COMPLETED AT
CCA DMBA
Spring 2021
Innovation Studio
Prof. Vince Law
COLLABORATORS
Bess Hernreich
Edgar Membreno
Paul Mendoza
Ken Muha
MY ROLE
Design Research
Prototyping & Testing
Brand Positioning
Go-to-Market Strategy
OBJECTIVE
Problem Statement
↳ Power tools and hardware stores are intimidating
↳ Many people were never taught the necessary skills
↳ Hyper-masculinity prevents them from figuring it out
Pain Points
↳ Violent, off-putting designs
↳ Heavy, complicated hardware
↳ Condescending mansplaining
↳ A lack of representation
OPPORTUNITY
The tool industry is still catering to the needs of boomers, contractors, and dudes that drive trucks. There is an opportunity to make home improvement more accessible.
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Update ergonomics of power tools to be more user-friendly
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Reframe home improvement to be more inclusive
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Align with the needs, values, and bodies of modern consumers
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
15 Interviews ◇ 30 minutes ◇ Zoom
Millennials ◇ Women ◇ LGBTQ+ ◇ BIPOC
INTERVIEW GUIDE
Relationship with Tools
Talk to me about your relationship with tools...
What is your earliest memory of using tools?
Who taught you? What is your level of familiarity?
How did you acquire your current set of tools?
Were they acquired individually or all at once?
What do you like/dislike about using power tools?
What necessitated your need for power tools?
Have you experienced any pain or discomfort?
What about ergonomic issues or reliability?
DIY Projects
Tell me about a recent DIY project you worked on...
How did you go about getting started?
What worked well and what was challenging?
List five recent projects that required using tools?
Which of them was the hardest?
Which was the most interesting?
What was the last project you didn’t finish? Why?
Are there other projects are you putting off? Why?
When do you feel like you need to call an expert?
Culture & Inclusivity
Talk to me about “doing it yourself”...
What is the attraction? What turns you off?
What causes you the most anxiety?
The potential for things to break?
Figuring out what to do about it?
Buying tools and materials?
Speaking with store associates?
Asking for help?
Who do you reach out to for assistance?
What People Said
“I feel like I can’t ask basic questions.”
“I only do projects I feel confident that I can complete.”
“I have anxiety going to hardware stores.”
“I will totally pay someone to do it instead of getting it wrong.”
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
We confirmed that everyone has projects to do but not everyone has the fluency to get them done. This comes down to three factors:
They don’t have previous experience
They don’t have anyone to help them
They are uncomfortable in hardware stores
Challenged Assumptions
Ergonomics and associations with guns need to be addressed. However, hyper-masculinity and non-inclusion is the bigger problem.
Revised Conclusion
We might address the problem more directly through services rather than hardware.
CUSTOMER SEGMENTS & EXPERIENTIAL DRIVERS
One group has the desire to learn DIY skills but requires extra support to get started. These individuals need explicit instructions and are motivated by a sense of accomplishment. They also hate the hardware store.
The other group is more interested in getting things done. These individuals value service over support. They are willing to pay for a professional but when they do, they need to feel safe, secure, and respected
PERSONAS & USER JOURNEYS
We created three personas that are each facing their own sets of challenges when attempting to tackle their next home improvement project:
DIY Noob
“I’d rather not have to rely on my dad to get the job done”
Disaffected DIY
“I want to get my tasks done without any judgment”
DIYbother
“I want a trusted partner to handle it for me”
CONCEPT & TESTING
Based on our research findings, we decided to create a subscription service:
A content platform with seamless ecommerce and robust customer service
FIRST PASS PROTOTYPE
I created mockups of the app that focused on the most important touchpoints. I wrote out a narrative journey to show how a user might navigate through the app and tested the concept with an additional 15 interviews.
WIREFRAMES
After soliciting feedback on the first pass prototype, I created wireframes in Adobe XD
POSITIONING STATEMENT
Diddit exists to provide millennial Americans with an inclusive support system for home DIY projects. In doing so, it delivers confidence, accomplishment, and respect to customers. To that end, it offers a video curriculum, an e-commerce hub, and professional project assistance.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Inclusive design
Making a product, service, or environment more inclusive, meaning that a wider diversity of people can make (easy) use of it.
Curb-cut Effect
The phenomenon of disability-friendly features being used and appreciated by a larger group than the people they were designed for.
IKEA effect
A cognitive bias in which consumers place a disproportionately high value on products they partially created.
