Sun, Feb 27 2011
During this week’s staff evaluation, we did something that we haven’t done since the birth of Quirky: we did not select an idea for Product 96, our Cooling brief.
Ben explains the decision at the beginning of this week’s Eval Recap video, below.
To summarize: We recognize the problems with our existing system, and we’re committed to making it better. The solution is not going to be easy, nor is it going to take the form of a quick fix. It’ll be a rolling process, and an iterative one.
Over the weekend, we’ll be going into the forums and reviewing all the posts to get a feel for the problem, and check out the solutions you’ve all proposed. We’re also going to dive deep into the data we’ve gathered over the past 96 evals to see what that holds.
In short: We get it. We’re on it. And with you, we’re gonna make it better. Help us by joining the conversation.
This week, big news: we’ve selected THREE winners instead of the regular two! Tune in to our live uStream product evaluation recap for all the details on Products 85 and last week’s floor protection brief. We’ll be formally selecting the winners later this evening.
Remember: the reason we make these videos public is to educate and inform our community on our evaluation and selection process. So use this here information wisely!
UPDATE: Big round of applause for our intern, Glen! He listened through 30 minutes of scratchy audio to bring you this transcribed summary:
The winners for this week:
Product 85 (two!): Cookie Keeper and Finger Mitts
Product 86 (floor protection brief): Retractable Rubber Chair Wheels
Top five products for general submissions:
Easy Hold Bowl
Given a good score by the community and would be a simple solution to the “bowl holding problem,” so design also gave it a good score. Market scored it about average because it is a good solution, but there is not a widespread problem.
Digital Measuring Tape
Was liked less by the community and design. Its design would have to be opened up and features added because it is not a unique product. Market gave it an above average score because, although it is not unique, the market for this product is large. It is viable, there are preexisting relationships with factories that specialize in this area.
Cookie Keeper
Does solve a problem and is unique to the market place. Scored well with design, 7. Very marketable, Chad sold a lot of cup cake cutters. Moderate risk of infringement due to existing patents involving vertical slots, but does not include any other features, unlike the Cookie Keeper; only problem with prodcut.
iPhone Projector
Projectors already exist and there would be competition.
Titan Water Bottle
There are many water bottles on the market already. The push to drink feature may not be enough to separate the bottle from others on the market. It would be viable to produce.
…and the wild card:
Finger Mitts
Good problem to attack. Could make a mitt that could be worn at all times, throughout cooking and even washing. Opportunity to explore new materials and redesign an existing product.
Top five products in the Floor Protection submissions:
Decorative Roller Mat
Could explore materials, but there is not much to design. Marketing gave it a low score because the new graphics would not be enough to set it apart from other mats. It is viable, but would be a large product.
Super Rolling Casters
Could be tricky to design and may not protect the floor. In terms of marketability, the solution exists, but could be done cheaper, which is a plus.
Retractable Rubber Chair Wheels
Good design, will protect the floor. Very marketable, could have different sizes and sell in packs. It is very possible to produce.
Furniture Roller
May not protect floor.
90 Degree Dustpan
Does not protect floor. It is a good idea, but the pan is too shallow and open.
…and the wild card:
Indoor/Outdoor Dirt Trapping Mat
Good idea and design to protect floors; attacks problem by preventing dirt from getting into the home. Opportunity to redesign existing product.
This afternoon’s staff product evaluation meeting featured some fascinating riffs and debates over the directions for Products 85 and 86. The conclusion? We still need a litttttle more info before we can make a final decision. We know, we know, the suspense is killing us too!
So check back early next week for the results. And have a great weekend!
Ben and Gaz break down the results of Product 82 and Product 83 evaluation on Ustream.
The members of the community who were at the Quirky Summit asked for a weekly digest/explanation of how we made our evaluation decisions every week. Enjoy this short explanation of how 78/79 were selected. We’re still working on perfecting the format for this — next week’s will be better, but this is certainly a start!
Quirky Evaluation 78/79 from Quirky on Vimeo.
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