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Description
Design Team is a start-up created in 2020 by two women who combined their design education background with experience in strategic and operations management to develop and market an innovative environment-friendly product for seniors. Torba Borba is a shopping trolley with electric drive which will support shopping activities of elderly persons. The trolley will have functions to facilitate crossing obstacles such as stairs, curbs and sidewalk cracks, and transporting heavy goods. It will also minimize the need to bend repeatedly when doing shopping. A mobile application integrated with the trolley should make these functionalities even more comfortable to use.
We will cooperate on the project with a Polish R&D unit and a Norwegian mentor, MGMT AS, which renders mentoring services for the largest healthcare cluster, Norway Health Tech.
Summary of project results
The challenge we set ourselves was to develop a product that would contribute to the activation of the elderly and other people with mobility limitations, for whom existing architectural limitations (buildings without elevators, stairs, curbs), environmental limitations (uphill road, lack of adequate, level crossings, the need to cross unpaved paths, uneven sidewalks) and limitations due to weather phenomena (snow, mud) - are barriers that cause them to stop leaving their homes.
Since many researchers emphasize that the main reason why, especially elderly people leave their homes is shopping, we decided to capitalize on this need - we decided to develop a product that, by facilitating shopping, would contribute to the activation of the elderly community.
Accordingly, the goal of the project was to develop and market an innovative product: electric shopping bags. We assumed that our bag is not meant to be a walker or a wheelchair. It is meant to be a sleek, easy-to-use and modern product with a non-stigmatizing look - a product that the owner will want to show off. A product whose functionality will make going out shopping easier, as our bag will make it easier to overcome many obstacles such as stairs or uneven roads; will make it easier to transport heavy goods; will minimize the need to bend over repeatedly while shopping; will improve the overall comfort associated with the above area through a companion app integrated with the cart.
Another of the goals arose from the assumption that the possibility of bag lending by, for example, social organizations could contribute to the activation of the elderly community. Therefore, we decided to develop an application to support bag lending, which would be addressed to managers of senior organizations.
The business challenge was to develop a go-to-market strategy, identify detailed market potential, establish contacts and prepare a sales strategy.
In order to implement the project, a number of research and design works were carried out.Cooperation was established with a number of companies whose expertise and competence allowed the implementation of individual tasks.
A study of the needs and problems of users (including mentoring) was carried out, as well as the design of the concept of a new product business model tailored to the needs of the Norwegian market. A study was carried out in Norway. Based on the results, the necessary functionality, mode of operation, appearance were designed. A design brief was developed for the R&D unit and a design brief for the developers of the accompanying applications.
The results obtained formed the basis for the design process. An analysis of design trends and the preferences of target users was carried out. Areas with the greatest potential were defined, which allowed to determine the requirements functional requirements for the product in terms of maximum usability for the end user. A functional requirements based on discovered user needs and market conditions in Norway was developed.
Mockups were developed and produced, which were used to validate the concepts of the various functionalities. A prototype was developed and used to verify functionality with representatives of the target group.
The results of the tests were used to make functional and structural changes to the structure of the bag and to change the functionality of the accompanying applications.
As part of the R&D work, tests, simulations and calculations were carried out for various concepts of the load-bearing structure, chassis and propulsion system. Tests of various types of systems to help overcome obstacles on the road. Calculations of drive system power and torque and energy requirements. Selection of components and testing of control systems. Simulations of the basket lifting system and the operation of various mechanisms.
A prototype design was developed and design changes were made as a result of research with users. The results of the research with end users were also used to develop a design brief for the developers of the bag''s user companion applications. A user app concept, user stories and functional requirements were designed. Developed assumptions and design of the bag rental application. In cooperation with the Project mentor, a go-to-market strategy for the Norwegian market was developed, and contacts were established to implement the product in the Norwegian market.
Achieved results include:
- Development of two products: cheaper - with one bag, more expensive with two bags (Effect of research results obtained with potential customers).
- Production of a functional prototype of a shopping bag with an integrated electric motor and a division into two compartments.
- Production of 12 pieces of a shopping bag with an integrated electric motor and one compartment.
- Implementation documentation.
- Design and development of an application enabling the rental and reservation of the Torba Borba bag in senior centers (Effect of research results obtained with potential customers).
- Acquisition of extensive knowledge about the senior market in Norway, leading to the modification of assumptions and adjustment of the product to this market.
- Development of a sales strategy for Torba Borba bags in the Norwegian market. Establishing contact with four Senior Centers in Norway, a supermarket chain, and the largest walker manufacturer in the Norwegian market.
Impact of results on the future of Design Team
While working on product development, the Design Team simultaneously actively worked on building a customer and recipient base for their bag. Conversations were conducted with companies and organizations both in Poland and Norway, yielding promising results in the form of declarations to purchase at least several Torba bags in Norway. Meetings were held in Poland with IKEA and many other entities. Following these meetings, the company''s management is very optimistic about the prospects of introducing the product to both the Norwegian and Polish markets. Therefore, once the company organizes the production of Torba, a sales team will be formed to capitalize on Design Team''s opportunities and potential.
The implementation of the go-to-market strategy and securing an investor will lead to the initiation of mass production, employment of workers, and further development of the product.
Summary of bilateral results
During the implementation of the project, we had the opportunity to cooperate with the Mentor. The Mentor contributed significantly to our development. As an experienced advisor to health-related start-ups, he helped us understand the specifics of the market. The Mentor provided support in matters related to the Norwegian investment market. This helped us understand the realities of the local market. He provided advice on financing and helped prepare a pitch deck. Cooperation with our Mentor expanded our knowledge of the Norwegian market, has enriched our business strategy and it increased confidence in the actions taken.