Background: notebook cases retail strategy - Kensington's existing cases business proved successful with B2B consumers willing to pay more for higher quality and extra features. However, the cases were overbuilt, overpriced, and overly conservative for retail.
I worked closely with marketing and development to establish a retail strategy from consumer segmentation. Driven by the needs of four specific consumer segments, we developed four families of cases, each with a distinct yet appropriate personality and feature set.
project:
Notebook Cases Retail Strategy
company:
Kensington
team:
product manager
project manager
product development manager
*designer
Terrain notebook case line - I designed the Terrain line for one of four customer segments targeted by Kensington's cases strategy. "Ray" represents the casual family man seeking balance between work and home.
Ray prioritizes family time and maintains a regular work schedule but will work at home after hours when necessary. Accordingly, he seeks a versatile notebook case that reflects his casual lifestyle and complements both office and home environments.
User scenario exercise - I ran the team through a day-in-the-life scenario exercise to refine and align the team's definition of Ray, his daily activities, and his needs.
Rapid research - A rapid qualitative research session tested the Ray persona against real people fitting his profile. The informal discussion and observation session challenged some assumptions but also revealed new insights and validated the overall direction of the persona to help lock in final product definition.
Mood board - An early mood board of images and physical samples captured the target look, feel, and personality of the Terrain notebook case line.
Mockups - I tested ideas with crude mockups and experimental hacks on existing bags. Each iteration moved the product closer to the final design.
Terrain notebook case line - Kensington's Terrain notebook cases provide versatile, casual comfort. Soft corduroy contrasts natural canvas, and a back-to-basics styling suits Ray like a favorite pair of khakis; professional enough for the office but relaxed enough for the home. Sides expand for a wide-mouth opening for packing the occasional bulky load.
Terrain notebook case line - While natural materials genuinely reflected Ray's casual lifestyle, they also qualified the cases for a lower import tariff. The 17.5% versus 6.25% difference in duty reduced costs to Kensington by 8% and increased margins 4 percentage points.
Terrain notebook case line - project:
Terrain Notebook Case Line
company:
Kensington
team:
product manager
project manager
product development manager
*lead designer
design assistant
contract manufacturer
market date:
June 2006
retail price:
vertical messenger: $50
top loader: $50
backpack: $50
photography by Robert House
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