Scooter opportunity
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===Hand or Foot Operated Disk Brakes=== | ===Hand or Foot Operated Disk Brakes=== | ||
| - | [[Image:Scooter2_2.png| | + | [[Image:Scooter2_2.png|600px]] |
===Improved Storage Capabilities=== | ===Improved Storage Capabilities=== | ||
| - | [[Image:Scooter2_3.png| | + | [[Image:Scooter2_3.png|600px]] |
| - | [[Image:Scooter2_4.png| | + | [[Image:Scooter2_4.png|600px]] |
===Hover Scooter=== | ===Hover Scooter=== | ||
| - | [[Image:Scooter2_5.png| | + | [[Image:Scooter2_5.png|600px]] |
| - | [[Image:Scooter2_6.png| | + | [[Image:Scooter2_6.png|600px]] |
==Competitor Products== | ==Competitor Products== | ||
Revision as of 14:48, 25 February 2012
Report 2: Market Research and Design Concepts
Group Information
24-441 Spring 2012, Group 10
Executive Summary
summarize work done, findings
Phase 2 Overview
Process Summary
To begin with, the group brainstormed on various ideas using the methods described in class. We focused on the utility of the product by keeping in mind the needs of the stakeholders. Creative ideas were discussed in order to add exciting functionality to the product, however many were not feasible to use, manufacture, assemble or sell. Possible design solutions were proposed, by sketches and descriptions for various designs. Then each idea was analyzed and a short-list containing the top ten choices were formed. A Pugh chart was formed using the short-list and ideas were ranked. The top items according to rank were ‘Build Your Own Scooter’, ‘Laser Tag Scooter’ and ‘Umbrella Scooter’.
In sync with analyzing designs, our group was involved in market research. We conducted an interview with a user who uses the Razor scooter regularly on the Carnegie Mellon campus. This allowed us to get important insight into the needs of the customers. We also analyzed product reviews on the Internet and contacted the Razor Scooter USA for answering detailed questions on the product. All these reviews contributed in a better understanding of the product and provided enough information for a detailed product research report.
Market Research
There are several market research techniques that we performed to help determine potential innovations for the Razor scooter. In gathering more detailed results, we decided to research product reviews, conduct a survey, perform a user interview and use study observation. From our analysis, we were able to narrow our 100 innovations list down to the top 4 potential designs for a newly developed Razor scooter. Our next tasks are to compare options and competitor products to help finalize our top design in moving further.
Major Stakeholder Needs
Manufacturing
Manufacturers will care mainly about material and process costs. Some of their requirements are:
- Simple parts that can be mass produced
- A small number of unique parts
- Assembly with minimal effort
- Fast assembly time
- Low environmental effect of materials used
- Product/Material re-usability
Shipping
The shipping companies will be most concerned with spending the least amount of resources while transporting the maximum amount of product. Some of their requirements are:
- Maximum compressibility
- Low weight
- Low volume
- Reduce empty/wasted space
- Durable enough to withstand damage with minimal padding
Retailing
The primary goal of the retailer is to sell the product as quickly and for as high of a profit as possible. The retailers' requirements are:
- Appealing colors to customers
- Cheap product cost for maximal profit
- Easy to advertise
- Minimal store floor-space usage
- Efficient packaging for minimal storage space
Potential Consumers and their Concerns
Parents
Parents will be purchasing the product for their children to use. Their primary concerns will be:
- Safe
- Low cost
- Reliable
- Durable
- Something their kids will want and consider cool
Kids
Children will use the product mainly as a toy, but it will also double as a status symbol. Their needs are:
- Fun
- Cool
- Light weight
- Trick friendly
College Students
College Students will use the scooter as a light and easy form of transportation around campus. The requirements for college students are:
- Portable
- Collapsible
- Durable
- Light weight
- Easy to carry/store
- Energy efficient
- Cheap
Product Reviews
After reviewing several product reviews from Amazon, Toys R Us, Target, and Wal-Mart, we were able to weight various pros and cons of the Razor scooter. This part of the market research helped to outline various key criteria that customers find important in their scooter product such as durability, aesthetics, speed, weight, potability, capabilities, safety, etc. Here below are a few reviews from different purchasing companies that we highlighted in our research in choosing specific criteria for our future design. We wanted to make sure to recognize the pros and cons of our product.
Pros
"Attractive Design; Plain awesome; Lightweight; Quality Construction; Fun To Ride; Easy To Learn"
"Compared to a real pro scooter the price is amazing and the weight is awesome compared to the 20 pounds of other scooters"
"Quality Construction; Long lasting; Attractive Design; Easy To Learn; Lightweight; Fun To Ride"
"Great for price"
"Great for skateparks. get lucky bullet pegs on it and its just amazing. Get odi longnecks or some other grips for it, the razor grips are horrible and hurt
"Great scooter. Amazing. Awesome deal, too! Comes with one piece bars and a one piece deck-- VERY sturdy! I replaced the grips with ODI longneck grips and ODI barends, new griptape, new wheels, and it is amazing. GREAT FOR ANYONE INTERMEDIATE TO SUPER PRO. Beginner riders should sart with either an earlier razor or a razor pro because they shouldnt be handeling a scooter like this so early. I get tons of compliments on my scooter, with the fact i customized it and cuz its a razor ultra pro. The original Ultra Pro has bars that are a bit... well... WAY too high. These are the perfect height for me. Great deal and amazing scooter. HIGHLY RECCOMEND!!!"
"Tough scooter!"
Cons
"The steering column sometimes will move independently of the front wheel. Adjusting the hex nut where the two primary halves of the steering column connect does nothing."
"The back tire developed a large dent. My son is far from a professional user, and the jumps and tricks he does are very tame compared to a middle school or high school student. But he does go off low curbs. But he's ridden the same way for years on his previous Razor. The tires are clearly different on this newer model...they are translucent instead of opaque. And at some point, he must have gone off a curb, putting a large dent in the back tire. The tire should be able to support modest tricks by a modest rider, just as previous versions have."
"I bought this for my daughter and it is already broken. I asked her what happen and she said 'I was just riding it and it stopped turning'.....something inside the base of the handle bars has shifted out of place and she can no longer ride it :( we can try to fix it I suppose but after having the scooter for 11 days we should NOT have to be fixing it."
"Everything was good about it except one thing,Sometimes when I go from the sidewalk to the street I hit the gutter in between and when I go on it the bottom of the scooter scrapes the concrete and people can sometimes fall really easily."
"This is a very bad scooter compared to the old razors. The old razors were much lighter and stronger. After 4 months of hard riding it started to develop shake (not from the headset) and rode very low to the ground."
"Poor Clearance, heavy"
From these reviews, we were able to gather valuable information. We were informed very much of the consumers' wants, needs, and dislikes in the Razor scooter. We used this knowledge to factor in on what design prototype would be most feasible for interest and marketable in comparison to competitor products.
User Interviews
Use Study Observation
Expert Interviews
Survey Results
Main Discoveries
(in more detail than in key findings section)
Design Concepts
List 4 top designs here in a brief description.
Build Your Own Scooter
Hand or Foot Operated Disk Brakes
Improved Storage Capabilities
Hover Scooter
Competitor Products
Build Your Own Scooter Competition
Brake Competition
Storage Competition
Hover Competition
Next Steps
picture of Gantt chart, what we hope to accomplish in the next phase.
Conclusions
Our key findings in detail, and which opportunity we intend to pursue and why. A hypothetical user scenario.
Appendix A: List of 100+ Brainstormed Ideas
- smoother ride
- better wheel technology
- spherical wheels for omnidirectional motion
- collapsible wheels
- greater energy output with less input
- easier collapsibility
- lighter
- more portable
- adding a carrier for accessories (something to carry items)
- adding more telescoping rods for taller riders
- greener material usage
- wider deck for comfort
- multiseasonal scooter
- ski scooter
- winterized scooter
- heated wheels
- anti lock breaks
- hand break wiring system to back wheel
- turning system
- brake system that doesn't rub against the wheel so much
- better folding mechanism
- no more release buttons
- bigger release buttons
- safety latches
- trick friendly
- better braking mechanism
- expandable foot deck
- taller tube
- claw break for spherical wheels
- foot operated disc brakes
- extra padding at the bottom of wheel to reduce wearing
- additional safety pieces to components
- cleaning attachments on the back wheel (mop, broom)
- strap for easy carrying
- foot latch to release and hold (fold in and fold out) the foot deck when going in and out of buildings
- roll the folded scooter like a cart or suitcase when in buildings
- something to stop the deck hitting against your leg when carrying it
- integrated backpack carrier
- stronger wheels
- inflatable wheels
- sturdier steering mechanism
- more clearance
- electronically adjustable steering
- speed sensitive steering
- Bluetooth on scooter
- Wifi on scooter
- Mobile hotspot scooter
- Power generator scooter
- Charge devices from mechanical power
- Carrier for water bottle or cell phone
- Kickstand
- Scooter that can tow things
- Drop down safety wheels
- Hover scooter
- Jet scooter
- Water ski scooter
- Floating scooter
- Hockey stick integratible scooter
- Ice skate scooter
- Headlight
- Glow in the dark scooter
- Scooter with leash attachment
- Training wheels on scooter
- Speakers integrated
- Off road scooter with huge wheels
- Laser tag scooter
- Paintball scooter
- Headphone integrated wrapping mechanism
- Scooter with kicking attachment for kickball or beating up little kids
- Customizable decals
- Kit of decorations for scooter
- Build your own scooter
- Bumper scooters
- Pogo stick/scooter combo
- Make it easier to disassemble or repair/simplify design
- Scooter/hang glider combo
- Gps on scooter
- ekg scooter
- heart rate monitor scooter
- integrated track your workout system
- variable resistance for workouts
- scooter sled
- laptop carrier on scooter
- umbrella scooter
- solar panel scooter
- sand scooter
- fan on that scooter that runs on generated energy
- scooter that can sell back energy grid
- wind-powered scooter
- scooter that can carry your pets
- scooter that carries pet toys
- water gun scooter
- sprinkler scooter
- scooter lawn mower w/ all-terrain wheel on front
- shovel scooter
- leaf blower scooter
- snow blower scooter
- weed whacker scooter
- scooter storage compartment in foot deck
- chair scooter
- locking mechanism
- scooter w/ sail
- tank scooter
- tandem scooter
Appendix B: Patent Search
Mobility Scooter/Lawn Mower Attachment
