Posts Tagged ‘p42’

  • Wed, Apr 14 2010

    We did it, Quirks! Over 24 hours, our staff and community rallied together to design and develop one brand new product… Stem Garden: Fresh Herbs In Your Kitchen. It was madness, man. There were heated arguments and tough decisions and delirious conversations about Chinese terra cotta warriors. But in the end, we actually pulled this thing off! We’re psyched about the new product.

    Stem Garden

    Fresh Herbs In Your Kitchen

    Grow fresh herbs by any windowsill with Stem Garden, an elegant indoor/outdoor planting system designed over 24 hours by Quirky’s global community of influencers. This product’s unique design was inspired by the refined simplicity of champagne flutes.

    In addition, Stem Garden features: 
    – Bendable goose-neck “stems” that allow you to position your plants most effectively for direct sunlight, without moving the entire unit. 
    – Removable terra-cotta cups, for easy planting and maintenance. 
    – Removable terra-cotta drip pan, which allows for easy disposal of excess water. 
    – Internal overflow protection system that allows excess water to drip down the removable planter cups through the stem into the included drip pan (subject to further design feasibility review).

    This product will also come with an easy-to-use herb starter kit, with a variety of seeds and a set of simple instructions.

    And now… off to bed.

  • Wed, Apr 14 2010

    What a day.  I’m way over the 24 hour mark here at the office, and suddenly i just looked around and realized i’m the only one left… besides for a sketchy camera dude snoring on our couch.

    The designers JUST left.  I cannot believe how efficiently we worked in completing all aspects of todays tasks.  Thank god I can communicate via keyboard right now because i have absolutely no voice left.

    Any minute now, Jess & Nikki who left at around 1:30 or so are going to be trickling their way back into the office to take the deliverables that the design team passed off and get those ready for launch.  Now that we have all the assets and all the major decisions have been made its about packaging up all the specs we’ve defined, writing copy, getting email launch blasts teed up, doing pricing / threshold research & diligence,  loading it all up on the site, and getting everything ready for a simulateous push at 9am.

    Also, mike lacy will have to get back here pretty soon and remove the QNQ banners / bumpers so people aren’t confused.

    All systems are looking like a go at this point.  I am beyond beat but must see this thing through to the end.

    I have to say that we really accomplished something really great here on many levels.   I think the product turned out phenomenally from a design & function standpoint given the idea that was chosen… I feel that the community influence & contributions were HUGE and the single biggest driver of us being able to do what we did today.

    Another product will be launched shortly, excited to see how it performs in pre-sales.  I encourage all of you to share your thoughts on today, like we have come to expect. :)

    Ok, i think i’m rambling. So.

    rock.

  • Tue, Apr 13 2010

    We’re still chugging along here at Quirky HQ, thanks to a magical combination of Illy Issimo and leftover ‘wichcraft cookies from our open house.

    We just finished up an hour-long conversation on industrial design — pretty grueling. We decided to take it old school and use physical sketches/print-outs and Post-Its to cast our votes. In the end, the CHAMPAGNE design won.

    We’re pumped. This design is functional, elegant, and unlike anything on the market, and we’re all set to class this baby up.

    Here’s an idea of what the rest of the night will look like:

    11:30pm-12:30am — NAMING

    12:30am-7am — TAGLINE + LOGO

    7am-9am — FINAL DESIGN RENDERING

    9am — PRODUCT LAUNCH!

  • Tue, Apr 13 2010

    Austin Kerr-Valentic‘s Stackable Herb Garden!


    This idea was the community favorite, and we’re excited to get the ball rolling on fleshing out the details.

    Truth be told, while we love this idea, we do have some concerns…

    1. Competitive landscape. There are several herb planters on the market. How can we make ours cooler?

    2. Usability. The way the product was presented, only the top of the stack would get light. How would the others be able to grow?

    3. Design. How would we be able to combine form and function in one groovy, compact case?

    Start thinking about these issues as we delve into the industrial design for this product. And stay tuned for product research questions, which we’re currently discussing with our in-house community members. AND while you’re at it, grab some coffee. It’s gonna be a long night!