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
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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