Day 8 (6/26) Reflection

Dylan from Wedge Detroit came in to talk with us about Prototyping. Day 8 was the start of taking our idea from our minds and paper to the real world.

What Prototyping is

  • The process of testing and confirming your ideas
    • Confirming your hypotheses in the real world
    • David Kelley Video founder of IDEO
      • Stop talking—start making
      • 3 types of prototyping
        • Interfaces—show people what it looks like
          • Start on paper
          • Used a tool called Balsamic—prototype on the computer
  • Physical Prototyping—making objects
    • Physical space—make sure to think about
  • Systems—businesses to experiences
    • i.e. pop-up shops
    • Hopscotch Detroit

The rules of Prototyping

  • Define testing metrics—what is the thing you are trying to prove (ours: trying to draw non-traditional makers to learn about making)
  • Fail often to succeed sooner
    • Make as many prototypes as possible
    • Make them as fast as possible
    • Failing is the best learning method
    • Minimum viable product
      • Have a idea and use the minimal resources to prove that people want or like your idea
      • Build with Momentum
        • To solve a $5million dollar problem: make each step smaller with a little movement (instead of a giant moon shot)

After the $5 think about $50, $100, $500 etc.  Write down what this would look like

Also record activity and interaction

Here is our prototype plan for our Drink.Design.Make.Share space

After the $5 think about $50, $100, $500 etc.  Write down what this would look like

Also record activity and interaction

Hypothesis: Using a coffee shop/bar space we draw non-traditional makers to learn about making.

Possible Locations: 1515 Broadway, Great Lakes Coffee, 3rd Street, PJs Lager House, Old Miami, Urban Bean, Campus Martius, Roasting Plant, Astro Coffee, Anthology…

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Day 8

 

THIS IS WHAT WE DID

Activity: What can I build for $5?

  • Duck tape wallets and money accessories workshop
    • Duct tape
    • Construction paper
    • Other accessories: rubber bands, clasps etc.

Anticipated Failures

  • No participants or interest
  • Frustration through the process (imperfect wallets) and/or participants giving up
  • Coffee shop or bar staff kicking us out
  • Running out of materials

Measurements of Success

  • Number of wallets made
  • Number of wallets taken home
  • Number of participants
  • Level of enthusiasm/interest
  • Post workshop feedback (Facebook posts)
  • Inquiries about future workshops

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Activity: What can I build for $50?

  • Needle felting workshop or soap workshop
  • Or purchase better materials for
  • Test a specified time
  • Going to be only at one place and blast it out on the internet
    • Make flyers or something

Activity: $100

  • Bring in a facilitator

$500

  • Bring in an established artist for lecture and workshop

$1,000-5K

  • Pop shop or rent space in D:hive or a coffee shop or bar

$5K-$25K

  • Register the business
  • Rent a store front for a month or two

$25K-$50K

  • Buy a space and build out

To the field:

We decided we would test our idea at two local coffee shops Astro Coffee (Corktown) and Great Lakes Coffee (Midtown).

Observation:

Day 8 1

Astro was pretty busy and we found a great table to work at.  When we arrived, we let the bartender know what we were doing and they were cool with it.  After that, we notified everyone in the café, just simply telling them we were having this duck tape wallet workshop for free and if they were interested to stop by.  We had great success, with two people making wallets from scratch and one person interested, but limited on time, and making a pre-started wallet.

 

 

Guy from LA (Brandon)—made a wallet

  • Came in just to grab a cup of coffee
  • Came from Royal Oak,
  • Said in LA, people would never give the time of day to do something like this
  • Looks for good tasting coffee
    • Can make a good cup of coffee if he has the right maker—drinks espresso at home
      • Needs the right temp for water, commercial makers get the right temp
      • Quality of the coffee beans
        • Interested to be in a coffee making workshop
        • World traveler, spending months in MI, but also spent a winter in Japan
        • Do you make things
          • Not really
            • Photograph—hobby and passion
              • DSLR and film
              • Likes coming downtown to photograph ruin
  • Visually draw

Gaby (Detroit Suburbs)—works in Dearborn– Making a clutch

  • Meetings later, work remotely
  • Comes here often, like the food and coffee
    • Goes to Great Lakes
    • Anthology
    • Like places food and good coffee
      • Doesn’t feel safe walking the streets (cant live)
      • But likes to meet interesting people
      • Quality of Coffee
        • Committed to the TASTE of the craft of making good coffee
          • “just needs the caffeine” but can tell the difference between good v. bad
  • Work introduced you to good coffee
    • Astro was the first good cup of coffee
    • Love coffee shops
      • Wi-fi (a necessity)
      • Smell—love that smell of coffee
        • Like places of coffee and alcohol
          • Doesn’t like the smell of beer./brew pubs
            • Loves wine though—not beet (acquired taste for wine and coffee)
  • Consistency
  • Wants to live here—hates driving, but feels unsafe
    • Wants to live in an Urban setting that is close to family
    • Used to live in AA, safe, diverse, close to family
    • Do you make things on your own
      • Have a garden at home
      • Make jewelry in college
        • Don’t have time any more
        • Love to learn more about how to make jewlry

Gary finished a half done wallet.  He added a pocket and a brass brad rubber band clasp.  He also added a decorative foam diamond shape attached with pink duct tape.  I think he really enjoyed the act of making.  He added the details to this wallet with his niece Mary Catherine in mind.  He seems excited to give it to her (shes 10).

Gary is running some errands before dinner in south west Detroit (including stopping for guacamole at the Honey bee Market).  He usually goes to Café con Leche on Vernor but decided to stop in to Astro for a change of scenery.  He’s happy that he did because he got to hang out with us and make a cool wallet!!  Levon gave him some info about the breaker project and a finished wallet that he made earlier (for Garys nephew) and then Gary went happily on his way.

 

On to Great Lakes:

Day 8 2

Way more busy than Astro coffee, but still lively. At first we couldn’t find a large enough spot to sit at and we were worried we would have to leave.  At the last minute we saw some people getting up and then were able to situate ourselves in the right place.

 

 

 

 

 

Observations:

  • Need to consider surface—great lakes coffee table lacquer is coming up on the tape—didn’t happen at Astro
  • Put a business card in each wallet to get feedback and just give people the ability to get in touch with us

Scott (from GP)-25—made a wallet

  • Comes here to study
    • Gets him out of the house (lives at home while attending Med School to save money)
    • GP coffee places close around 10 and GLC closes later
    • Coffee and food
    • Used to make a little in High School
      • Shop class

Karey (Moved here a few days ago from New Orleans)—made a clutch

  • Good coffee and food
  • Seems they know what they are doing
  • Friendly
  • GLC is in the middle of things
    • Seems like there is a “buzz going on”
    • Nice Energyà people are drawn to that

Ahmad —made a clutch for gf

  • Works in Troy, loves the coffee here
    • Likes that they know his name, knew it after a month, month and a half of coming in
    • Can tell the difference in the coffee compared to other places like Horotn’s, Bigby

Arbrielle –made a wallet

Day 8 3

  • Comes here bc of coffee, food and atmosphere
    • Does homework and hangs out
    • Henry ford community college
    • Price is worth the coffee

Evan—made a one pocket wallet

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall it was huge success.  We had 7 people make wallets (in about 3 hours)! Never kicked out but our biggest failure was we ran out of supplies and had to run to the store to get more duck tape.  Although this is a success in the sense that we had people making enough wallets to need more supplies, we failed in the sense that we spent more than $5 and we noticed this would not be a sustainable practice if we had to go to the store to by $5 role of duck tape each time.  It would be more efficient if we had the opportunity to buy mass quantities of duck tape for very little price.