DG504 | the Dutch Way of Biking
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DG504 | The Dutch way of biking Chester Maessen Yannick Brouwer Sway Leung Lisa Vork 1 Table of Contents Introduction • Market ● End user insight ● Channel ● Competition • Value Proposition ● Concept ● Benefits ● Moneyflow • Technology ● Functions & Modules ● Needed Capabilities • Dynamics ● Market ● Technology ● Risk assessment • Partnerships & Supply chain ● In-house & outsourced technology • Road map in 4 years 2 Introduction As final task for this assignment we were asked to design an own product line. In order to do this properly we went through several exercises to gain enough information to be able to set a successful product on the market. The product we want to design is a bicycle. Along the way we discovered VANMOOF, who has kind of a similar vision as we have. Therefore we used a lot of their insights in our research. First we investigated the market. We needed to make a persona and state the needs, desires and problems this persona might face to find out what product it would need. The next step was to find out what the best way is to sell our product, how we could reach our users best. After that, It was useful for us to look into the competition we would face. That way we could make sure to add something new and different to the market, and not only be copying. Now we have some more background information, second up was a value proposition. We made a first concept description with help of the information we gathered during the market research. On the basis of this concept description we made a value ladder to see if every aspect of the concept made sense, if we could trace the functional specifications back to certain values. This also helped us to get a better image of what kind of people would like our product, and if we needed to add functions to match the user’s desires better. As we were happy with the concept, we defined how the money would flow through the delivery chain. This told us whether there was value in this product for us. After we were satisfied about our business model we tried to define what modules and functions our product needs according to our concept description, and which supporting technologies we would need to use. If we were really to make this product we would need this description to explain specialists what we want, so they can make it for us. As the plan for our product is almost finished, we focused on dynamics and made an evaluation on what the value drivers and the key buying factors are. It is good to know these, so we know when is a good moment to release our product on the market. Also it could help us to find out what is smart to focus on with our campaign. We also did a Risk assessment to see where the possible week spots are in our product, so we can make a good planning to bring our product in the market with as little risk as possible. As a fifth we found out what companies and brand are interesting for us to collaborate with. Some parts or supporting technologies we might want or need to outsource, while others we can make ourselves. Now that we have a clear view on what the product is going to look like, and have a positive feeling about it being successful in the market, we made a roadmap for the upcoming 4 years. While making this roadmap the research on dynamics came in handy, because that told us some more about moments in time that are good to release a certain product. Defining the 3 qualifiers, winners and diversifiers helped us to see what modules we should improve in future products and what modules we could reuse. This roadmap will help us to work structured in the upcoming years and be well prepared for the next steps. 4 Market | End user insight Big cities all over the world are growing extremely fast, this increase in population puts a big pressure on the internal transport structures and causes traffic jams, parking problems and overcrowded public transport. Many believe that the solution is to be found in Amsterdam, with its revolutionary concept of an inner city infrastructure made for biking. Holland is well known for its use of bicycles, and special bicycles lanes are never far away. In the last 5 years New York is copying this concept, to make the city more user friendly for bike users, and to stimulate more people into using a bicycle. Thereby reducing the stress that is put on the roads by car drivers and reducing traffic jams. The only thing that misses in this story is the perfect bike for the modern bike commuter in the city. The city environment not only asks for bikes that can stand the jungle of pavements, potholes and traffic lights, it wants the bike to address so many other desires as well. Need A transportation device that gets people from point A to point B. Desire The main desire is to get from point A to B as fast as possible, this means without getting stuck in traffic jams, and without getting in crowded areas. Another main desire because of the ever increasing gas prices is to spend less money on transportation without drastically increasing travel time. and that getting a parking spot is simplified. Of course it is essential that the product is durable and provides a certain feel of security, but it should not get too complicated or uncomfortable. The perfect solution to these needs would of course be the bike. Problem The major problem for this particular solution is, is that a bike and its parts can get stolen relatively easy, especially lighting. Another problem for battery powered lighting systems on the bike it is that if you forget to turn off your light, the battery will run dry pretty quick. Wear and tire is another problem which is unavoidable. Durability isn’t that high in most bicycles, but as city bikes need to endure a lot of hardship like bumps, curbs, holes, sidewalks and small crashes it is desired to have a very durable bike. Other small problems could be minor mall functions like pedals coming off, brakes that aren’t working correctly and chains that loosen and come off. This is due to wear and tear, and is unavoidable, but can be postponed when you make components incredibly durable. Another good solution would be an easily accessible bike repair service. The last problem is that you usually can’t bring your bike on to the public transport. 5 Persona Pieter van der Zwaag is 30 years old, raised in Hilversum. He studied Business at the University of Utrecht and is now living and working in Amsterdam. 3 year ago he started working as a salesman at advertising agency TBWA\Neboko. He is in a relationship with Ellen van der Molen. In his spare time he likes to go to a bar with friends, when he is at home he likes to watch movies and series or play the piano. To stay connected to friends and information he uses his iPhone and MacBook for access to social networks and blogs. He is always looking for new gadgets, clothing and the campaigns that other advertising agency’s make. He has a driver-license but does not own a private car. For his daily work he bikes to the agency and when he has a business meeting he uses the public transport to get there. A problem is that it is hard to get to the office of the customer in a different city when he comes there by train. Therefore he would like to see a folding bike that is strong enough for the city, lightweight, and as fast as his previous bike. Important is that he still has a professional appearance. Conclusion We want to make the perfect city bike for the modern professional that also can be taken in the public transport. It has to be affordable, durable, portable, secure and aesthetical pleasing. 6 Market |Channel In this paragraph we will describe how we want to bring the product to the end user, in other words: the sales channel. To find out what would be the best way to do this we found out why people buy a bicycle, when they buy it, and what they want when they buy one. Why do people buy a bicycle? There are roughly three cases in which people buy a new bike. Case one is when a person's bicycle doesn't work properly anymore, and he/she wants a new one. Case two is when a person uses a bike for a certain purpose, but then due to change in circumstances wants a bike to serve another purpose. For example a man who used to ride a BMX in the rural area where he lived, but now he is moving to a more urban area and needs a bike to take him to his fancy job. Case three is when a person's bicycle gets stolen and he/she needs a replacement bike as soon as possible. When and where do people buy a bicycle? In the first case, he/she is not in a hurry so not searching actively and will therefore probably not go to a bike store. This person will buy a bike when he/she sees one that serves his/her desires. This could be anywhere for example when in the supermarket, when shopping for clothes or on the Internet.