was selected for the second brand strategy “From the origins of elegance”. She is not only a symbol for elegance and beauty, but is also incvolved in several environmental charities like Oxfam.

New Tudor advert with Pierce Brosnan

New Tudor advert with Scarlett Johansson

ConclusionThe Tudor brand was re-invented. The powerful brand idea combined with relevant branding signals are capable of providing a new and empowering brand experience. The brand slogan “I make a difference” connects to a strong personal need to their consumer to make a difference. Just like the Harley Davidson is an experience for the ‘rebel lifestyle’, the Tudor creates the expereince for the ‘warriors of the world’. The Tudor watch gives an identity to the young, affluent professionals whose concerns about the environment are growing.

The new Tudor brand will empower consumers to influence the sponsorships taken up by the brand. It will encourage strong consumer interation through forums, charity balls and suck-like to create a community of “Tudor Warriors”. It has the potential of becoming much more then jus a watch, but a movement of like-minded people.

Branding is all about emotions. This theme promotes the feeling of a passionate drive to achieve its own goals as a brand, at the same time inspiring its customer to set the same high standards for themselves, to make a difference in their own lives as well as the world around them. Luxury conservation is seen today in many areas such as luxury conservation holidays, charity events and balls and is hence gaining a lot of interest.

The second slogan “from the origin of heritage” goes back to the roots of the English history making use of Tudor’s aristocratic name and the several attributes it holds such at change, transformation, elegance and sophistication.Most luxury watch brands support different sports. The proposed strategy stands apart from the common message, but still focuses on a very relevant message. This simple and differentiated strategy is capable of creating a compelling vision, of re-invention and transformation, taking the Tudor brand to new heights.

������������������������������������������Master's Entrepreneurship ModuleFeb 2011

AbstractThe Indian urban market is currently generating e-waste at alarming rates posing severe environmental and health concerns. Mumbai tops the list with 19,000 tonnes of electronic waste produced and more being generated at frightening rates. Mobile phones are one of the four major constituents of e-waste. This report summarizes a business plan for an innovative mobile phone leasing service targeted the Indian urban market. This will promote a culture of phone rotation and re-use, through different income groups in the society, shifting the focus from the product to an enhanced service thereby radically changing current consumer behavior. This product will be further supported with a mobile phone ID tag that will enable easy data transfer and virtual data storage to simplify the process of phone rotation, also eliminating the need for memory cards.

This product-service solution is capable of increasing the average usage life of a phone, from the current 2 years, to 6-7 years, reducing mobile phone e-waste generation by at least 50 percent. The proposition aims to transform user behavior to a more sustainable approach building on the ‘Use not Own’ philosophy. The marketing plan launches first in famous colleges in Mumbai to spread awareness of the service amongst students, who are the highest users of smart phones.

The proposed plan potentially aims to reach its break-even point after 18 months, when its expected consumer base would be 0.3% of the targeted consumer group. Being a highly scalable proposition, it has the potential to become a highly profitable venture within five years.

In India, currently service providers operate separately from handset providers. Hence the majority of phones are newly purchased with the whole amount paid up front. As the cost of smart phones is high only a small segment of the Indian society is able to afford smart phones. The majority of the Indian population buys cheaper low quality handsets. Main problems with this system:

E-waste: High discard rate of mobile phones of 1-3 years, is causing an enormous amount of e-waste generation. Mumbai for example generated 144 tones of mobile phone e-waste in 2007, expected to reach over 661 tones generated annually by 2015 (IRG Systems South Asia, 2007).

Introduction: Problems faced in the Indian phone scenario

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Low-income group: The majority of the Indian population does not have access to the latest technology and smart phones. There is a high demand for low cost smart phone options with growing literacy rates, as a result of which they purchase cheap quality phones that need to be frequently replaced.

Trendy high-end: The small percentage of affluent high-end consumers, want to move with the trends, making them frequently discard their phones.

Unreliable quality of second hand phones: Second hand phones are usually sold through small independent retailers with no quality assurance, making people refrain from purchasing second hand phones.

The proposed solution takes into account the demands of different income groups and proposes a customized leasing system for mobile phones to ensure products are

Product and service strategy

rotated till they reach their end of life and then re-cycled and disposed in a responsible way. It aims to shift the focus from the product to enhanced services thereby influencing consumer behavior to adopt a more sustainable approach, whilst talking with all the problems explained earlier.

The target market includes students and young professionals who fall within the 15-30 years age group. Literacy rates in the youth is increasing and as they become more technology savvy thereby wanting access to smart phones. Additionally university students, being a great source of word-of-mouth promotion, would enable a rapid uptake once the service has proven its competitive advantage.Product and service descriptionTwo leasing options will be provided which will be the new phone-leasing contract and the second hand phone-leasing contract. The illustration of the proposed service through the different consumer segments is shown below.

Service A: New phone leasing contract

New phone leasing services will be targeted towards the affluent high-income group enabling them to use a brand new phone every 6-12 months along with additional services like repair and maintenance by paying 6-8% of the cost price of the phone every month. Being a less price sensitive segment and spending high amounts on telecommunications, this would be an attractive service for them, as it will allow them to enjoy new phones without having to pay the full price.

Service B: Second hand phone leasing contract

The handsets would then be rotated at a cheaper rate to the next income group, at 5% of the cost price per month. This segment is more sensitive to price typically waiting for prices to come down before purchasing the latest handset. Relative advantage to this group would be an access to smart phones just 6-12 months old at a reasonable price. Second hand phones would be reconditioned to ensure high quality of the phone. Additional benefits like minimum term of lease as less as one month would make it even more attractive. The phones will then be rotated to the lower income groups at cheaper rates as shown in the phone leasing service model. The older the phone the cheaper it would be to lease, thereby giving the user a range of prices and models to choose from.

Technology support

Technology transition is often the main barrier for the adoption of new innovative technologies. To provide a smooth transition, an ID tag will store all the consumer’s phone data on a virtual server that will help transfer the data effortlessly when the consumer changes their phone. This data will be password protected and connected to the 3G networks in India. It would therefore be compatible with the latest phones and enable users to synchronize their data between different devices.

Market Analysis and StrategyThe Indian communication market is growing rapidly with 5 million new connections every month. It is forecasted to grow the fastest with the compound annual growth for the urban market reaching 14.4% in 2025 (McKinsey Global Institute, 2008).

Source: McKinsey Global Institute (2008)

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Pilot: Jaihind collegeAfter 6 months: Xaviers collegeTotal student population: 11,500Customer forecast: 1,622 (15%)

Open store in Colaba Mumbai: College roadTotal target population: 2.5 millionCustomer forecast: 6,110 (0.3%)

Total target population: 2.5 millionCustomer forecast: 16,380 (0.7%)

Open new store in MumbaiCustomer forecast: 28,280 (1.0%)

Open another store in MumbaiCustomer forecast: 47,637 (2%)

Growth PlanThe customer forecast for the next five years has been shown below. In the first year we aim to attract 15% percent of the college student population. Once we reach this target, we will proceed to open stores in the high streets of Mumbai, which are frequented by the targeted population, and aim to reach a target of 2% of the total Mumbai target group by the end of year 5.

Pricing StrategyThe pricing strategy has been set up as a monthly lease rate for the phone hire. The rate of the phone depends on the age of the phone, hence the older the phone the cheaper it would be to lease. Service A: New phone leasing serviceThe new phone leasing service will be provided a minimum contract length of 6 months up to 12 months, with a monthly fee of 6-8% of the phone cost price. This price has been set looking at the depreciation value of phones. The sample prices for the Blackberry Curve 8900 with a market price of Rs. 28,000 (£375) have been provided below.

Marketing PlanThe venture will be first launched in Mumbai colleges, targeting college students, through sponsorship of college events and on-campus promotions. The growth strategy starts with a pilot set up in Jaihind, one of Mumbai’s famous colleges attracting over 5000 students. Once the pilot is successful, the next step would be to spread across into the popular high streets, daily frequented by numerous visitors. This model would then be replicated into other major cities.

Mumbai would be the perfect launch pad for this venture as it is the biggest E-waste generator with 2.5 million people between the age of 15-30 year olds. It also has the highest GDP in Asia, with a 77% literacy rate and is the commercial capital of India.

Phone lease

duration

Percentage of

cost price plan

Lease fee (per

month)

6 months

12 months

8%

6%

Rs. 2240 (£30)

Rs. 1,680 (£22.4)

The new phone leasing price sample (made by author)

Service B: Second hand phone leasing serviceThe second hand phone leasing service will have cheaper rates with a flexible contract period with a minimum length of 1 month. The monthly rent will be charged according to the age of the phone and the sample for the Blackberry Curve 8900 has been given in the example below. As we can see from the table the Blackberry Curve 8900 with a retail price of Rs. 28,000 is capable of providing revenue of Rs. 50,080, which gives a gross profit of Rs. 22080 (78%). Furthermore if the phone is purchased for the new phone leasing service, over half the cost of the phone has already been revived after the first year. This validates the fact that this can be a very profitable venture after the first few years of business.

Break-even pointThe venture aims to reach a break-even point after 1.5 years. Here fixed costs increase with rhe introduction of new retail outlets. The high variable costs reflect the purchase of phones. However after 1.5 years the costs of the phones have been recovered and the extra rent would contribute towards the profit.

FinancialsPlease note: All calculations have been made in Indian Rupees [1 GBP = 75 INR]Cash flow statement and financing strategy

The cash flow forecast for the first year is presented. This initial money will be generated by an equal investment by the three partners. This investment will be used to develop the software and set up the first pilot store. Following this, the government will be approached for a grant in month 6, since it aids government efforts to reduce e-waste. In month 11, we see another increase in the cash flow as here a bank loan will be applied for, based on the success of the venture. At this stage the loan would be used to invest in a new store in the Mumbai Colaba.

The cash flow forecast as shown will be maintained at a minimum balance of Rs. 1,400,000 to allow for any extra costs, which could be incurred.

Phone life

1-2 years2-3 years3-4 years4-5 yearsMore than5 years

5%4%3%2%1%

% of cost price plan

Actual Price(per month)

Revenue(per phone)

Rs. 1,400 (£18.7)Rs. 1,120 (£15)Rs. 8,40 (£11.2)Rs. 560 (£7.5)Rs. 280 (£3.7)

Rs. 16,800 (£224)Rs. 13,440 (£179.2)Rs. 10,080 (£134.4)Rs. 6720 (£89.6)Rs. 3360 (£44.8)

Total Rs. 50,080

Second hand phone leasing service price and revenue (Graph made by author)

Profit and loss account

The profit and loss account reflects the investment in year 1 on mobile phones and technology set-up. However once the phones are bought revenue is generated from them over the next 5 years, and similarly the software would only need updating every year. Hence, although the first year shows a big loss this value will soon be recovered with growing sales in the second year.

Conclusion and Exit strategyThe business plan has defined a way to translate the proposed phone-leasing plan into a highly profitable venture by attracting a very small percentage of the targeted population. The service provides differentiated benefits to its consumer's by recognizing a strong gap in the market, proving it to be a viable business plan. More focused research on the reactions to such a service by the consumers will need to be gauged to further validate its potential. The authors predict the service to have successfully taken off and be on a steep revenue curve by the end of year 5. This would be a good time to sell the business to a big service provider so that they can scale the service on the national level. Since it is a highly scalable service, a high financial gain could be received by selling the business at this point.

Profit and loss account for the first year end (Currency: India Rupee )

Turnover

Cost of sales Gross profit

Other capital expenditure Rent on premise Gas/Electricity Start-up costs Advertising and promotion Telephone charges Wages Other costs/income Profit before interest and taxation

Net interest receivableRetained profit

4,297,440

- 13,940,000 - 9,642,560

- 150,000 - 180,000 - 45,000 - 262,500 - 70,000 - 8,600

- 1,020,000 - 17,600

- 11,396,260

- 11,396,260

���������������������������������������������Undergraduate design and professional skills group projectApril 2009

Introduction

Initial Product Design Specification

This project follows from a brief was to design a product to attract prospective students to the mechanical engineering table at University open days. This report outlines the process undertaken to design an interactive and automated ‘3 Card Monte’using a range of mechanical engineering compoenents.

The fast speeds needed to fool users were achieved by high specification components, such as stepper motors, lead screws and control via a PLC/PIC thereby enabling interest into field of mechanical engineering.

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Initial DesignThe initial design was selected keeping in mind the easiest way the cards could be changed at a high speed. The design selected has one end arm able to lift, rotate and drop two cards at the same time. A lead screw is used to rapidly move the arm along the horizontal axis in either direction.

Lead screw option with swivel

Concept PossibilitiesTo bring the concept into relaization several mechanical components were studied to decipher which would be the best for use in the ‘Three Card Monte”

Possible solutions for holding and dropping the cards:

Comparison of holding and dropping solutions

Suction cups were ultimately chosen for this application as no modifications

would have to be made to the cards and the cards have a flat surface which is

perfect for suction.

Possible solutions for actuation

Comparison of actuation solutions

As the product is required to be compact and adaptable, electrical actuators

were chosen.

Monitoring of card position would again be controlled by the programming.

A PIC or programmable Logic controller was chosen as it is flexibile, with a

low cost and power consumption.

Material Selection

Final design with some dimensions

Features of Final Design

360 degree rotating arm

80 degree lift1mm clearance to avoid rubbing against Perspex leg

Screw with custom made ends to aid assemblyFinal Design

Pulley attached to motor and fishing line rolled around pulley and tied to hole to lift arm.

Bearings to spread load from Screw onto rails

Growth PlanThe end product produced is both mentally and visully stimulating. The perspex frame enables the user to look at the different engineering components in play inside the machine. With the advent of technologies such as Wii and e-books being used to enhance the educational experience, we feel the ‘Three Card Monte’ too would be successful as a hands-on educational tool. The ‘Automated Three Card Monte’ shows engineering components in action, providing a visual and intuitive method to teach students the principles of engineering.

Since the ‘Three Card Monte’ is a bespoke product which links to both gaming and engineering education, the authors will aim to explore both these avenues to sell the ‘Automated Three Card Monte’.

Marketing for the product will first be centred around its educational capabilities. The product will be sold at a price of £700. The higher price would be justified by the expensive components used to perform a difficult task and maintain long term usability of the product.

To lower the price for Universities, additonal aid through sponsorship by companies supplying the components would be looked into. In return their logo would be placed on the machine to provide them with exposure to the next generation of engineers.

After analysing the fixed costs dependant on making a small factory to

assemble the components the break even analysis below has been projected.

Variable cost/unit £

Fixed cost

Price/unit

BEP unit

Break Even Point

£

£

£

£

433.29

16650.00

700.00

433.29

60

124793.88

Data from breakeven table

An analysis of profitability conclude that at current factors the breakeven point will be reached after 60 products have been sold.

A mentally and visually stimulating “Aumated Three Card Monte’ was developed in this way using mechanical enginering concepts to grip the user and generate an interest in mechanical engineering. All the different aspects of new product develoment were researched upon to realise this concept. A study into materials, engineering components, manufacturing techniques, costing and marketing helped look at the various aspects surrounding new product development.The high speeds needed to fool users was achieved by using high specification components, such as stepper motors, lead screws and control via a PLC/PIC and as a result final unit costs are much greater than what was initially expected.

The proposed solution might stand to be expensive, however the benefits and opportunity for students to see mechanical components in action would be invaluable. The potential use of the product in arcades and casinos could also be explored to enable the product to reach a wider audience.

Finally, as a design project the design developed is fit for purpose with the ‘Automated Three Card Monte’ being capable to inspire interest amongst students and attract them to the ‘Mechanical Engineering’ display on open days.

Conclusion

�������������������������������������������������������������������������Use of Novel Materials and Manufacturing Techniques

IntroductionCleaning utensils is often viewed as a chore in the cooking process. Current cleaning methods include using conventional washing up liquids like Fairy and Persil which are found to be very harmful to the environment and human skin [The ethical consumer, 2009]. Although the dishwasher is gaining populrity, it is still expensive, requiring all dirt to be rinsed off first, before taking approximately 120 minutes to clean. It is therefore not ideal, consuming a significant amount of electricity, especially with increasing efforts to reduce electricity consumption.

Hence we see that an efficient, environmentally-friendly and healthy cleaning solution is desperately needed. This report aims to solve this need by offering self-cleaning cookware and tableware. The proposed solution is inspired by the sacred lotus leaf which has a super-hydrophobic surface which cleans itself. This proposition has a potential to completely change the way cleaning is done making one’s life easy, hassle-free and benefiting the environment

The Lotus EffectThe Lotus Effect refers to the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) leaves which grow in muddy water but emerge from it completely clean. They have a self-cleaning ability, which enables any dirt particles on the leaf to get easily cleaned by just a light shower of rain (Forbes, 2008).

Several studies carried out by scientists have found that the leaf has a super-hydrophobic surface making it extremely water repellent. A super-hydrophobic surface is measured by its static contact angle when a drop of water is placed on its surface (Shirtcliffe et. Al, 2004). Static contact angle refers to the angle between the material and the surface of water as shown.

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The Design ProposalThe Lotus has this effect to not only protect itself from dirt and contamination, but more importantly from pathogenic organic contamination like bacteria or spores. Hence this technology can be very beneficial for cookware as it gives multiple benefits of self cleaning, reducing the need for harmful detergents as well as protection against bacteria (Lotus Effekt, 2010). The proposed solution is for frying pans and tableware, and will use a Teflon coating with the Lotus effect to provide a self-cleaning anti-bacterial and anti-microbial finish.The reason the Teflon coating as been chosen is because:

It is naturally hydrophobic with a contact angle of 100°C (the ethicalconsumer, 2009). It already has a well-established use in cookware especially frying pans,and can withstand high temperatures upto 349°C (660 F). Most foods like vegetable oil, fats and butter start to scorch and smoke after 204°C and hence it can be used for most cooking purposes requiring low to medium heat (Dupont, 2010).Very good corrosion resistance.Teflon has been accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be safe for conventional kitchen use.Teflon particles if ingested are not harmful (Dupont, 2010).It can be recoated.

The Teflon coated non-stick pans were introduced in 1961, and have been a huge success since, as they provide easy cleaning and cooking, the non stick surface further enables less oil to be used whilst cooking thereby making the food healthier. Hence the proposed solution will further enahnce the Teflon effect by making it super-hydrophobic.

Showing the contact angle for different surfaces, and the effect it has in its self-cleaning ability. [Source: Forbes, P. (2008)]

The super-hydrophobic surface of the Lotus leaf is due to two distinct features. The waxiness of the lotus leaf enables it to be only hydrophobic. However the structure of the coating consists of nano-sized wax crystals, which appear as bumps under the microscope, which make the surface super-hydrophobic (illustrated by the spikes in the figure).

As these are microscopic bumps they are able to trap air between them blocking the water to touch the surface below, and hence the surface still appears to be smooth to the human hand. Due to this, only two or three percent of the dirt or water on this surface, is in contact with the leaf surface. Therefore when a water droplet slides any dirt is easily attracted to it and leaves the surface. This produces a self-cleaning surface, the principle of which can be applied to various applications (Forbes, 2008).Super-hydrophobic surfaces have recently started to be used in the cement, window and textile industry however their application to cooking utensils has not been studied.

Proposed forming and coating methodTo discuss the proposed coating method I would like to exhibit the work in two papers and then combine their results to reach an optimum coating surface for the proposed self cleaning cookware and tableware.The coating method generally used consists of nano-sized tubules to be formed above the surface of the product. The picture illustrates a coating experiment conducted at the Ohio state University. Here a two step molding process was used to compare different surfaces and judge which surface was the most efficient. The first was a low cost molding process used to replicate a micro-patterned silicon surface using an epoxy resin, on nano and hierarchical structures. Hydrophobic nanostructures were created by self assembly of alkanes (C36H74) on the micro- and hierarchical structures. The resultant SEM micrographs are presented alongside (Bhushan et. Al, 2009).

SEM Micrograph of the different surfaces created at Ohio State University [Bhushan et. Al, 2009]

The static contact angle for these was then measured where the flat surface had 91°C, the nanostructure had 158°C, the microstructure had 154°C and the hierarchical

structure had 169°C. The experiment further showed that the hierarchical structure is able to maintain an air pocket at the bottom of the droplet, which remains intact even after evaporation experiments. This ensures the hierarchical structure prevents liquid to fill the gaps between the pillars even when heated, giving the most benefit. The micropatterened design may not be very robust in applications like cooking and cutlery as they will undergo a high amount of shear thereby likely causing the modules to break off. Hence the author proposes to combine the nanostructured platelets with another coating method more suited for this application.

The second coating method proposed is one researched by the University of Cambridge where super-hydrophobic surfaces are made using Teflon. Here a low cost approach is made using a aqueous suspension mixture containing Teflon spheres (200 nm) with larger sacrificial polystyrene beads (100nm – 3 µm). The mixture was spread-coated by moving a sharp blade across to drop off suspension on the substrate. It was then heated to make the Teflon colloids sinter together. The polystyrene colloids were then removed by annealing and washing, leaving an almost hexagonal array of circular pores. The wettability was then characterised using the static contact angle of a water droplet. The density of pores was found to also affect the wettability and depended on the volume of sacrificial to Teflon colloids. The optimum value was found to be between 0.6-0.75 which gave the static contact angle of approximately 170°C to the Teflon surface (Van Der Wals and Steiner, 2006).

The unstructured Teflon surface has a contact angle with water of approximately 110°C, the porous surface structure significantly increases the contact angle to 170°C. This interconnected structure has also been tested to be more robust in withstanding surface shear. Furthermore the proposed process is low cost using industrially-used dispersions.

This contact angle could further be increased using the nanstructured platelets which would help form a air gap thereby ensuring the food never touches the particle surface. This will ensure the food easily and quickly slips off the cookware when rinsed with water.

Illustration of the hexagonal array of circular pores created in the University of Cambridge (Van Der Wals and Steiner, 2006)

Material for Tableware (dishes, bowls and serving pieces)The main material for the underlying material in the self cleaning tableware line is proposed to be glass-ceramic as they contain properties of both glass and ceramic. It is a mechanically strong material able to withstand sudden and extreme and sudden temperature changes. It also has low thermal expansion thereby making it an ideal choice for tableware (Lefteri, 2003). This material is currently used in cooktops and hence is extremely durable with a long life.Material for Cookware

Glass-ceramic is a great material to use for cookware. However they are not completely unbreakable and hence a range of aluminium based cookware is proposed. Aluminium is suggested because it is light and environmentally friendly being one of the most abundant metals available (Lefteri, 2004). It is also soft, durable, mechanically strong, stiff and can be easily machined. It has strong corrosion resistance and good thermal conductivity thereby making it ideal for the self cleaning cookware.

Demonstration of red wine, water and soy sauce on the GreenShield fabric made replicating the lotus effect (Source: Greensheild, 2010)

ConclusionSuper-hydrophobic surfaces are being used to create self-cleaning textiles, cement and glass. Applying this technology to cookware would enable a high level of convinience and sustainability compared to current solutions, making it a lucrative business venture to pursue.

This report proposes the possible application of the Lotus inspired self-cleaning super-hydrophobic coating for cookware and tableware. The chosen Teflon coating ensures the temperatures upto 349°C can be reached. The further study into tested and recommended coating and forming methods uncovered a possible process where the static contact angle with water could reach 170°C thereby almost forming a clear sphere with the water droplet. Any dirt would barely touch the surface at this angle making it effortless to clean.

The selection of base materials of Glass-ceramic and Aluminium are to provide robust utensils which will last for years. The life of the self-cleaning porous Teflon coating will need to be determined through experimentation however the ability to re-coat using Teflon ensures that the utensils can be used for a long period of time. The chosen approach for making the super-hydrophobic surface is low cost therefore economically feasible and more resistant to shear, thereby ensuring a longer life compared to other techniques. The proposed solution increases convinience whilst being better for the environment fullfilling two essential requirements thereby having the potential to be a truly disruptive innovation capable of transforming the current cleaning process.

The results of an experiment conducted by scientists to apply the lotus structure on different materials [Source: Lotus Effekt]