Assignment #2 Will it be Adopted? [EVERYONE]

Find a new product and write a brief analysis/evaluation of this product - provide an explanation of why or why not this product/technology will be adopted (or not), and if it will be adopted slowly or quickly.  Explain why in terms of RELATIVE ADVANTAGE, COMPATIBILITY, ADAPTABILITY (RE-INVENTABILITY), and OBSERVABILITY.

Inanna Eshoo
Baby Stroller and Scooter Hybrid

The baby stroller and scooter hybrid is exactly what it sounds like. This invention gives stroller-pushers the option to scoot with the stroller instead. You can get places faster if you have somewhere to be, or you can amuse the baby and yourself by whizzing past traffic and archaic ‘Stroller-Only’ strollers on sidewalks. The scooter option is retractable so you can simply walk if you feel like it as well. However, the baby stroller itself is too simple as it lacks many of the accessories now commonly found and expected in baby strollers (pouches, basket under stroller, etc.)

I do not believe this stroller will be adopted by a lot of people because it is not very compatible with our current society, its relative advantage is low, and it is no very adaptable.

Compatibility wise, the scooter-stroller hybrid doesn’t quite cut it. Sidewalks are not big enough for parents to be shooting down with giant strollers. It also brings up many safety issues. Would they go in the bike lane and risk putting a child in such close proximity with cars? There are also bumps on the roads that could hurt young children if they are rocked around.

Compared to a normal stroller, you would get from point A to point B quicker and having more fun (theoretically). There is a relative advantage here, but I believe it appeals to only a small part of the population. Not many people rush places with their baby strollers. If they do, it is usually those who have to travel a further distance to a grocery store or mall but this is a limited amount of people. And most of these people that walk to these places live in cities where the streets are not “giant-scooter” friendly.  More people would just drive the child to avoid poor weather conditions or other safety issues. Therefore the relative advantage is lacking for most of the population.

It is observable since you can’t really ignore the person scooting with a baby stroller, but the reaction to a parent scooting with a young child could be a mixed one. It won’t be regarded as ‘cool’ or necessary by everyone. In my opinion, it will be viewed similar to a Segway, in limited situations it can be useful, but the majority of the population sees no need for one.

Adaptability is also low since it not able to be much more than a scooter and a baby stroller. Unless you can break the scooter part off and use that separately such as if you have another older child who wants a scooter.

Re-inventability? Some design errors could include that it is dangerous. You could add chock absorbers to the wheels and just generally have a more protective. I would have more ‘Stroller’ qualities added to it such as a flap you can pull over the baby to protect it from the sun and a storage basket or pouch for the parents’ equipment. I’m also not quite sure how the turning works… if the handle bar is the steering wheel, it doesn’t look very moveable. You could also remove the ‘scooter’ part and make it more like a Segway and make it electrical so you don’t have to put effort into the driving of the scooter.

            Granted, it could be of amusement to the baby for it to be soaring on the roads every once in a while, so it’s not a completely bizarre or useless option to have. I know mothers and fathers do go jogging with their baby strollers and they could mix it up a bit and scooter now and then. However, in the end I don’t believe it will be adopted because the relative advantage is not that high, its compatibility with parents and our current sidewalks is low, and it is not very adaptable.

Michael Lee
FAT MAGNET

In a world where fat-free and low-fat dominate our discussions of how to eat healthier, this fat magnet certainly gives people an easy way to cut down on fat.  Just push the power button after cooking your meal, and this fat magnet will do it's magic.  You can easily buy it on Amazon.

RELATIVE ADVANTAGE - Rather than spending extra money on fat-free or low-fat products, or comprising the taste of regular products to fat-free or low fat products, just use this fat magnet after you cook.  I do not believe there are other fat magnet products.

COMPATIBILITY -  This product can be used within the norms because it looks just like another kitchen tool.  I would believe that more people would use this because I have experienced how people view low-fat and fat-free products.  This eliminates that 'journey' to find fat-free or low-fat products, and just lets the person cook the way they want to and not worry about counting fat calories. 

ADAPTABILITY (RE-INVENTABILITY) - This product would not be considered a generalist product.  It is very specific in what it does: removing fat from finished cooked meals/foods.

OBSERVABILITY - The fat magnet would be hard to measure observability because the kitchen is a private place where only your friends and family would see, but the fat magnet could be promoted on cooking channels.  Maybe even restaurants could promote the product.  Because we live in a society where watching cooking channels (Food Network & The Cooking Channel) and eating out at restaurants are so common, this product could find a very favorable observability. 

Conclusion: I believe that the fat magnet is an adoptable product.  The only issue I think would rise is the effectiveness of the product at removing fat from foods.  


Vincent Cheng
Foot Powered Bicycle

RELATIVE ADVANTAGE

There is no relative advantages of this product because it’s against the original purposes of bicycle: Fast, Energy Efficient, and Comfortable. Since this new type of bicycle doesn’t have pedals, it is very inefficient when going uphill since the rider need to carry himself plus the bike, which cost a lot of energy and at a slower rate compare to the bicycle that with pedals. Also, the new type of bicycle cannot go very fast since it use the momentum of our foot to provide speed rather than paddling the bike. This kind of bike cannot be used for competition purposes, which limits its usefulness. Lastly, the five point belt system that hold the person is not user friendly. Heavier people might feel uncomfortable since their whole body is strapped by the belt, which makes it not as comfortable as the bike seat.

COMPATIBILITY

Compatibility of this new type of bicycle is very low because it is not very efficient and against the norms of the widely-used pedal type bicycles. The pedal type bicycle is efficient in all different type of road that have different elevations because it can attach a lot of different devices, like gearbox, to make the bicycle more efficient. While the new type only rely on the power of the leg instead of mechanism, this type is not as compatible as the paddle type bicycle.

ADAPTABILITY (RE-INVENTABILITY)

Since this new type of bicycle is based on the design of the first bicycle, a more advanced version of it, the paddle type, is already invented. In addition, since this new type of bicycle cannot go very fast and inefficient in uphill situation, the usefulness of this bike is low compare to the paddle type. Therefore, the adaptability of this new design is low.

OBSERVABILITY

The result of this kind of new bike is minimal because it’s performance is way lower than the paddle type bicycle that widely used by the public as explained above. Also, the new type of bicycle cannot be used in sports competition, which makes the exposure of this new type of bicycle relative low compare to the paddle type. Therefore the observability is very low. 

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this new type of foot powered bicycle will not be adopted since a more advanced version, the paddle type, already exist which is more energy efficient, multipurpose, and more comfortable.
Product Link: 
1) http://www.boredpanda.com/funny-inventions/
2) http://www.boredpanda.com/funny-inventions/?image_id=crazy-inventions-24-2.jpg

The Birksun 6 Watt Solar Backpack

By Kiron Chandy

Price: $160

Product Description: The Birksun 6 Watt Solar Backpack is a messenger laptop bag that charges tablets and mobile devices. It comes with a battery with 1 hour of sunlight generates at 25% charge boost for smart phone. In addition, it has features comparable to other bags: a utility pouch for tablets, areas for pens and business cards, and a water bottle holder.

Relative Advantage (Low): Compared to a regular backpack, it has a solar power capability to charge mobile devices and tablets. It eliminates the pesky inconvenience of having your device run out of battery while you’re on the go and you don’t have your charger on you. Therefore, it’s most useful for folks who have an active lifestyle, who are often traveling, or those who perennially forget to charge their devices.

Compatibility (High): The Birksun Solar Backpack is compatible for a range of mobile devices and other portable electronic devices (e.g., iPhone 5, 4S, 4, GoPro Camera, Amazon Kindle, Samsung Galaxy, Garmin GPS). This is because the Birksun comes equipped with a USB cord, of which most electronic devices have a USB port.

Adaptability (Re-inventability) (Medium): Assembly of parts is relatively simple. All you would need is to purchase a portable solar panel, acquire a sewing machine, and some fabric. However, few people would purchase portable solar panels, most of which are extremely expensive.

Observability (High): Backpacks are highly visible in the everyday life. People wear them walking around the city and while taking public transportation.

Critical Design Error: 1) Doesn’t take into consideration the ubiquity of plugs and changing stations in the United States. 2) Additionally, I don’t think the pricing reflects the true willingness to rid yourself of the inconvenience of a dead phone. Most folks who care that deeply about their device dying on them will just carry a charger around rather than pay $160 bucks.

Diagnosis (Will Not Be Adopted): While the Birksun backpack is futuristic and eliminates the inconvenience of trying to find outlets to charge your devices while you’re on the go, I believe it’s nothing more than a fad. It will ultimately fail to be adopted at a large scale because of the ubiquity of outlets and charging stations in nearly every public place and the relatively long battery life for most electronic devices today.

I doubt this particular backpack would penetrate more than 5% of the backpack market because it has a highly specific use and would also be competing with other multi-purpose backpacks that come with more space or are more durable. The “innovators” and “early adopters” might sport these around because they want to emphasize their individual expression, this is a product unfit for the masses. In fact, I believe I saw one of my friends sporting these as a senior in high school (5 years ago), and I haven’t seen very many since.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/1661/?itm=31863459765product_typeComputer_Stuff_Bags_%26_Cases&rkgid=441231478&cpg=ogpla&source=google_pla&device=c&network=g&matchtype=&gclid=CJmUsa_V-7kCFUfZQgodywEATw

Soylent

By Nikhita Singh

Introducing Soylent

Soylent, a food substitute designed by software engineer Rob Rhinehart, has garnered significant media attention and over $1,000,000 in crowd-sourced funding in the past few months. The product is a mixture of rice protein, olive oil, raw chemical powders and starch in powdered form that simply requires the addition of water to prepare. Soylent is designed to fulfill all daily human nutritional needs. Rhinehart’s goal in developing Soylent is to provide a low-cost, and easy-to-prepare alternative to regular food. The founders of the company and many others have been living solely on Soylent for the past several months and have continuously been blogging about their experience. More information regarding Soylent can be found at: https://campaign.soylent.me/soylent-free-your-body

Soylent, as a product, offers an interesting case study in adoption. The product presents a revolutionary idea—that having a “default” liquid diet can be healthier for the body than the status quo. While the initial reaction tends to be unfavorable, the realization that such a diet could free up the time and money spent on buying, cooking, and cleaning food is a compelling idea. The concept also holds merit for combating the issue of malnourishment in developing countries.

Relative Advantage

One of the most relevant parameters to judge the future adoptability of Soylent is the relative advantage it provides. Soylent is far more cost effective than regular food, at approximately $2.83 - $3.10 per meal. Rhinehart hopes to bring the cost to $5 a day. Soylent also provides a significant time saving. Food preparation takes a significant amount of time on a daily basis—buying groceries, cooking, cleaning etc. Soylent removes these hassles from day-to-day lives, allowing people to focus on other priorities. In addition, Soylent is also easier to transport and store, making it a compelling choice for battling hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. Finally, Soylent claims to contain all the necessary nutrients for a balanced daily diet and can be customized for the needs of each user, allowing people to be healthier without having to worry about missing essential nutrients. These relative advantages provide a strong argument in favor of mass adoption.

A counterpoint to these advantages is the potential health side effects of consuming a primarily liquid diet and the lack of variability in taste. However, it is possible to consume Soylent along with regular food and use it to supplement one’s regular diet rather than replace. By leveraging social media and blogging about daily experiences while consuming solely Soylent, the founders, and other early adopters have been able to minimize some concerns regarding the safety of the product. While some questions remain unanswered, the lowered cost, increased time-savings, and ease of transport/storage offer strong relative advantages to the status quo.

Adaptability

Soylent offers very high adaptability due to its simplistic nature. The ingredients required for the product are available in most places and can be produced at a low cost. The product is in powdered form and requires water to be added before being consumed. Soylent, due to its powdered form, is easy to store and transport. The chemical make up of the product is designed to fulfill the core nutritional needs of a human being. While these may vary slightly across different geographical regions and races, they are primarily consistent. This allows for its application in both developing and developed nations. Since Soylent can easily be re-invented for all humans and environments, it allows for quick adoption.

Compatibility

While adaptability and relative advantages for Soylent offer a compelling case for quick, large-scale adoption, the compatability is perhaps the most significant barrier. Soylent, as a concept, goes against the social norm. It proposes a revolutionary idea that challenges frameworks that have been built over generations. Food is often treated as a sign of social prestige. Those with more wealth can afford to dine at exquisite restaurants, while the poor rely on fast food. The concept of drinking a default “concoction” every day, multiple times a day, requires a significant shift in the human mindset. People love food, and asking them to supplement, and perhaps even replace, their diet with such a basic product is a difficult goal. This forces humans to forgo the social prestige and experience associated with food for a universal approach.

However, one way in which Soylent exhibits high compatibility with current lifestyles is the focus on nutrition. People today are more time-pressed than prior generations. There has also been a shift towards healthier living. If the claims suggested by the product team are true, it offers a strong fit into the current lifestyle of people in developed countries. However, social norms dictate that products such as Soylent are often a hoax—the same stigma can be seen for juice cleanses, fad diets etc. These preconceived ideas will have a significant impact on the way people view Soylent and its long-term compatibility into their lifestyle.

Observability

Observability is another category where Soylent lacks effectiveness. Many of the health benefits of Soylent are personal and often cannot be objectively measured. Users describe “cognitive effects”, “better moods” and “less fatigue”—all factors that are subjective and may be attributed to placebo effects. Factors such as weight loss can be measured, but do not necessarily point to a benefit. Weight loss can also be attributed to malnutrition and starvation. Other biological markers such as cholesterol levels, sugar levels etc. may be used to show quantitative benefits. However, this data is often kept private. The founders make an effort to counteract this issue by blogging about their experiences using Soylent. The founder describes the health issues he faced while trying different recipes of Soylent, in an effort to maintain openness with the audience. While this constant communication and “real-human” story helps to increase observability, it is not enough. In order for a product like Soylent to be adopted on a wide-scale, the general public needs to show quantifiable benefits. While the $1,000,000 received from crowd-funding is encouraging, it does not resolve the problem. Many of the funders are local to the Bay Area. Most of these people tend to be early-adopters of new innovations. However, this is not necessarily reflective of the adaption in other areas.

Conclusion

Soylent is an innovative product that offers significant relative advantages and potential for wide-scale adaptability, suggesting quick adoption. However, the product faces two challenges to quick adoption—observability and compatibility. Overall, I feel that the product will be adopted. I believe that early adopters, mostly in Silicon Valley, will help promote the product within the region. Having “regular” humans use the product will help confirm the health benefits. In doing so, wide scale adoption will be possible. I believe that there will be quick adoption early on by those in specific regions (like Silicon Valley) and then slower adoption in other places as people adjust to the new approach to food.

JESSICA CHOI

Sleeping bag with arms and legs

Invention link:       http://www.selkbagusa.com/Selk-bag-4G-Lite.aspx
Invention picture: 

 

                               

I believe that this product will be adopted. It will be adopted quickly by most people, especially campers and outdoor enthusiasts for these reasons:

Relative Advantage: Compared to existing models of sleeping bags, this product has a relative advantage. It allows greater mobility for the user while maintaining the original function of keeping one warm. As compared to an original sleeping bag, this product has the perceived advantage of being used as both for sleeping and clothing. Despite the fact that paying $99 USD for this product may affect one’s decision to adopt it compared to a $40 sleeping bag, the perceived improvements of this product overall will reflect a quick adoption rate.

Compatibility:  The sleeping bag with arms and legs is highly compatible since it doesn’t violate or challenge any existing norms about the usage of a sleeping bag. Also, as everyone is obsessed with convenience and new technology these days, this product fits with the idea of a more convenient/smart way to enjoy outdoor activities. People are more likely going to adopt and use this product.

Adaptability: This product is highly adaptable as it functions and is made of the same material as typical sleeping bags; it is “re-invented” to become more mobile and practical. Therefore, just like laptops and cell phones, this product will be adopted quickly.

Observability: This product has high-observability. Just by looking at the picture of this product, one will immediately see the advantages it offers: a body suit looking sleeping bag translates to greater mobility and usage compared to a normal sleeping bag. High observability products will cause a quicker adoption rate.

  

Jasmine Foruzani

Assignment #2

Product: Spicki Cushion Headphones - Wrap around neck audio speakers

http://www.japantrendshop.com/spicki-cushion-headphones-p-1916.html

I believe it is unlikely that this product would be widely adopted. Though the product has some improvement over regular headphones and a degree of observability, its incompatibility is likely to outweigh any of its perceived benefits.

            In terms of relative advantage, the Spicki Cushion Headphones are an apparent comfort improvement over traditional headphones. Consumers will have some cushion if they want to lean back while listening to music. Thus, the headphones act additionally as a form of comfort support rather than just a means of listening to music. The headphones also have a mic, allowing adopters to use the headphones to speak on the phone as well. However, these headphones do not offer the privacy of regular headphones since they are essentially speakers wrapped around the neck, and this is likely to diminish any perceived value associated with the product. By lacking this key privacy feature, consumers would not perceive the product as a replacement for regular headphones. Thus, if the product is ever adopted its speed of adoption is likely to be slow because it will be difficult for consumers to see any added value in comparison to already existing headphones, which for most people are a way to ensure that others cannot hear what they’re listening to.

            Unlike vaccines, observability for the cushion headphones should be relatively high since consumers can immediately realize the added comfort from the headphones, as well as the ability to play audio, after using them. Thus, lack of observability of the headphone’s benefits is likely not to be the major cause for non-adoption or slow adoption of this product.

            Although the benefits of this product are observable to those who at least try it and there is some comfort advantage over regular headphones, compatibility is likely to be a major reason why this product would not be adopted by large numbers of people. The loud and irregular design of the headphones is not consistent with current style norms. Most consumers would not be happy with the appearance of the headphones and may feel that others would perceive the headphones as strange. However, compatibility in terms of appearance may not be as large of an issue in a country such as Japan where different styles, many of which would be considered peculiar in the United States, abound. For this reason, adoption may be higher and faster in countries outside of the United States.

            Finally, the cushion headphones are not adaptable to many different environments because others could hear the audio coming from the headphones’ speakers if they were used in a public place, and playing music out loud in most public areas, such as an airplane, is generally not aligned with societal norms. There also isn’t a great deal of opportunity for these headphones to be “re-invented” for new purposes. For example, though the headphones are cushioned, it is unlikely that they could effectively replace a pillow, though they could be used as a neck cushion. Overall, the potential adaptions or re-inventions of this product aren’t compelling enough to drive widespread adoption.

            This product, if adopted at all in the United States, would be adopted only by a small number and at a slow rate due to incompatibility with societal norms, a lack of captivating opportunities for reinvention, and what is likely to be low perceived value. To increase chance of adoption the headphones should be resized or altered in some other manner so the speakers can be put over the ears. This would make the headphones appropriate to use in more environments, such as public places. The headphones should also be remade to feature more neutral colors and material that would make the headphones look more similar to what consumers are used to seeing. 

Will It Be Adopted?

by Bryanna von Schneidau

Innovation:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f2c9/#tabs

The Bluetooth Handset Gloves are a great new innovation that allows users to stay warm in their comfortable capacitive-touch gloves. In the left glove's thumb is a tiny speaker, and in the pinky is a microphone. By extending them both in the usual hand-gesture, you can chat with your friends for up to 20 hours on a charge! Gone are the days where talking into mid-air will brand you a crazy-person! Now you can show the world that you can actually talk to the hand, and with excellent sound-quality!

Relative Advantage:

As more and more people adopt Smartphones such as the iPhone as well as touchscreen devices, other new technologies and innovations like the Bluetooth Headset Gloves have made their way into the tech scene as a result. The Bluetooth Handset Glove is similar to many of the other gloves that have been developed, which allow you to use any touchscreen device without having to constantly take your gloves on and off. The relative advantage of the Bluetooth Handset Gloves over regular touchscreen gloves is that they offer an additional feature, completely removing the need to place your phone to your ear when answering phone calls. Instead, the Bluetooth headset has a built in microphone and speaker allowing you to literally talk to your hand.

This would be beneficial to those who live in colder climates where taking off ones gloves to answer a phone is considered risky, thus eliminating the chance of possible frostbitten digits.  Those who live in colder regions usually will spend money on gloves to keep them warm anyways so for $59.99 you can purchase gloves to keep your fingers warm along with the perks of Bluetooth technology. Unless you are planning a snowboard trip or live in Alaska, these gloves may not be advantageous for the everyday individual. This product is more of a niche product, targeting a specific type of demographic.  For those who do not live in cold climates and would consider paying $60 dollars for some really cool gloves, they are still restricted to seasonal use, most typically for winter. However it is nice to be able to answer a phone call without even having to remove the phone from your pocket!

Compatibility:

The Bluetooth Handset Gloves have been tested and are compatible with iOS, Android, Windowsphone, and Blackberry devices. Because this innovation is targeted specifically for smartphone users, it covers a range of smartphone devices and is therefore highly compatible with the main devices available on the market. Also, it charges using a micro-USB, which most phones are equipped with already. However, because it is dry-clean only this could cause issues if individuals are attempting to use this product in moist climates such as areas with much rainfall. If the gloves get wet they risk breaking because they are not water-resistant. Furthermore, the Bluetooth Handset somewhat defeats the purpose of Bluetooth technologies. In order to use the Handset you are restricted to only answering calls with your left hand, because this is where the microphone and speaker is located. Also it requires the use of your hand, thus eliminating the idea of being “handsfree” typically accompanied by Bluetooth innovations.  

Adaptability (re-inventability):

            This product is relatively simple to re-invent. It has taken the concept of gloves and adapted them to include mini speaker and microphone into the design. However, because it requires a conductive-fiber material to make it compatible with touch devices, it would be difficult for anyone without Principles Knowledge to re-create this product on their own. However the Principles Knowledge required to re-invent this innovation is much less than the knowledge needed to create something such as a smartphone. It is also not very highly adaptable because it only serves two purposes; keeping your fingers warm, and providing an alternate way to answering your phone. Because it is confined to use within smartphone devices it cannot readily be used outside of touch screen products or innovations.

Observability:

Overall this product is highly observable which, in my opinion is one of the primary reasons it will not be adopted. Many people do not want to look silly walking around with their hand held to their face in the shape of a phone; much like the “call me” hand-gesture. Because of this, it distracts from the advantages of having a Bluetooth handset because adopters don’t want to look ridiculous using an innovation. I think if the product design enabled you to answer phone calls without having to place your hand to your ear it would be adopted much more quickly. Although obviously advantageous for those who are in colder climates and hate removing their gloves to use their smartphone devices, many will not adopt this innovation because most care more about how they look using a product over it’s relative advantage. The “call me” pantomime is fairly universal which also might cause confuse with others if they see people walking around with their hands in the “call me” gesture. Unless you are previously aware of this innovation you might have no idea what they are doing, thinking it is “weird” and therefore be unlikely to adopt this innovation themselves.

Although I did not analyze this innovation.. I had to post it because frankly I just think it's hilarious. 

Here's a link if anyone wants to check it out: 

http://www.japantrendshop.com/shouting-vase-holds-your-anger-p-293.html

Turn your loudest, most urgent frustrations into mere whispers with the Shouting Vase. The plastic jug is designed to fit over the contours of your mouth and absorb your screams and shouts, “storing” them in the vase and emitting a softer version of your angry cries through the tiny hole at the base.