The process going from having and knowing nothing, to having a successful website and product offering of value that people love to use.
Make assumptions
This project started out as an idea board of sorts via Instagram. I created an account to capture my thoughts and 'grammed them. I shared anything that interested me, and guaged the level of response and interaction. Of course, I already made my first assumption — would people be interested (and pay for) a custom-made, configurable notebook
Ideate
The next step was to expand on the idea and create a simple product sketch on whiteboard to capture the main features and value of idea for a broader audience. Some of the challenges were to keep in mind how this could scale — so the solution was pre-formatted sections that a person could pick and choose from, like a menu, to assemble their own personalized book. This ensures scalability while giving the customer that feeling of total control
Gain insight
The next crucial step was to create print-ready layouts based on some of the detailed ideas that came out of another brainstorming session with a small group. We picked the most favorite layouts, and began assembling them in an artwork file by hand — just as the website would do, later. We then had a local print shop create our first concepts. It was very exciting to be able to hold them in our hands at this point!
Bonus note:
We quickly finalized layout designs and developed a lumpy pack-in whenever a customer ordered a book. The pencils are all black with black wood and a silver Bunny logo to round out the experience. But the most notable thing was the initial concept and design for the website was developed by myself as a straightforward PHP implementation.
Usability testing
Finally (but of course, not really) to close the loop on this iteration of work, the books were given to many users who were allowed the freedom to customize their book any way they wanted from the website. We facilitated feedback, and were able to make over a hundred small to large changes all across the layouts, features, customizations, etc. Many of the suggestions were about the website itself, and it was wonderful to have that level of high engagement and care that our users expressed.
This project started out as an idea board of sorts via Instagram. I created an account to capture my thoughts and 'grammed them. I shared anything that interested me, and guaged the level of response and interaction. Of course, I already made my first assumption — would people be interested (and pay for) a custom-made, configurable notebook