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Revision as of 23:57, 11 February 2014

Executive Summary

Market Research

Conducting research on the soda gun was an interesting task because it is not a common consumer product. We visited local restaurants and bar areas to conduct anthropological research, as well as call and email a variety of companies and maintenance corporations.

Product reviews and secondary research were also conducted, which provided us with a variety of information ranging from homemade soda guns to intricate bar set up reviews.

We geared away from surveys and use studies because the soda gun is an uncommon consumer product. Often, users receive waitress or bar tending training before using the product and are instructed on how it functions. Use studies would be difficult to set up because the full system is very difficult to acquire. It is important to note these inconveniences when developing new opportunities. Perhaps our new product could function without the need of training. Perhaps we could condense the system, making it more transportable.

Anthropological Study: Friday Afternoon

Hemmingway's Syrup Boxes and CO2 Tank Set-Up

Two of our group members walked Oakland on Friday afternoon to visit bars (Hemingway's) and restaurant's (Noodles & Co. and Fuel & Fuddle) on Friday afternoon during off hours. The goal of this study was to interview bartenders, and get insider opinions on how a user interacts with a soda dispensing system.

We learned that the plastic pieces on the soda gun are colored either red (if the establishment sells Coke) or blue (if the establishment sells Pepsi). We learned that the decision of which brand to sell is based mostly on customer demand.

We also learned that almost none of the restaurant owners/bartenders knew how to fix the gun if there was a problem. All maintenance was handled by an outside maintenance man even for problems as simple as a leaky O-ring or a bad syrup ratio. Also, all the ratios are set by the installer.

Specifics to Hemingway's: There are two stations behind the bar with three soda guns each: juices, sodas, and red bull. This is so the bartender can make a mixed drink pitcher more quickly by using two soda guns at once (say to combine cranberry juice and sprite).

The CO2 tanks and syrup boxes were located underneath a trapdoor behind the bar.

There was also a soda dispenser that was used mostly by the waiters. The bartender said she also preferred to use the soda dispenser to get cups of soda because it filled glasses faster than the soda gun.

Bartenders were responsible for changing the syrup boxes out (which happened on average once a week). The syrup was siphoned out by a vacuum system so there was almost no waste. Each box made around 10,000 glasses of soda and cost around $4. The large 50-liter CO2 tanks were refilled by the distributor about every two weeks.

Likes: Can Duel-Wield Soda Gun

Dislikes: Very slow compared to soda machine, Pushing multiple buttons at once doesn't work, Short Leash, Metal tube is sometimes too stiff and causes the gun to twist out of the holster

Specifics to Fuel & Fuddle: There are two stations with one 12-button gun, both for soda. This is a smaller bar and the soda gun was liked much less by everyone who worked there. It was very slow, and the syrup ratios were off. In general, the entire bar/waiting staff would prefer a soda dispenser for its speed and ease of use.

Anthropological Study: Saturday Night

Two of our group members walked down to Shadyside on Saturday night to visit bars(Mario's) and restaurants (Steel Cactus) during prime hours. The goal of this study was to observe how bartenders and waiters/ waitresses used the soda gun in a high stress environment.

Unfortunately, because the bartenders and waitresses were very busy, we could not conduct an interview with them. To continue the study, we sat close to the soda guns and made observations on how the employees interacted with the product.

We learned that longer bars have more than one gun attached. Steel Cactus serves Pepsi products, which we could notice through the blue plastic nozzle and handle. When the bar tender utilized the soda gun, he seemed to understand what buttons produced each syrup, even though they weren't labelled with brand names or icons. We assumed this intuitive state of thinking came from experience. We also noticed that only one button was pressed at a time. The bartender would often combine carbonated soda and a juice. To do so, he had to press the carbonated soda button, release it, then press the juice button.

On average, a drink would take 4-5 seconds to pour. Before mixing a drink, the bartender would grab the liquor bottle, walk over to the soda gun, use one hand to release the soda and the other hand to pour the liquor. This maximized the bartender's efficiency so he wasn't standing idle waiting for the glass to fill with soda. It is also important to note that the bartender would walk to the gun. He never fully utilized the extension of the gun. This occurred because the soda gun was re-holstered after every use. We were curious as to why the bartender would walk half way around the bar to utilize the soda gun instead of pulling it towards them. When we leaned closer, we realized the holster multi-functioned as a draining device. Any residue from the soda nozzle would drip into the holster down into a drain. The bartenders walked to the gun to maximize cleanliness, even if it cost them an extra five seconds.

On a busy night, bartenders utilize the soda gun 4-5 times per minute. Assuming busy hours at a bar in Shadyside to be between 11pm and 2am, the soda gun is used roughly 800 times per night. Rapid use and durability are significant factors to consider during design.

Anthropological Study: Soda Fountains

Stakeholder Interviews

Expert Interviews

Product Reviews

Key Points:

• There appears to be some demand for in-home soda dispensing systems
  • Average annual consumption of carbonated soft drinks in America is 44.7 gallons per person, per year. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/27/americans-soda-beer_n_885340.html)
  • There are current products in the market that allow for the adaptation of a Wunderbar system into a home system (Bar Bandit)
• Uses 2-liter bottles and CO2 to power soda through a Wunderbar gun, allowing for off-counter storage of bottles
• Benefits include portability, integrate-ability into current CO2 line set ups, low cost, increased work space, and professionalism (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE9kaeB_Bd4)
  • Wholesale distributors allow you to buy soda syrup directly (http://www.markpowers-and-company.com/Wunder-Bar%20Setup.htm)
• A home user may not drink a 2L bottle of soda fast enough to prevent it from going flat, adding a CO2 component to preserve carbonation is attractive to consumers
  • Purchasing the equipment (gun) especially new, is expensive and requires some know-how of how the set-up should work
  • Bar guns should be cleaned daily to prevent contamination in the lines
• Our dissection product was a hydraulic post-mix gun, but most home consumers prefer pre-mix because it is easier and there is no syrup mixing involved (brixing etc.) (http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/soda-gun-anyone-used-one-these-35702/)
• The presence of a bar gun gives a bar, both in commercial and home settings, a sense of authenticity, a desired trait for many (http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topic/295421-should-i-get-a-soda-gun/)
• The bar gun allows users to “custom-set” their own preferences for brixing based on how they think the soda should taste
• Syrup attracts flies, ants, etc.
• Pre-mix guns can dispense beer, but post-mix guns can’t (all foam, wrong carbonation levels, mixer in gun prevents it) (http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/can-soda-bar-gun-dispense-beer-259425/)
• Financially, you will save money buying syrup and CO2 rather than soda itself (http://www.city-data.com/forum/house/579747-home-soda-fountain.html)
• Commercially, soda guns/fountains are preferable to bottles, but when maintenance and portability are brought into the picture, the advantage is reduced (http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/Coke-Dispensing-Machine-m551245.aspx)

Current Home Soda Products on Market:

• Soda Stream (http://www.sodastreamusa.com/carbonators.aspx)
  • Light-weight, smaller CO2 bottles
  • Uses tap water and soda syrups to carbonate soda in the home
  • Counter top device, no hoses or expected know-how
  • Must be set-up for each serving/use
  • Easy to clean
  • Relatively low up-front costs ($79-$200)

General Impression:

• Many users express interest in a home soda gun for a variety of purposes, but the complexity of the set-up, the maintenance required, and the cost of commercial systems are major deterrents

Secondary Research

Appendix

List of Interview Questions for the User

• What do you like about your soda gun?
• What don’t you like about your soda gun?
• Has your soda gun ever broken? If so, how?
• What parts of the soda gun are tedious?
• Have you ever lost a customer because of soda gun malfunction?
• Have you ever used the shut off screw?
• What’s the most creative way you use the soda gun?
• Are there any quick fixes you have applied to the device to make it easier?
• How often does the product require maintenance?
• How easy is the product to maintain?
• How often do you clean the product? How? Issues?
• Can you personally maintain or do you need to call for assistance?
• Do you know how to adjust the soda ratio?
• Can you notice the difference between fountain soda and pre-bottled soda?
• Is the gun long enough to reach the full bar?
• Are the buttons hard to press?
• Are the buttons intuitive?
• Do you know how to refill the syrups?
• Where is the product from?
• What is the lifespan of the product?
• Is the product owned or licensed?

List of Interview Questions for Stakeholders and Experts

• What part of this product is the most difficult to produce?
• What part of this product is the easiest to produce?
• Where do you see the most failures in the product?
• Where do you see the least amount of failures in the product?
• Can you reduce part numbers?
• What part of this product is the most difficult to maintain?
• What part of this product is the easiest to maintain?
• How often are you called in to maintain the product?
• What replacement parts are purchased the most?
• What parts can be replaced individually? What failures require full system replacement?
• What is the lifespan of the product?
• Is the system transferable? Is the system worth transferring?