5.1 Concept Testing
My Gap: In what way might I make access to my commuter card more convenient?
Primary Needs:
The card can be kept in something I already carry or wear
The card is easy to use
The card is easy to add value
The card is secure
The card is durable
The card looks good
Selected Concept:
Magnetic clip
Refinements:
Clasp "stretches" to accommodate phones of all widths (i.e., not limited to iPhone)
Slight curve to the clip design so that it can accommodate two cards (one photo/ID and one card that has tap functionality like my commuter card or a PayPass credit card or a hotel card)
Process:
To test my concepts with target users, I created an online survey which yielded 21 responses. I'm super thankful for all the responses, which were full of insights to further my concept!
Of the 64% of respondents who are commuters and currently use a reusable commuter card (vs a disposable single-ride ticket), 86% are mostly or completely satisfied with their current method of carrying their commuter card (mostly in their purse). This leaves little room for a new product - so my thinking here is that the product needs to really have some shock and awe to sell well, otherwise potential consumers have no reason to buy it and try it.
Of the 3 concepts that I prototyped (mobile sleeve, mobile wallet, and magnetic clip), the mobile sleeve and mobile wallet came out ahead with 38% of the vote each and the mobile wallet slightly edged out the mobile sleeve for the win with more second place votes. The mobile wallet also had 50% of respondents say that they were likely to buy the product.
However, when I looked at the results based on the number of respondents who are actually commuters (52%), the product that came out on top was the magnetic clip with 46% of the vote. Unfortunately only one person who voted for the magnetic clip said that they were likely to buy it, and most (43%) were undecided. My takeaway here is that this product was a bit too new and untested, so I'd need more evidence of this clip being easy to use and not interfering with the user's phone or credit cards with the magnetic edge.
Of the users who said they were unlikely to buy their selected choice (of the 3 prototypes), most said the primary reason was that they do not have an iPhone. So I'd need to design a product that could work with other phone models, without increasing the cost of production (ideally the same product). In addition, since half of the respondents are not commuters but responded that this prototype could have a lot of other uses (e.g., work badge, ID or driver's license, hotel card), this led me to think that the magnetic clip, with some slight tweaking, could be a compelling product to suit a variety of user needs.
