Workshop Design.

We started the project with a series of workshops to share insights and information with the larger group of people (the group included product managers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, software engineers, marketing and design). We designed a workshop that would 1)introduce people to one another 2)break down the preconceived notions from folks that “they are not creative” 3)create an environment in which ideas could be generated and shared without judgment.

Field Studies

We learned that we need to better understand the nuances of wetland and upland hunting. so my team partnered with research to plan and execute field studies. What we heard time and again from hunters and trainers were stories of dogs in peril (or at least perceived peril). We wondered what it would mean for us to give hunters confidence that their dog was safe and healthy while hunting.

Rapid Ideation

The team gathered for an ideation workshop and generated more than 30 ideas in an hour. The exercise was about sketching as many concepts as possible, sharing, then sketching more ideas. Concepts were presented to leadership, and narrowed to 5, which would be presented to subject matter experts and customers for feedback.

Concept testing

Raw concepts were presented to potential customers, allowing us to quickly get people’s reaction to our ideas. We learned a lot about what resonated with people and why (or why not), eliminating some ideas and opening up new possibilities.

Industrial Design

We printed a variety of prototypes for a hand-held controller and a dog collar so that we could explore the form factor, ergonomics and visual appeal as we worked through engineering feasibility and efficacy. We were able to generate ideas on the form factor, methods for using lights, vibrations and sound to communicate with the operator, then evaluate those ideas through physical prototypes.

We knew that we needed the end-product to be small and light but also effective. We partnered with a scientist who is an expert in collecting signals from animals to learn more about what we might detect and what it might mean. We also explored what tech might exist so that we could better understand the engineering challenges.

Proof of Concept

We developed a proof of concept to test efficacy with animals, but also to test interface form factors with customers. We’d collect data from a dog, then present that information back to the customer in different forms – mobile app interface, lights and colors, charts and graphs. We needed to understand more about how people might interpret the information. We learned that we needed a emergency warning signal and in a place where the person involved was likely to see it.