Interview with Chadwick Parker

On October 5, our EPD class got the amazing opportunity to Skype call with Chadwick Parker. He launched 21 projects on Kickstarter and with his partner, Joe Huang, started Big Idea Design. Chadwick shared some of his extensive knowledge with us about Kickstarter, working with manufacturers, and design.  

Some key points I took away from the Skype call with Chadwick was for a Kickstarter project to be successful, it should be unique, achievable, and have a realistic timeline. To begin a project, it is important to feel passionate about the subject and to improve user experience. Chadwick advised us to design with the user in mind because, as designers, we should strive to improve on what already exists. With this in mind, we should also consider projects that are achievable in a realistic timeline. Because most of the projects involve a vendor, things take time to make and ship out. There are also many risks and challenges that happen along the way which could affect the achievability and feasibility of a project.

Chadwick has worked on many Kickstarter projects and give us insightful advice when working with vendors. He stressed the importance of building a relationship and trust with your vendors. No one is on their own when starting a project. Whether its backers on Kickstarter or the manufacturer making your product, everyone is involved. Clear communication with vendors breaks down any barriers and ensures success on their end, which ensures your success. One thing that helps Chadwick be successful is telling the vendor, "Let's build together," so they feel more involved and excited in the process. 

The whole process may seem intimidating, but Chadwick reassured that it's a learning process and to not be afraid to ask questions. I am very thankful for Chadwick taking the time out of his schedule to talk to our class about his experiences with vendors and Kickstarter projects. His knowledge was insightful and helpful in guiding my own project on Kickstarter.

Vox Video on Crowdfunding

I came across this video and I think it was very helpful to understand crowdfunding. It's a fun way to understand crowdfunding websites, like Kickstarter, and be given an example that is familiar. 

Crowdfunding is when many people back a project by funding a small amount to help reach a goal. The larger the crowd, the easier it is for a project to be successful. The video stresses the importance of raising a crowd. What Exploding Kittens did was create different rewards for backers to get or achievements that kept bringing people back to their Kickstarter. This built a sense of community and helped Exploding Kittens raise almost $9 million dollars.

The Exploding Kittens projects was a good example of a successful Kickstarter. Other creators looking to launch their own projects on Kickstarter can learn from Exploding Kittens to help in creating a community around their project and hopefully get funded.

Deep Dive - Research

As a designer, I am always looking for problems to solve. One problem that really inspires my projects is solving for waste. As consumers, we produce so much waste that just sits on landfills and destroys surrounding ecosystems. One type of waste that no one really thinks about is our textile waste.

With modern advances, clothing companies are able to produce more clothing at a faster rate. New fashion trends allow consumers to try new looks for cheap. This inevitably creates more textile waste in landfills. The unfortunate thing is that a lot of these textiles are cotton and don't biodegrade. During my research I found a very informative video about "The Life Cycle of a T-shirt." It explains the whole process from creating the t-shirt to the environmental impact. One thing that really stuck with me is that: 

“the fashion industry is the world’s second most polluting industry, after oil. Around 10% of the world’s global carbon emissions result from the apparel and textile industry. ”

This problem almost seems too big for an individual to tackle on their own, but there are small steps that everyone can take that can help. One solution I am looking into is reusing old t-shirts and giving them a new life. By reusing them one more time, consumers can prolong the life of textiles.