Solution / Prototype — Team 4
Junwoo Cheong, Davis Dunaway, Jenni Lee, Eliza Pratt, Emily Zhou
Addressing pain points
Following the in-class exercise on writing How Might We questions, we chose to focus on four different proposed solutions for the gut check worksheets. These solutions collectively attempted to create a more welcoming community culture and a more cohesive brand aesthetic.
The key issue that we based our solution around is the statement that customers don’t see Construction Junction as a viable retail option. The blue sticky notes that support this make the statement that customers often do not return unless they have a very specific project in mind and that people find it difficult to feel integrated in the Construction Junction community. This led us to the question of: “How might we create a more inviting culture for community members to get more involved with CJ?” Based on the feedback we got in class, we combined multiple proposed solutions into one overall idea.
Our final prototype idea is to have Construction Junction host an annual DIY, hands-on workshop to demonstrate tutorials on “how-to” make projects in order to incite creativity and promote the utilization of used materials. These workshops would be themed, for example, “How to Make a Birdhouse” in the spring, or “How to Make your Own Christmas Lights” during the holiday season. These workshops would be heavily advertised in the store and online.
Concept development
We learned that customers feel a mental disconnect between the enthusiastic, well-intentioned mission of Construction Junction and the unwelcoming atmosphere and work culture of the company. In hand with that, the company’s advertising strategies are weak and fail to stand as visually or mentally engaging, resulting in an inability to reach wide audiences.
As a result, these DIY workshops would be a way to address the two main pain points of an unwelcoming culture and ineffective advertising. These welcoming workshops would create opportunities for customers and employees to interact and bond, allowing customers to feel more integrated into the maker space/building/creativity culture of Construction Junction. In addition, the promotion of these workshops will result in more opportunities for advertising, improving the SEO.
Imagining Event Flow (prototype logistics)
For the logistics of these events we planned, we wanted to create a free form environment where people of any experience level would feel welcome to drop in and event volunteers were available to offer insight and encourage conversation in the DIY community.
Setup
- Event starts at closing time (6:00pm) on Thursdays, and volunteer staff set up chairs, workspace, and materials.
- Local catering provides refreshments (in exchange for promotions by CJ)
- Participants are free to attend when they can and must check in with a volunteer for project rundown and materials.
- Demo of monthly project is provided by workshop attendants at the beginning of class; additional instruction is available for latecomers.
During Event
- Workshop volunteers offer advice, help those in need, and encourage conversation to build a welcoming environment. Cool music is played.
Closing
- At the end of the event, volunteers lead a discussion for attendees to share their projects, thoughts, and any insight on their experience.
- With permission, volunteers take pictures of attendee’s projects to share on CJ’s social media.
- Attendees are invited to stay and help clean up the space. Those who are interested are also encouraged to volunteer for future workshops and help give back to the community.
Addressing visual identity through event advertising
Before establishing the brand identity for our prototype, we conducted initial observations on their existing website:
Pulling from these observations, we brainstormed a list of adjectives that we felt best embodied the visual identity of CJ:
- Inviting
- Friendly
- Primary
- Playful
- Hand-made
The target user population of Construction Junction is artistic/crafty people who are very DIY-oriented, and as a result, we wanted to create a brand identity that aligned with our target users. In order to do so, we wanted to retain the playful, friendly feeling of the brand, while simultaneously refurbishing the identity through subtle type, color, and composition choices.
We decided to pair an inviting, slab serif display type with CJ’s current web sans-serif for easy readability. Furthermore, since their existing visuals are entirely green, we developed a palette of cool colors they could incorporate into their branding to “freshen up” their monochromatic identity.
This branding effectively captures the essence of Construction Junction, as it simultaneously modernizes the classic yet eccentric feeling of the existing brand. Lastly, we wanted to implement vector-style illustrations in our advertisements in order to add to the playfulness of the brand. For each workshop, we envisioned each individual one to have a different theme, and vector illustrations are a flexible option. In relation to our prototype, the advertisements which would promote these annual workshops would be designed in this set brand guide.
Takeaway
We learned that, in many ways, advertisements were falling short because people don’t see Construction Junction as a viable retail option. This is in part facilitated by a feeling of disconnect between customers and employees and a general lack of welcoming sentiment surrounding the community and culture. The idea of holding workshop events on-site would create an opportunity for newcomers to become integrated in the upcycling and DIY culture that is predominant at Construction Junction. With participants walking away with a finished project, the workshop would also serve to demonstrate the applications of Construction Junction’s inventory and establish its presence as a retail space. On a smaller scale, the event would promote friendly interaction between employees and customers to eliminate sentiments of isolation or unease.
