Here I am again. Getting used to this “blog thing”.
Last week at the Design Thinking for Start-ups class we had a group assignment. We were supposed to discuss in pairs about problems that arise when you want to give a present to someone. Then, we had to build a prototype of a certain product that solves the issue that our partner was facing at that time.
I formed a group with my friend Siddarth. We started interviewing each other asking when was the last time we made a gift, which was the purpose, who we made it to, which was their reaction, what went wrong, etc.
My partner`s story was hilarious. He was about to move from India to London and he wanted to make a farewell gift to his best friend Goutham. The thing was that Sid didn`t tell him that he was moving to London until the day before he left! Because he was waiting to receive his student visa before telling everyone. So, he planned to make a photo album full of memories from both of them, as they were best friends since primary school. As soon as his visa arrived, he went to Goutham`s house to give him the album in which Sid had put so much effort. But things didn`t go as well as he thought. When Sid gave him the present and told the big news about moving to London the next day, Goutham got really angry because he didn`t expect his best friend to tell him that he was moving just one day before leaving. After some explanations, Goutham decided to forgive Sid and spend the whole day helping him packing for the trip.
After hearing his story, it was time to think about finding a solution to his problem. I realized that sometimes is really hard to give the right message when you’re trying to make a gift. And even more when you are in another city or country. This kind of moments are very emotional and you can struggle while you are trying to give an apology or an explanation. So I focused on finding a better way of giving gift messages and also making the entire process simpler. That´s why I created an intelligent gift box that can speak for you. Once the present reaches its destination, the receiver can watch a personalised video about something you both shared or just a video of you signing the happy birthday song. You can choose within two types of boxes. One that comes with a screen on the top of the box (prototype 1) for the fancy ones; and another one, not that pricey, with a QR code printed on the gift tag (prototype 2). Also, you can add a message or even a picture and add to the present your own personal touch. By the way, you can reuse your fancy box for future presents! And also, all the boxes can be delivered worldwide.
We were supposed to build our prototypes in class with Legos and objects that our module leader Alice gave us. At first, I spent five minutes thinking on what to build, and as soon as I got an idea I started looking for the materials. I took one yellow sheet of paper, two big elastic bands, the box where all these materials were and my smartphone. This is when I made the first prototype. Then I thought about a cheaper option so that’s when the prototype 2 idea came to my mind.
I wish this project becomes real one day. Emotional presents are a big deal for me and giving the right message is really hard. I do believe that sometimes the message is even more important than the present itself. So, I hope that this invention helps people to have better experiences at the time of giving a sentimental gift.
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