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wedoit
™
(so you don’t have to)
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - robert rabinovitz & norman fryman - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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case study comparison
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problem statement
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areas of exploration
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research present solution identification
5 - 18
the focus groups
19 - 26
the survey
27 - 30
the experts
31 - 36
opportunities opportunity identification
37 - 38
focus regroup for opportunities
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intervention proposed solutions
40 - 43
additional solutions
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create a brand
45 - 47
the final product website
48 - 62
the business summarized overview
63 - 65
bibiography
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photo credits
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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introduction
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table of contents
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introduction
throughout our time at parsons we’ve taken many courses that influence on how we approach many different types of problems and specifically, design problems. we have been taught how to approach, analyze and present solutions to various design problems and it has been instilled in our being that we must always document our work to justify our solutions. aside from the methodoligies we’ve been taught we’ve also been provided with skills to visually enhance not only our research and observations but to visually enhance our solutions by creating aestetically pleasing and meaningful visuals. for my thesis i chose to investigate clothing. i did not want design a line or sell clothing, i wanted to discover if there were any opportunities that were begging for a solution. i discovered early that we all engage in the exact same system regardless of our clothing quantity and preference. i observed people at laundromats, drycleaners and tailoring services as a wheel in the system. this lead me to thinking..... how is it that the processes associted with clothing have not changed? why have these processes not evolved? could we improve on the present conditions resulting in a more pleasurable consumer experience? through my research, i attempted to identify areas that were unpleasurable and through my intervention and solution, re-invent the process.
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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case study comparison netflix was founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Markl Randolph. up until 1997, reed and mark watched videos at home in the same manner that the majority of americans did; go tothe video store, browse through aisles filled with thousands of movies, read the sleeve synopsis, wait in line, pay and then journey back home and commencve movie watching. apollo 13, was one of the films chosen by mark and upon returning the dvd (late) he was appauled by the late charge that had accumulated on his account. this was the birth of a brand new business model that changed the way millions of americans will engage in the dvd rental experience and threaten the existance on dvd rental outlets throughout the country
blockbuster model
planning
browsing
choosing
N
N
N B
N
receiving
viewing
payment
late fees
N
N
B
N B
B
B
B
B
N B
peer insights
neutral
customer responsibility
returning
N
B
negative
rental company blockbuster
education
neutral
positive
by examining the blockbuster model, netflix was designed by addressing consumer experience shortcomings offered by blockbuster video. by dividing the current process in to actions, netflix was able to identify opportunity gaps. after identifying areas where customer satisfaction was low, netflix plotted areas in which they believed they needed to execute resulting in a greater customer experience.
B
blockbuster
N
netflix
the result netflix has seen exponential growth and now has over 12 million subscribers and dominates the market in dvd rental and movie streaming. let’s see what we can do for clothing...............
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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problem statement people like their clothing but new yorkers, love their clothing. aside from the joys and excitement experienced when purchasing clothing, we enter a commitment with our clothing where unpleasantries take precedence. new yorkers need to understand how much time they are spending working on each task involved with their clothing. this realization would allow people to understand how and where they are applying their resources. by understanding where time is spent and how much money is spent, society can curb inherent processes and can better focus on improving not only efficiency but also their quality of life.
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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areas of exploration to get a better understanding of the relationship or committment we enter with our clothing, i’ve divided the process in to four different categories. by dividing the experiences in to categories, we were able to clearly identify problems or aspects of clothing that did not resonate well with people.
buying/shopping
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maintenance
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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disposal
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“somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known�
dr. carl sagan
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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maintenance solution identification
“another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.”
kurt vonnegut jr.
the webster dictionary defines maintenance as, “the work of keeping something in proper condition; upkeep.” when dealing with clothing, maintenance is one of the greatest consumers of time. by washing, ironing, folding and tailoring, we spend much of the relationship we have with our clothing dedicated to the care, presentability and preservation of it. in an attempt to maintain, we hope to acheive a longer more fulfilling life with our clothing so that it gives us satisfaction in return. clothing should be seen as an investment and we shoud try to protect 1 that investment.
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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maintenance home washing machines solution identification
home laundry machines some residents in NYC have access to in home or in unit laundry facilities. washers and dryers are considered to be a luxury and many people sacrifice space to have access to these units
60,000,000
it is estimated that over homes in the united states have washers and dryers 7
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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maintenance drycleaners and laundromats solution identification
laundromats and dry cleaners in NYC, there are curently over 1300 locations that clean clothing. laundry services that include drycleaning are located on almost every second corner. in metropolitan areas, where space is an issue, residents are left with few options other than utilizing these services provided
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there are over facilites in nyc. of these establishments offer wash and fold services.
90%
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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maintenance laundry services solution identification
laundry services slate NYC is an eco-luxury wardrobe renewal company. already a sensation according to the wall street journal, daily candy, New York magazine, and the New York Daily News, the company offers high-end laundry and dry cleaning services. utilizing eco and skin-friendly technologies slate NYC offers an alternative to the harsh, toxic chemicals that most dry cleaners use. the company pioneered prix-fixe pricing, which has eliminated confusion and simplified the dirty clothes equation.
slate nyc has over 9
5000 clients in nyc. marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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maintenance tailoring services solution identification
tailoring services most who purchase clothing will evntually make use of a tailoring service in our lifetime. unfortunately, clothes off the rack do not fit us all and alterations must be made so that clothing can fit us properly. many laundry facilities in NYC offer these services but the quality and craftsmanship is often questioned. not only do tailoring services alter clothing so that it may be better fitting, many are seeking the services of tailors to alter the overall appearance of clothing so that it has a new look and fits in with the style of a certain season or trend.
“women’s sizes vary
6 different sizes when buying off the rack�.
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
kate m. jackson 10
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storage solution identification
“don’t throw it out, just put it in storage” my wife (all of the time)
storage has become the new refuge for personal items that we accumulate over the years. many of the items we store hold sentimental value, some still serve a need that we have but just not at that given moment, and some of the items we store, we just can’t bring ourselves to throw out. aside from the above reasons for storage, there are also factors like moving or relocating for work or school, divorce or separation, or many other personal reasons or circumstances that invoke our need for storage. regardless of the reasons, it’s there and not as available as one might think. tom vanderbilt reported in 2005 that, “most operators of self-storage facilities report 90 percent occupancy, with average stints among its renters of 15 months. last year alone saw a 24 percent spike in the number of self-storage units on the market.” storage and organization has become a necessity and in-turn, big business.
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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storage facilities storage solution identification
storage facilities in a recent study done by the self storage association, the united states has over 2.2 billion sq. ft. of personal storage space. there are now over 40,000 facilities in the united states. In New York City another study was completed by the ssa claimed that 15 percent of customers told the self storage association they were storing items that they “no longer need or want.�
in nyc there is a
91% vacancy rate in storage facilities
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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storage home storage solution identification
home storage when it comes to storage, many of us store most of our belongings in the home. In most cases, homes are equiped with closets, a garage and a basement. in urban dwellings in places such as NYC, in-home storage is considered to be somewhat of a luxury as space is limited and closets generally only have the ability to hold a few items. to make up for the limited built in storage, we purchase furniture and fixtures to store our belongings. what do we store? how do we store it and how do we organize it? for some of us, these questions added with the fact that there may be limited storage space, we seek external comapanies to build or to reconfigure our space to better store our belongings.
15 external storage units
most homes contain at least 13
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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storage home storage retailers solution identification
home storage retailers retail giants such as ikea and the container store strive on an individual’s need for more storage. retailers like these have designed functional, aesthetically pleasing storage solutions for the home.
the nyc container store sold
$24, 000,000 in storage solutions in 2005
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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disposal solution identification
“it’s all about breaking through the clutter.” tim cannon
with the change of seasons, we often find ourselves burdened with the chore of cleaning out closets. we box, ship and discard of clothing that does not satisfy a need at that particular moment, we purge. to purge is to, “to rid of whatever is impure or undesirable; cleanse; purify.” regardless of the reasons for our purge, we cleanse our space of unwanted/wanted goods. we free ourselves of clutter. to many with limited space, we purge often and we sell, trade, store, donate or just throw items away.
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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disposal garbage solution identification
garbage when face with the task of purging, many choose the simple and easiest option of bagging clothing and resting it on the curb. it requires little effort and it solves the original problem that the “purger� was faced with.
66lbs. of clothing/textile per person is wasted by being sent to landfills each year. marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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donation / charity disposal solution identification
donation / charity many who do not believe in throwing out old clothing, make a concious decision to donate clothing they no longer need/want to various charities in NYC. when clothes are donated to a nonprofit that operates a thrift store, the store usually sorts through them and selects the best items to sell on racks. the remaining items are sold to companies called graders, which sort them by class men’s shirts, women’s pants, kids’ shoes and by fiber. the clothes in the worst condition are sold to textile recyclers, who turn them into rags, paper fibers or stuffing for furniture and insulation.the clothing you donate might not go directly to a poor person, but the nonprofits are using the money they raise from your donations to good causes.
1.6 million people living in poverty
in nyc there are 17
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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disposal resale solution identification
resale in NYC there has been an influx of consignment retailers specializing in used clothing. many people have found this method of disposal profitable but also a way to avoid waste in landfills. online platforms such as ebay and craigslist have entire categories specifically for the sale of used clothing. with recent trends in the fashion industry, used or vintage clothing has become the rage within various style demographics.online there are now clothing swaps and rental sites catering to those who just need clohting for one night or a specific event.
ebay accounts for almost
10%of the entire world’s e-commerce sales.
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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the chats - girls to get a better perception of how women interact with their wardrobe in all stages, we had a group discussion that gave better insight in to the processes that the group engaged in when dealing with their clothing. topics of discussion included shoping, maintaining, storing and disposing of clothing. the group discussed their likes dislikes and their own unique processes and ideas about clothing. the girls were informative and all had ideal scenarios for each aspect that was discussed.
the girls
stephanie yung age 36 creative director
amalie bruun age 35 owner - finn boutique
katherine craig age 37 account director
mary bluhm age 58 retired school teacher
“it’s so frustrating and 19
jennifer hedley age 35 owner - ella’s uncle cafe
alana kakia age 29 stylist / designer for metric
stressful sorting through clothes getting ready every morning.” marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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the chats - boys to get a better perception of how women interact with their wardrobe in all stages, we had a group discussion that gave better insight in to the processes that the group engaged in when dealing with their clothing. topics of discussion included shoping, maintaining, storing and disposing of clothing. the group discussed their likes dislikes and their own unique processes and ideas about clothing. the girls were informative and all had ideal scenarios for each aspect that was discussed.
the boys
“i
simon benstead age 36 investment banker
rick atherton age 37 dad / banker
gregoire bonhomme age 42 analyst
michael rocha age 41 accountant
andrew c. erin age 37 filmmaker
don guss age 39 graphic designer
hate it when i have to iron a shirt. i can’t iron for shit.�
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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the observations - boys and girls chat
buying/shopping
1
maintenance
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2 storage
3
disposal
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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buying/shopiing observations - boys and girls chat sorting options free time to shop
loving an item sizing searching
resources
identifying items that fit your style
making decisions
keeping up with trends price comparisons
shopping
trying items on
buying/shopping
identifying trends
storage maintenance
disposal
common themes - individualism
- value - doubt/products - social - cost - ease - time - reward - good feeling
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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maintenance observations - boys and girls chat buying soap hanging
ruining clothing
dryclean
wash and fold
buying fabric softeners folding
drying
sorting options
hand washing
sorting
ironing
washing pick up / drop off
shrinking
buying/shopping
storage
maintenance
common themes - environment
disposal
walking to facilities
time transportation costs
- knowledge/skill - doubt/products - effort
wearing out clothing transporting clothes up and down stairs
- cost - ease
find facility am i purchasing the right products?
- time - equipment - losing items/damage
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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storage observations - boys and girls chat
pick up / drop off
dryclean hanging
buying storage furniture
prioritizing
sorting options
hand washing
damaging clothing
washing sorting
ironing
moving
storage
buying/shopping maintenance
disposal folding
common themes - waste
- decisiveness
buying storage items walking to facilities
time transportation costs
- hope of wearing it again - effort
wearing out clothing
- cost
find facility
renting space
- ease - organization - forgotten items
transporting clothes up and down stairs
am i purchasing the right products?
- hoarding
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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disposal observations - boys and girls chat value of clothing sentimental value
wearing out clothing will you wear it again
how to dispose
why are you disposing of it tax value
hand it down
is there any worth to it recycle it throw it out
buying/shopping
storage
disposal
maintenance donate
common themes
sell
- waste
- decisiveness
does it fit?
- hope of wearing it again
give away
- effort
transporting clothes up and down stairs
- time - ease
find facility
altering it
lend it?
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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research - boys and girls chat- recurring themes common themes
common themes
- environment
- knowledge/skill
- decisiveness
- doubt/products
- hope of wearing it again
- effort - cost - ease - time - equipment - losing items/damage
buying/shopping
1
maintenance common themes - individualism
- value - doubt/products - social - cost
- waste
2 storage
common themes - waste
- decisiveness - hope of wearing it again - effort - cost
- ease
- ease
- time
- organization
- reward
- forgotten items
- good feeling
- hoarding
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
- effort - time - ease - convenience
3
disposal
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the survey aside from the group conversations, a survey was produced to send out to a large demographic to acquire a greater amount of insight in an attempt to get their views and opinions on clothing and the relationship that they are in with it. the survey was distributed by family members and friends in hopes that of the respondants, there would not be any influence when being completed by myself.
the questions 1. male or female? 2. age? 3. do you have any dependents? 4. married or single? 5. do you have laundry facilities in your home? 6. how did you learn how to do laundry? 7. how much time do you spend a week dealing with your clothing? (washing / folding / ironing / storing / organizing / deciding what to wear) 8. do you use a laundry service? why or why not? 9. how much do laundry services cost? 10. do you have sufficient storage space for your clothing? 11. do you donate old clothing? 12. have you ever thrown out cothing in the garbage that could have been donated? if so, why? 13. how much extra room do you have in your closet? 14. are you concerned about the environment? do you do your part to help reduce your carbon footprint? 15. do you store clothing seasonally? 16. do you hold on to clothing hoping it will become stylish again? 17. do you feel you have enough space for clothing storage? 18. do you feel you need more storage space? 19. how long does it take you to do laundry at a laundromat?
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a. sorting clothing
g. loading machine
b. packing up your laundry
h. washing time
c. getting transportation
i. loading dryer
d. transportation time (there and back)
j. drying time
e. buying soap
k, folding and packing up
f. getting change
l. putting clothing away at home
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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the survey some key data points from the survey.
23%
have laundry facilites in their dwelling
52%
have dependents
61%
women
39%
men
38%
single
31
was the average age
172
surveys were completed and collected
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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the survey - key findings
key findings
more key data points from the surveys completed and collected
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 29
70% of those surveyed stated that they spend more than 10 hours a week interacting with their clothing. 15% claim that they spend more than 15 hours a week. 10% claim they spend under 2 hours a week 62% claimed that they do not use a laundry service as they believe that they are too expensive yet are unaware of what the actual cost really is. 90% of people surveyed claimed they store clothing every season 98% believe that they need more storage space 73% of those surveyed have donated clothes. 96% have admitted to throwing out clothing that could have been donated but did not have time 96% claim they need more time in a week to complete all of the tasks that they have 85% of those surveyed hang on to clothing in hopes that the style will come back 98% of those surveyed were taught how to do laundry by their mothers 87% of those surveyed would like to reduce their carbon footprint. 100% claimed that their closets are full
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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the survey - key findings from the data collected from the survey, we wanted to find out how long people spent doing laundry. below is a graphic representing the findings
total time
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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“an expert is a man who has stopped thinking - he knows!� Frank Lloyd Wright
individuals that work with clothing in different capacities were sought out and interviewed. by consultng industry experts, a clearer understanding of the current market solutions and insight regarding business models could be assessed. gaining insight from industry experts and comparing their comments to those of their users will lead to the identification of areas where we can innovate.
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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the experts - the interviews
alana kakia - stylist for metric/designer alana is an nyc stylist/designer who specializes in the modification of clothing items. alana takes older clothing and restyles it to fit in modern fashion while giving items a modern yet unique spin.alana’a area of expertise is dealing with used or vintage clothing.
key points
-never throw out clothing, recycle it. -being fashionable means being unique -in my experience, people forget about the clothing they own. people continue to build on to their wardrobe and ignore what they already have. -my best finds are usually in a bottom drawer or stuffed in a closet or box. -treat clothing like an investment. get the longest use out of everything that you own. -there are millions upon millions of pieces already made, why not tweak them here or there, and turn them into your ideal item. -clothing has become easier to maintain yet people still do not give their clothing the care it needs. -space to store clothing in NYC is a definite problem. nobody ever has enough space.
“my best finds are usually stuffed in a closet or marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
stored in a box “ 32
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the experts - the interviews
miguel - slate nyc slate nyc is cleaning service located in nyc. miguel has rebranded the dry cleaning and laundry experience and changed the existing model in to a luxury brand all while being conscious of branding, the environment and offering top quality clothing services that ranges from cleaning to tailoring.
key points -prix-fixe - we charge a flat rate so you can know exactly how much it’s going to cost. sort-free - no need to separate whites, darks, laundry, dry cleaning, just throw everything into the slate hamper. -convenience and value is why customers utilize our services. - we are all about offering a remarkable experience, and minimizing our environmental impact along the way. - people are looking for value now. the better value we offer, as compared to our competition, the better positioned we are to take advantage of the current economic climate. - many new yorkers don’t have the time to do it themselves, they don’t enjoy doing it themselves, or they don’t know how to do it themselves. -new yorkers are concerned about their impact on the environment and many constantly seek new methods to minimize their carbon footprint. -convienience and saving time is what customers expect from us, but make a profit in doing so.
“permission to get 33
dirty.” marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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the experts - the interviews
adam - wearable collections wearable collections is a NYC based organization that collects clothing that would have normally ended up in landfills. wearable collections provides a no cost, turn-key solution to recycling clothing within residential buildings in NYC. wearable collections donates and redistributes clothing to charities around the world. adam is the founder of WC.
key points
-the amount of waste we see constantly amazes me. -we are a clothing recycling service. our focus is reducing some of the 386 million lbs of textiles that enter NYC’s wastestream annually while raising funds for charitable organizations in the process. -we are servicing over 110 residential buildings, 9 weekly greenmarkets, dozens of primary schools and a host of other .orgs. -treat clothing like an investment. get the longest use out of everything that you own. -sorting facilities determine how the items can be re-used. they pay us market rate for the untouched clothes, we continue the collections process. -we are on the frontlines of educating people on the needs to recycle and waste management. -to reduce waste and raise funds for non-for profits. also to prove that our model can be a sustainable business economically -figured out a way to not only improve environmental conditions but make a profit in doing so.
“long before
Al Gore made it fashionable.�
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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the experts - the interviews
kevin - manhattan mini-storage kevin is the manager at manhattan mini-storage. manhattan mini-storage is a chain of storage facilities that offer new yorkers a secure place to store away goods that they do not presently deem as necessary. storage items range from sports equipment to furniture. a large amount of storage that people have involves clothing. seasonal clothing and special event clothing are popular clothing items of storage.
key points -currently at capacity. there is a waiting llist to rent storage units. -current customers are requesting bigger or additional units. -there simply seems to be a lack of storage space available in NYC homes. -some storage units are so packed full, i doubt anyone knows what is in them. -often, when tenants vacate, they leave behind bags of clothing that is usually moldy and unusable, they end up in the garbage. -majority of tenants walk or taxi to our location. -prices range from $29.99/month to $149.00/month
15% of customers claimed they no longer wanted items they stored�
“in 2007, 35
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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the experts - key findings after having thorough interviews and conversations with experts from various fields involving the areas of research, i was able to discuss findings from solution identifications as well as the focus groups and surveys that were compiled. key points that were commonly discussed were;
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
there is a consumer demand for more efficient methods and services. processes exist but the consumer experience is lacking and consumers are unaware of many services available. new yorkers seem to collect or acquire more clothing than ever. disposal practices are wasteful and inefficient. clothing should be treated as an investment. people own clothes they don’t even know they have. new yorkers are busy and there needs to be an organized way where they can interact with their clothing. surprising how much time is spent interacting with clothing. new yorkers are concerned about the environment. for profit vs. non-profit
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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“opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.� Thomas Alva Edison
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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the opportunities through my research,the following areas of opportunities have been discovered. moving forward i will further investigate these areas then develop an intervention that will address these opportunites and improve the existing solutions and processes.
1
create a new services and revamp a brand
2
reduce waste
3
combine services
4
save money
5
save time
6
provide more options
7
improve customer experience in an existing environment
storage
buying/shopping
maintenance
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
disposal
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the regroup - boys and girls after analysis of the combined research was complete and an opportunity was discovered, the boys and girls from the chats, returned to discuss the potential intervention and brainstormed what other services could be included in the business model to even further redefine the landscape and ensure that we presented a solution that would create a delightful and pleasant experience for the people. In the current landscape, some scenarios where people did not enjoy dealing with their clothing were:
how and can we re-design these unpleasant tasks?
?
problems
solutions
when cuts in clothing change
offer a service that alters them
shopping for undergarments
ship it on a schedule to people
dry-cleaners feels cheap and dirty deciding what is and isn’t stylish selling old clothing having items you love but are no longer used
!
clean it up, make that an important aspect of the brand stylist to complete a wardrobe audit offer a sales platform offer a rental or trade community
suit styles change
alter them
laundromat is dirty
clean it up, make that an important aspect of the brand
packing for trips
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like this!
ship it for people
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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an intervention
“an influencing force or act that occurs in order to modify a given state of affairs.� standard dictionary definition
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the intervention the first area of study was maintenance of clothing. it was discovered, although not surprising that people loathe this aspect of being a clothing owner. the proposed intervention had to be convienient to the consumer, appealing and had to offer more than what currently exists. this area being the most unappealing to people, we wanted to move the consumer experience continuum closer to be similar to the emotive response experienced when a new item is purchased.
proposed solution
a fixed price pick-up / drop-off service that encompasses both wash and fold and drycleaning products. charge by the provided laundry bag regardless of the contents (laundry or dry-cleaning). pick-up and drop off that will happen on your schedule, not the establishment’s. environmentally friendly detergents and chemicals only would be used. tailoring and alterations would be done on site so people would no longer have to make a separate trip. a common finding was that people loved the feeling when they returned home from shopping and unpacked their recently acquired items. we must try to duplicate this experience in the process of delivery and packaging
solution
1 C environmentally friendly pick-up/drop off service, on your schedule
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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the intervention the second area of research was that of storage. great insight was acquired into how people stored their clothing, where they stored their clothing and the likes and dislikes of the current storage solutions available.
proposed solution
since we would be picking up and dropping off your clothing, what about the idea of us holding on to it for you? store people’s clothing for them, photograph it and catalogue it so people can choose what they want to wear delivered and when they want it. provide a complete online inventory for people so they can always have an accessible inventory of what they own. through this process, people would have their very own virtual closet. by having clothes stored away from home, space will open up, time would be saved and so would money as people will no longer have to purchase in-home storage units to store excessive amounts of clothing.
solution
2 C store people’s clothes. photograph and catalogue them, online.
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the intervention the third area of study was that of disposal. through the collection and analysis of research, we were able to innovate and compbine existing services in one place and providing quick easy options for people when it comes to disposal. sales, borrow, discard and donate were areas that were concentrated on during this intervention.
proposed solution
seeing as how we have your clean clothes inventoried and catalogued, why not provide options on what to do with them. by a simple click, people will be able to move their inventories from their virtual closet to a sales platform, a trade and borrow (rent) platform, a waste program (responsible) and a list of charities where your unwanted items can be donated. long gone are the days where your clothing sits and goes to waste to fill landfills as is the task of you co-ordinating this process this platform offers a financial benefit, creative benefit and a socially responsible community where your unwanted clothing can be put to work for you.
solution
3 C since we clean and store for you, let us give you get rid of it for you.
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the intervention create an environment where.......... solution
1 C environmentally friendly pick-up/drop off service, on your schedule
solution
3 C since we clean and store for you, let us give you disposal options.
solution
2 C store people’s clothes. photograph, and catalogue them online.
so.....what else can be offered? through the discussions had during the girl and boy chats, other aspects relating to the “dealing” with our clothing that the boys did not enjoy was the experience of purchasing undergarments. the boys found this task to be taxing as it became a chore and the emotive response presented while shopping for undergarments was negative as opposed to shopping for other clothing items, which in most cases was enjoyable. packing for business and pleasure trips was an aspect of “dealing” with clothing that both the boys and girls strongly disliked. this dislike was enhanced due to increased security at airports resulting in longer lines, longer wait times and additional baggage fees. on top of the increased security measures, the boys and girls all claimed that they usually packed multiple times for a single trip due to room constraints another aspect of dealing with our clothing was fashion and being bored of the itmes people have. the idea of having a stylist for many was a great idea but unfortunately, economically unattainable for all.
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we’ve got an idea after an in-depth analysis of all of the research acquired through interviews, expert interviews, landscape evaluation and through the survey, it was dicsovered that people were not only spending too much time “dealing” with their clothing, they were also presently using services but unfortunately, the services being used, never were in one central location. what if we could combine and structure a system where all presently existing services lived under one roof and regardless of the service, the user would not face any inconvenience. make everything one stop (of course we would have to make that stop). by creating a service that resides online, offer a multitude of services that users want. use the existing model of pick up and drop off only change it so it no longer works on the company’s schedule, but so it works on your schedule. you click a mouse, we do the rest.
create a brand seeing as how all of these services exist and we are planning on combining them, we need to do a bit more to resonate emotionally with people. by creating a brand, we hope to influence those postve emotions of happiness from people that use our service. by “cleaning up” the current face of a laundry service we hope to generate a media buzz surrounding our brand. with use of a minimalistic look, a designed typeface bright color palette and designed set of icons we can begin to re-invent the current look and feel of industry. the designed system ghas to be easy to understand and intuitive.
3 questions brands have to ask themselves
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1
who are you? (personality)
2
what do you mean to people? (commitment)
3
why do you matter? (cause)
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
wedoit
you have to have reason and feeling companies have to understand who they are, how they want to be perceived and what is it exactly that they do. by startegically defining yourself and what you do, you will resonate with people and whether or not you are successfully answering to a demand, you will successfully resonate with people; thus developing a relationship resulting in not only loyalty to your brand but a strong belief and support from people.
brand
personality
commitment
cause
can we be all of these? we want to be red friendly. approachable. charming. energetic. approachable. inclusive. exclusive. bold. carefree. beautiful. caring. accessible. stylish.
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
simple. user-friendly experiences. low cost. great value. reliable. dependable. environmentally safe. products work. provider of great service.
think different. great design accessability. freedom. love. caring. easy.
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visual identity through the research of the current landscape and through feedback from the surveys and chats, an obvious opportunity for an intervention was to create a brand that would resonate with people. by using iconography, simple text a playful color palette and a clean feel, a new look and feel was created that proved through testing to result in positive and cheerful emotive responses from the study groups. modelled from a visual brand identity graphic from the brooklyn museum, this is the visual identity that wedoit has. we rely heavily on a simple information system that avoids clutter and uses minimal color that provides the biggest impact on people. we wish to create a memorable experience not only for people that utilize the wedoit services but people that may come across our brand. by designing something simple and visually pleasing, wedoit will be memorable.
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a website
“a set of interconnected pages generally located on the same server.�
standard dictionary definition
by introducing this service on a website, this minimizes the amount of work that people will have to experience while dealing with theri clothing. a simple click will replace many of the unpleasantries we’ve discovered that people experience in the current process. an intuitive website that is aesthetically unique from the existing models will be key in the success of this model.
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the website - homescreen
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
the website - laundry service
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how it works - laundry service when a customer wants to use or service. by logging in to his/her account online (or via a phone application) the user selects a time for his /her laundry to be picked up. the user also has to selct an address stating where he/she would to have the item picked up (work or home). once the items are picked up we will know what to do with the clothing as the user has selcted the service that they require. for the instance of laundry and drycleaning, items will br brought ot he facility to be sorted and cleaned and then inventoried (photographed). in the case that the user wants to store some items, those items will be sent to our facility waiting for further instruction all while being catalogued in the user’s online profile. all other items will be cleaned and sent back to the user at a location that they have chosen and at a time that is fitting for them.
E
s
schedules a pick-up online
E
E we pick it up
E send to storage user can view inventory online
E
E
wash / dryclean
s
schedules a pick-up online
E
E bring it to you
why we do it through our research, we realized that everybody does laundry and everybody needs laundry done. this service replicates existing models but it works on the user’s schedule; they pick a time and it’s done. no longer will users have to be told what time works for companies. this service is also different as there is a higher level of professionalism attached to it. with uniform wearing drivers to alternative methods of transportation, the wedoit brand will be well represented. all drivers are also trained by a master tailor to have the ability to take measurements at your place when you decide to have your clothing altered or adjusted.
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the website - storage
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the website - storage
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how it works - storage when a customer wants to use or service. by logging in to his/her account online (or via a phone application) the user can view their online clothing inventory. through user testing and scenario planning, people expressed a great interest in the service. this service does currently exist but in two seperate business models. the first model is that of a storage facility combined with the second model of a virtual closet where users have to photograph and upload their own photos of clothing. users can store items in their own wedoit virtual closet and the clothing inventory is photographed and uploaded by us. through the “my closet” screen, users can choose items to deliver, sell or donate.
s
E
schedules a pick-up online
E we pick it up
E wash / dryclean
E send to storage user can view inventory online
s
browse your inventory and let us know what you want delivered
E we bring it to you
why we do it through our research, we realized that everybody loved the concept and agreed that they would use existing models but there was too much “work” involved in the process. we figure since we pick it up and wash/dryclean it, why not inventory it and let users browse their clothing inventory online, selct outfits for delivery and no longer have to worry about where they can store items at home. your inventory is only a “click” away, just let us know and we’ll have it delivered back to you.
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the website -emergency
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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how it works - emergency this service can be accessed by our users at any time. we are aware that accidents happen, so if you spill, rip, tear or somehow ruin a piece of clothing that you need a replacement for, let us know and we’ll get you either a new item from our inventory or send you an item from your existing virtual closet.
E
s
you have an accident
E select something from your virtual closet
E
E we’re here to help
E we bring it to you
E
E
s
you have a replacement item and are ready to go about with your day
sel;ect something from your virtual closet
why we do it through our research, we realized that everybody has been faced with a clothing crisis. we want to be there to help so we’ve designed a system where we carry staple items such as ties, jackets, slacks and shirts just in case you encounter an emergency and require a replacement piece when you’re in a jam. just log on, select what you need and we’ll have it to you as quickly as possible.
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the website - under-covered
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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how it works - under-covered most of us need undergarments so by signing up for this service, you pick a timeframe and select the brands and size you want and we will schedule the delivery socks, underwear and undershirts automatically.
E
you schedule a recurring delivery time to replenish your undergarment stock
90
days
s
every
you pick a timeframe
E
E select your items and brands
E we make the arrangements
E we bring it to you
s
you have a fresh stock of undergarments
why we do it through research, we discovered that men hate the task of replenishing their undergarments. since we are here to absorb aby unpleasant interaction you have with your clothing, why not let us take care of it for you? you pick the schedule, your size and brand preference and we’ll get them to you every 3 months or whatever timeframe you subscribe to. by developng relationships with retailers and clothing brands, we will be able to provide these items for you at a lower price than users would when buying these items themselves. you pick the date and time and the items will be there.
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the website - alterations and tailoring
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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how it works - tailoring very few of us can buy clothing off of the rack and have it be ready to wear without some sort of alteration. the current landscape solutions available are tiresome and long processes that are not convienient for people. some stores do offer in store alterations but people still have to leave their items and then return to pick them up. with styles also changing quickly, custome tailoring can revive an old wardrobe. if the cut of your denim is passe, get them tailored to reflect the current trends and when suit styles change, let us alter it for you rather than having you buy a new suit that just has to be tailored anyway.
s
buy a piece that needs alterations,contact us for pick up
E
E all of our drivers are trained in takling measurements. we’ll measure when we pick it up
E we’ll alter or tailor your items
E we bring it to you
s
your new item is ready to wear
why we do it through research, we discovered that when people buy a new item of clothing, more often than not, they need some sort of alteration. when people buy an item they wash it and then bring it to an establishment for alterations and then have to return to pick up the item to return home to wear it. seeing as how we look after the majority of your clothing angst, why not include this service. since our drivers are trained to take measurements by a master tailor, when we pick up your item, let us measure them and get the alterations done for you. we also identified an opportunity to do custom tailoring to all pieces of clothing. we can re-tailor your suits pants and even jackets to meet current fashion trends.
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the website - travel service
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marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010
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how it works - travel service with increased security resulting in longer lines at airports, luggage has become a greater pain than ever before. now that airlines are starting to charge for any baggage other than carry-on, an oportunity was discovered where we could ship you clothing to arrive at your destination before you do. by shipping your clothing to your destination, users save plenty of time and relieve themselves of the stress of packing.
E
E
either pick from your virtual closet
s
E
E
5
we’ll pack your bags and prepare them for shipment
let us know what you want packed for your trip
E
E
E
E get them shipped for you
l
when you arrive at your hotel your bags will be waiting for you. when you’re returning, just leave the bags with the hotel and we’ll arrange to have them shipped back.
have one of our staff pick up what you want shipped
why we do it as we discovered from our focus groups, people hate packing and hate lugging a suitcase even more. seeing as how we store clothing for you, why not let us ship it to where you need for it to be. through a relationship with several shipping services, we have competitive shipping rates that are less than what what airlines are starting to charge for baggage. we did realize that since we’re shipping your clothes, let us send your toiletries. you tell us what ou like and your items will be waiting at your destination alog with your clothing. when you’re ready to return, leave the clothing in the provided laundry bag and your hotel will ship it back to us to clean and store for you again.
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the business - summarized overview wedoit is a system and a brand that addresses the current landscape involving the interactions that people have with their clothing. the wedoit system is a virtual platform that is to be licensed to current or new laundy / drycleaning facilities that agree to the terms and conditions and services of our brand.
current problems
currently customers have the problem of having inconvienient options when dealing with the maintenance, storage and disposal of their clothing. in the united states, the clothing mainatenance industry generates over 60 billion in revenues annually. wedoit is looking to capture a majority market share in major american metropolitan ciites starting in new york city. by redifining the current processes, wedoit plans to raise peoples expectations of quality and service. no longer will consumers be at the mercy of services currently offered. people work too hard to work even harder to complete simple tasks such as their laundry, drycleaning, storage and disposal of their clothing.
target market
ideally and eventually, our target market will be broad and not as focused in the early years of wedoit. we have customers on several different levels; people thatuse our service, existing companies that exist that wish to license our service platform and brand and on the back-end, retailers that wish to purchase information on what people own in given demographics. existing businesses - our target market consists of current establishments that wish to convert their existing business model to our vision. these customers would have to follow strict design, service and brand guidelines to call our offering their own. people - although we willnot have direct interactions with customers, we feel that any customer of a licensee is a customer of our own. through our initial research, it was discovered that our target market for the entire system are male between the ages of 22 - 45. we discovered that males in this demographic were more likely to utilize all of our services. as the brand grows, our targets will then extend to females in the same age range. clothing retailers - we consider these retailers customers as we present an opportunity to sell valuable insight regarding people and their clothes. when the system is fully used, we will be able to generate clothing reporst and habits that will be of great value to retailers. presently, retailers can monitor what you buy but the challenge is deciphering what you already own. we will also have the ability to present our customers with deals from retailers thus generating revenue for ourselves while passing along benefits to our clients.
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the business - summarized overview competitor analysis
although we do not have much competition to our exact model as we are the only platform that has included so many unique services in one system. we do however realize that not everybody is interested in all the services that we have thus we have to ensure the highest quality of service and competitve pricing to keep one step ahead of the thousands of competitors in nyc. there are over 1300 facilites in the city alone and pricing competition will be aggressive as in the end, it is not only the “experience� consumers are interested in but it is the bottom line. wedoit will also stand apart from the competition as we will have an open dialogue with our customers to help us achieve greater customer satisfaction. by involvng our customers in our evolution and by seeking their approval for design concepts and new service offerings, we’ll be able to form a mutually beneficial relationship with our client base.
pricing models
wedoit has a unique market position as it has several revenue streams where compared to our competitors where their revenues are generally from one mainsource. wedoit has the ability to offer lower pricing than any of our competitors to make the appearance of the market unattractive to them thus resulting in fewer competitors. wedoit has the ability to take a loss or work at cost on several services to acquire more consumers. wedoit can work on a lossleader model as profits will be made up on other service offerings and through startegic partnerships with suppliers as the buying power of the wedoit brand will far surpass the majority of independent companies that currently exist. seeing as how this system lives in a virtual world, the possibilities for service offerings are endless thus increasing our profit margin.
wedoit growth
by licensing out the wedoit brand and service system we have to be careful not to over-sell our brand thus diluting the markets for our licensees. by assigning boundaries for our licensees, we can ensure that we can grow throughout the nyc area and dominate the market within 3 years. once the model proves successful in the nyc market,we will expand our services to other metropolitan areas in the united states in markets such as chicago and los angeles. we will also consider growth to canadian cities such as toronto, montreal vancouver and calgary. expansion to european cities will be an idea we will consider after market research is done in that market to establish whether or not the behaviors are the same as they are in the united states and canada.
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the business - summarized overview marketing
our marketing plan in the begnning consists of media reviews with the hopes of bloggers picking up our brand story. the brand design was created with design blogs and current “what’s hot” blogs in mind. by being an innovator in the industry we expect mass media coverage. we will also market ourselves through the strategic partnerships we will be engaged in. mass t-shirt give-aways, sticker and poster blitzes will happen often in the early stages to create interest which in turn will lead people to our website for further information. wedoit will flood the nyc area with posters and stickers leading people to use our service resulting in word of mouth marketing. by pleasantly surprising customers with impecable service we should garner quite a bit of word of mouth marketing.
future plans and opportunities
wedoit has every intention of evolving their services by constantly analyzing consumers and their wants and needs. we plan to align a strategic partnership with an environmentally friendly soap company for the landromats and drycleaning establishments. once the brand becomes established, there is a great opportunity to enter the retail soap market as we will be known throughout as an expert in clothing mantenance all while “piggy-backing” on our brand.
fiinancials
seeing as how we are licensing out or service and brand, the only up front costs that wedoit will incur are legal fees, development costs for the website and brand and time. the estimated costs are low as uch of the design work will be completed by myself and my partner. there will also be server hostng costs which vary depending on the amout of information and the web traffic that we acquire. our running costs will all be covered by the licensee.
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the bibliography 1. The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure, Juliet B. Schor. 1991....Bulletin of Science Technology Society.1993; 13: 235-236 2. The New York City Commission for Economic Opportunity - Report to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg September, 2008 3. The Boston Globe, Kate M. Jackson, “0 is the new 8� May 5, 2006 4. www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/magazine/06self-storage-t.html?pagewanted=all - By Jon Mooallem Published: September 2, 2009 5. www.americandrycleaner.com/article.cfm?articleID=17717 6. www.nysun.com/style/better-way-to-do-laundry/54942/, Linda Phillips Ashour, Published May 22, 2007 7. www.nytimes.com/2005/07/10/nyregion/thecity/10cont.html - Little boxes - Lisa Selin Davis, Published: July 10, 2005 8. www.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/fashion/12CONSIGN.html - When Conscience and Closet Collide - Ruth La Ferla, Published: June 12, 2008 9. www.slatenyc.com/about 10. www.pr.com/press-release/45587 11. www.treehugger.com/files/2006/03/hot_trends_ecof_1.php 12. www.microsoft.com/midsizebusiness/newsletter/business-customer-service.mspx 13. www.mastercard.com/us/business/en/smallbiz/articles/MarketingSales/0906AdvertiseCreatively.html 14. www.springwise.com/life_hacks/laundry_chic/ 15. www.yellowpages.com/mc/nyc--dry-cleaners-laundries--laundries-self-service?search_terms=laundry 16. www.quotesdaddy.com/tag/Maintenance 17. www.thefreedictionary.com/maintenance 18. www.slate.com/id/2122832/storage 19. www.dictionary.reference.com/browse/purge 20. www.quotesdaddy.com/quote/364681/tim-cannon/its-about-breaking-through-the-clutter 21. www.sustainability.govt.nz/shopping/clothing-waste-issue 22. www.textilerecycle.org/ 23. www.takepart.com/blog/2008/09/18/top-5-things-to-do-with-old-clothes/ 24. www.salvationarmy-usaeast.org 25. www.marketingexperiments.com/online-marketplace/ebay-stores-tested.html - ebay stat 26. www.thinkexist.com/quotations/research/ - sagan quote 27. www. thinkexist.com/quotation/206260.html - frank lloyd wright quote 28. www.wearablecollectios.com 29. Charles Derber. The Pursuit of Attention: Power and Ego in Everyday Life. Oxford University Press; Second Edition edition (April 15 2000), New York 30. Ruth Swartz Cowan. More Work for Mother. Basic Books, Boston. 1885 31. www.thinkexist.com/quotations/opportunity/- opportunity quote 32. www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Intervention.html - intervention definition 33. seth godin, tribes. penguin group, usa, 2009 34. john winsor, flipped, b2 books, chicago 2009
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the photo credits 1. Washer/Dryer image courtesy of Frigidaire Corporation 2. Laundromat photo courtesy of Diana Hurley 2007 3. Slate NYC screenshot courtesy of Slate NYC 4. Thimble image courtesy of Jenny Andre 5. Tape measure image courtesy of Jenny Andre 6. Storage facility image courtesy of 7. Closet image courtesy of California Closets 8. Closet image courtesy of Kian Esquire 2005 9. Ikea mage courtesy of Ikea 10. Container Store image courtesy Gunnard Sigmundsson 11. Garbage image courtesy of Second Hand on flickr 12. Salvation Army image courtesy of Trevis Belcourt 13. Ebay webpage screenshot courtesy of Ebay.com 14. Survey hand image courtesy of Odegaard Library 15. Storage woman image courtesy of Box-n-Go 16. Alana Kakia and Emily photo courstesy of Nylon Magazine 17. Alana Kakia photo courtesy of Simon Benstead 18. Wearable Collection Bin photo courtesy of Adam Baruchowitz 19. Slate NYC Awning courtesy of Miguel Zabludovsky 20. Slate Logo courtesy of Mudhouse 21. Manhattan Mini-Storage advertisements compliments of Manhattan Mini-Storage 22. Brand guideline elements: 2x4.org 23. Rickshaw: http://www.vrachtfiets.nl/ 24. Tape measure: Getty images 25. ER: Getty Images 26. Basics: American Apparel and Falke 27. Drycleaning: Getty images 28. Laundry bag: Container Store 28. Storage: Dreamstime.com 29. Guys clothing: AContinuousLean.com & polyvore.com
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wedidit (all you did was click)
sometimes the answers to complex problems are right in front of our eyes, they just need to be organized...
marc sauriol - thesis - design and management - parsons the new school for design - spring 2010