Making a Tea Set
I imagine that my the tea ware set could potentially be commercialised in two ways. First, it could be sold as a “ceremony set” The set could be sold in conjunction with a selection of Rare Tea Co teas to serve as a “starter kit for tea enthusiasts. Second, the tea set could be sold to restaurants and cafes. Giving customers in restaurants and cafes the chance to re-brew their tea would engage them more with it and might make them more likely to appreciate high quality tea in their private households, too.
However, at thi point the entire design relies on a single basic underlying assumption. The project assumes that using the tea set will create a tea drinking experience that people will enjoy and pick up as their conventional method of drinking tea (as opposed to possessing a tea pot, but only using it on rare occasions). Before anymore work should be put into solving the technical difficulties that the design faces, the basic underlying assumption should be tested. This could be done by following principles advocated by the Lean Startup Movement. This philosophy revolves around the production of a minimum viable product (MVP) that represents the basic assumptions of the design. This MVP can then be tested, by giving it to a small set of people and by observing whether they engage with the product in the expected way and whether they use it frequently. A possible MVP for testing this design’s basic assumption could consist of a selection of loose teas, a regular vacuum flask and tea cup, and a ceramics prototype of the teapot design. This prototype could even be hand-pinched, similar to the prototype presented above. However, the most obvious malfunctions, such as the dripping spout, should be fixed in order to ensure that the users’s tea experience is not severely affected by technical difficulties thus potentially distorting his experience of the tea ceremony. Figure 13 shows an example box set of a possible MVP.
Finally, if people show to respond to the idea of the tea ware set positively, more work can safely be invested into (1) solving the technical difficulties revolving around the dripping spout and the integrated strainer (2) translating the computer aided design into a mould from which a ceramics teapot can be slip-casted.
However, at thi point the entire design relies on a single basic underlying assumption. The project assumes that using the tea set will create a tea drinking experience that people will enjoy and pick up as their conventional method of drinking tea (as opposed to possessing a tea pot, but only using it on rare occasions). Before anymore work should be put into solving the technical difficulties that the design faces, the basic underlying assumption should be tested. This could be done by following principles advocated by the Lean Startup Movement. This philosophy revolves around the production of a minimum viable product (MVP) that represents the basic assumptions of the design. This MVP can then be tested, by giving it to a small set of people and by observing whether they engage with the product in the expected way and whether they use it frequently. A possible MVP for testing this design’s basic assumption could consist of a selection of loose teas, a regular vacuum flask and tea cup, and a ceramics prototype of the teapot design. This prototype could even be hand-pinched, similar to the prototype presented above. However, the most obvious malfunctions, such as the dripping spout, should be fixed in order to ensure that the users’s tea experience is not severely affected by technical difficulties thus potentially distorting his experience of the tea ceremony. Figure 13 shows an example box set of a possible MVP.
Finally, if people show to respond to the idea of the tea ware set positively, more work can safely be invested into (1) solving the technical difficulties revolving around the dripping spout and the integrated strainer (2) translating the computer aided design into a mould from which a ceramics teapot can be slip-casted.
To learn more about the Lean Startup Philosphy go to:
http://theleanstartup.com/
or check out the book:
Ries, Eric (2011). The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. Crown Publishing.
http://theleanstartup.com/
or check out the book:
Ries, Eric (2011). The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. Crown Publishing.