Basically '' smash is s dehydrated mash potato. When boiling water is added it reconstitutes into hot mash that can be served as part of a meal.
We were asked to try it, but i must admit i don't think i could bring myself to eat that. In saying that after this workshop took place i notice it more in shops and thin 'should I?' Maybe one day.
It also connected with the lectures we were given the day before about market research. We were given noted about SMASH on for example swot a swat analysis, which i spoke about before in week 1. We wee put in our teams again and asked to also do some market research on the product, by collecting reactive data which involved connecting peoples attitudes and relationships with food. Involving looking at the nostalgia, happiness, friendships, memories and experiences, particularly related to food context. We were shown this video in the our lecture the day before. Basically connecting SMash with the idea of it being futuristic, fast and easy to use. Still healthy and nutritious as it is made of 98% potato and ideal for a family to take on holiday with them. The robots then get it confiscated cause, giving the impression that the guards want it for themselves it is that good.
Morning
We all met up at the Dalhousie building on Campus to decide on a stagey of market research to take. We done this rather quickly We then decided to find out what people's favourite meals were. We decided a less formal approach would be best and interactive rather than doing a questionnaire, which most people we figured, wouldn't take part in. So we drew up lots of plates with felt tip pens and asked the public a to draw their favourite meal, we particularly used coloured felt tips, as people are more likely to draw, than write.
We split into groups of two to gain and cover reverent information from different backgrounds. While they were drawing the food, we noticed we got people's attention more and asked them a series of questions while they were doing it. to gain more evidence.
I suggested Jennifer that we would head down to Magdelin Green ( a local park) as is was a nice day and we figured people would be out socialising and sitting on the grass, which i witnessed the day before as we thought would be easier to appraoch people. But when we arrived we discovered it was a little early and it would of probably been bet to go at lunchtime. None the less we spoted a couple of people and more as we walked towards the town.
Here are a few pictures of the people who took part in our exercise.
This Swedish student on the right we both found very interesting. As he drew up a traditional meal as he drew we began to ask him a series of questions and discovered that he would have in Sweden maybe only once a year a it was very expensive meal that a group of family and friends would eat. He wasn't sure how to say it in English, but he told us that his uncle would hunt the reindeer, de skin and carve it up for the family. It obviously meant a lot to him, connecting family and community with the meal. This type of meal could easily be served with smash, as he said he would have it with potatoes and vegetables.
Most people were co-operate in getting their picture taken, while asking them we also gave them the option to cover their faces as they have felt uncomfortable and then we would still have the evidence when collecting our research.
I also think asking the to draw using felt tips was an effect way as they were more comfortable in doing that rather than being asked a series of questions. Even though some people were a bit reluctant to draw at first, we mentioned it doesn't have to be a masterpiece to them and that seemed to work. Using felt tips, people would automatically draw and not write. These were both useful tips we were told that Lauren Currie's experienced and would use when doing her Service designs.
When people were drawing, we found that is was a good way to get peoples attention more. So we asked them a number of other question's relating to the meal. For example, who would make the meal? If it reminded them of anyone, or if it would be eaten on a special occasion. We got some responses that were repeated like ' mum used to make it' or ' it's not as good as mum's cooking. Altho we felt that we could have pushed this further and thought about the questions a bit more. I felt that it was a very effective tool to use and have used it in different ways with other projects.
Afternoon Session.
We all got together in the afternoon, to review and look over each groups results. We discovered most people decided not to mention SMASH to the public, but a couple of people did, also a lot of them used pictures or image for our research as a way to communicate with the public. The group tat did mention it to the public set up a questionnaire, the results were that is was lumpy, watery and didn't taste very nice. Strangely one woman mentioned they used it as a pizza base and another remembered a old jingle '' for smashed get mashed.' but mentioned that she would never actually buy it. Another done a questionnaire and discovered that i wasn't that effective, but offered them chocolates to do it. This may have tempted people more. Most people in the class said they would never buy it or try it as they are put of by the fact it is in a packet, even though it was made from 98% potato, then again a lot of them had never tried it, which we all should have really.
We were then asked to create some personas of people that we might want to target in the market, given one of the lectures mentioning that it is simple but effective way to target small niches, rather than a ramnge of people. Relating back to the 80/20 rule 80% of profit it given by 20% of customers.
For example one of the girls in out team mentioned her parents used to send it to her as it was a quick and easy way for her to cook mash like her mum, again relating back to the comments made earlier that the public suggested. " just like mum' The persona had to represent a type of person, who would have similar views interests and use the product for similar purposes.
Here are a few examples of Persona's we came up with.
The first one we created was a busy mum, who insist on cooking nutritious food for her children, but doesn't have the time on her hands to cook from scratch all the time. We decided we would investigate the nutritious properties of SMASH and play on that fact, giving it would be a nutritious and tasty meal and only take half the amount of time to cook if she is already cooking the main part of the meal. The our lecturer also mentioned that people tend to buy things more when they are instructed to add something, as it would feel they are actually taking part in cooking the food and have some sort of control. For example saying things like, 'just add water' or 'just add an egg,' It's still giving people the feeling of them cooking, but it's quick and simple.
Most people were co-operate in getting their picture taken, while asking them we also gave them the option to cover their faces as they have felt uncomfortable and then we would still have the evidence when collecting our research.
I also think asking the to draw using felt tips was an effect way as they were more comfortable in doing that rather than being asked a series of questions. Even though some people were a bit reluctant to draw at first, we mentioned it doesn't have to be a masterpiece to them and that seemed to work. Using felt tips, people would automatically draw and not write. These were both useful tips we were told that Lauren Currie's experienced and would use when doing her Service designs.
When people were drawing, we found that is was a good way to get peoples attention more. So we asked them a number of other question's relating to the meal. For example, who would make the meal? If it reminded them of anyone, or if it would be eaten on a special occasion. We got some responses that were repeated like ' mum used to make it' or ' it's not as good as mum's cooking. Altho we felt that we could have pushed this further and thought about the questions a bit more. I felt that it was a very effective tool to use and have used it in different ways with other projects.
Afternoon Session.
We all got together in the afternoon, to review and look over each groups results. We discovered most people decided not to mention SMASH to the public, but a couple of people did, also a lot of them used pictures or image for our research as a way to communicate with the public. The group tat did mention it to the public set up a questionnaire, the results were that is was lumpy, watery and didn't taste very nice. Strangely one woman mentioned they used it as a pizza base and another remembered a old jingle '' for smashed get mashed.' but mentioned that she would never actually buy it. Another done a questionnaire and discovered that i wasn't that effective, but offered them chocolates to do it. This may have tempted people more. Most people in the class said they would never buy it or try it as they are put of by the fact it is in a packet, even though it was made from 98% potato, then again a lot of them had never tried it, which we all should have really.
We were then asked to create some personas of people that we might want to target in the market, given one of the lectures mentioning that it is simple but effective way to target small niches, rather than a ramnge of people. Relating back to the 80/20 rule 80% of profit it given by 20% of customers.
For example one of the girls in out team mentioned her parents used to send it to her as it was a quick and easy way for her to cook mash like her mum, again relating back to the comments made earlier that the public suggested. " just like mum' The persona had to represent a type of person, who would have similar views interests and use the product for similar purposes.
Here are a few examples of Persona's we came up with.
The first one we created was a busy mum, who insist on cooking nutritious food for her children, but doesn't have the time on her hands to cook from scratch all the time. We decided we would investigate the nutritious properties of SMASH and play on that fact, giving it would be a nutritious and tasty meal and only take half the amount of time to cook if she is already cooking the main part of the meal. The our lecturer also mentioned that people tend to buy things more when they are instructed to add something, as it would feel they are actually taking part in cooking the food and have some sort of control. For example saying things like, 'just add water' or 'just add an egg,' It's still giving people the feeling of them cooking, but it's quick and simple.
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