Deep Dive- Research

At the beginning of this course, I felt stuck. Everyone who gave advice suggested designing for something we feel passionate about. Having that passion is like a fuel for motivation and inspiration. I thought long and hard about what my passions were, but that was the problem. My passion was right under my nose. Literally, on my lap kneeing my legs with his claws. I've always loved cats and cared for them so why not create something intended for cats. 

Through research I found that cat grass, a blend between wheat and oat grass, is a health benefit to a cat's diet. Cats are meat eaters so they digest a bit of grass to help with digestion. The consumption of grass provides fiber in their diet as well as providing nutrients like niacin and B vitamins (vetinfo.com). Because cats naturally eat grass, sometimes they chew on plants that are toxic to them. Many indoor plants, like ivy or blulb plants, pose a threat to cat's health. Providing cat grass for cats help not only their health, but prevents a possible health threat. 

I reached out to the community and cat owners, and got insight about their experiences and opinions. I created and shared a survey and got over 180 responses. Majority of cats are adult cats between the ages of 2-6 years. Over 70% of cat owners keep their pets indoors. These statistics gives me a rough idea of the types of cats and owners I would be designing for. Since majority of cats are indoor, there is opportunity for a cat grass planter to provide grass for cats and keeps them away from the toxic plants.

 Another interesting insight I got from my survey was that pet owners care deeply about their pets and will ensure their pets are healthy and happy. This is a good opportunity for a cat grass product because owners will be interested in learning more about their pets' needs and get a nice planter for the home. 

Interview with Stephanie Pereira

On October 12, our EPD class had the opportunity to talk with Stephanie Pereira, someone who has worked at Kickstarter since its beginnings, and gave us insights about starting projects on this crowdfunding website. 

Since Stephanie knows Kickstarter so well, she was able to give us advice about what makes a successful project. The video on the project page make or break a project. What makes a successful video is having energy and a story within the first 30 seconds. A lot of backers make their decisions when first viewing the project, so those 30 seconds are vital. Not only is the video important, but building a community is key to being successful on Kickstarter. Stephanie highlights this to being key because you find people to back you before launching. This community knows and cares about you, so they help with the initial backing and are as excited about your project as you are. 

One other thing Stephanie stressed was that us creators shouldn't just think of Kickstarter in short-term goals. Since we are creators for life, we should think about our long-term goals in what we hope to achieve through our designs. Talking with Stephanie was very informative, but also inspirational and got me excited to work on and launch my own project on Kickstarter.

Pivot Point

As creators, we are always inspired and have a constant flow of ideas. At the beginning of my EPD class, I pushed an idea, but at one point I felt stuck.

This post serves more as advice for my future self; it is okay to abandon certain ideas for others. Passion and motivation are key to a successful product, this was mentioned by all designers we talked to in our EPD class. I have switched my Kickstarter project, from a duster that utilized old rags, to a planter designed with cats in mind. Looking back, I am glad that I switched because I no longer feel stuck in form or solution. 

Moving forward, I have a simple, yet beautiful form, that I will take to manufacturers and hopefully test run with some feline friends. Very excited to see the final result and launch in 2018.