IH01-JohannesLeholm

From IEOR 170 Spring 2007

Good Design

I like to jump rope as much as the next athlete out there. About 3 months ago I received an unmarked jump rope from my work. Jump ropes have been around for a long time so it would seem difficult to surprise me with a new design, but here it is. Because coordination is important in my athletic competitions, I normally train on the jump rope for about 30 minutes a day. During these workouts, I try to increase the speed of the rope as my workouts progress. The only way to measure the speed of the rope, or the number of revolutions per time that I jump, is to count manually in my head. The trouble is that I loose count because: 1) I jump really fast and it’s hard to count that fast and 2) I jump really fast and I am exhausted. Luckily for me I have found a jump rope with a counter. The jump rope also has excellent grip and a heavy rope that is able to meet my need for speed. The rope bearings inside the handle also glide smoothly and allow me to jump at a faster rate.

Bad Design

We all have been told that “the less you wear, the more you Nair,” but is that really true? If Nair lotion really was that easy and effective to use, why would the Nair brand expand to waxes and bladeless shaving kits? Nair is not as popular as it should be because of bad design. Not only does the bad design make using the product messy and cumbersome, Nair lotion’s bad design can easily compromise the health of the user. The last bottle of Nair that I bought was a 9oz. (for the price of 6oz.) bottle of Cucumber Melon Nair. The image below shows that the bottle looks very similar to a bottle of hand or skin lotion. The bottle’s label even reads “4 Minute Lotion”. The consistency of Nair formula also matches that of hand and skin lotion. The problem with this is that the term ‘lotion’, the shape of the bottle, and the consistency of the product all contribute to a lotion affordance of the product; this entices the user to rub it into your skin. However, the instructions specify “DO NOT RUB IN”. The next problem lies with the instructions and warnings. They are small, long, ambiguous, and there are no visual aids. The figure below shows the back of the bottle filled with lots of little words and a table. All time prescriptions are “more or less”, and the table is hard to read and not very helpful because it conflict with the written instructions above. Furthermore, the warning states that “IRRITATION OR ALLERGIC REACTION MAY OCCUR WITH SOME PEOPLE EVEN AFTER PRIOR USE WITHOUT ADVERSE EFFECT”. To safely use the product, this means that the user should test his skin before each application, so the testing procedures should be in the directions. One of the reasons this might not be included is that it takes “24 HOURS” to do this test. This is bad feedback. Finally, even if used correctly, Nair is very messy. Using your hands to apply it while simultaneously trying not to rub it into your hands is difficult. Gloves should be recommended, or a new applicator should be made.

Recommendations: Develop quicker test that would respond within 10 minutes. I would change shape and texture of the bottle, as well. The customer should know immediately that this is not lotion. The directions on the back should be altered as well. They should remove the table and choose one average time that all users should apply the lotions (minimum) and then tell the user to test up to a maximum time. Finally the applicator needs to be changed so that the user can apply directly to the skin.