Conceptualized as a part of the project for the course TO 548, my team's goal was to help renters prepare or leverage any benefits from the occurrence of a power outage! After interviewing 40 people, assembling different problems, ideating, and iterating endlessly, I would like you to glimpse – Lumicharge.
Process
Having a multidisciplinary team comprising Marketing students (Hadi), 3D Designers (Diamond), and Creative students (Sage & I), it was necessary to identify roles everyone would play in each aspect of the project. It was established that we would collectively brainstorm and ideate, where I brought my knowledge of UX processes of affinity mapping and dot voting. Sage would have complete control over branding and identity, Diamond would lead the 3D physical design and development, and Hadi would be responsible for the marketing and product pricing.
Research Methods & Findings
After conducting 40 interviews (~10 per person) through a semi-structured interview and survey, I created an affinity map to assemble everyone's interviews. I generated the following focus areas for developing our how might we statements and personas for each.
- Problem: People struggle to prioritize their actions during power outages due to uncertainty about the outage's duration
While most participants identified signs of a power outage, a key challenge was determining whether it would be a short or long outage, as each scenario required different priorities. Short outages were less disruptive, but longer ones created challenges related to food spoilage, lack of lighting, boredom, and the absence of timely information from service providers like DTE. This aligns with the 69% of participants who reported feeling annoyed primarily due to the lack of electricity and light.
- Problem: Different age groups have varying coping mechanisms during power outages, creating gaps in how they address boredom and lighting needs
Interview findings revealed generational differences in how people coped with power outages. Younger individuals (under 26) heavily relied on electronic gadgets to counter boredom during outages. In contrast, older participants, who were more accustomed to such events, turned to analog activities like reading books or playing board games. Notably, 62% of participants indicated that their immediate response to a power outage was to search for a light source, which often acted as a gateway to other activities.
- Problem: Parents with young children face heightened stress during power outages, balancing their child’s comfort with basic survival concerns
Parents with toddlers or young children face a unique challenge during power outages, often feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of a crying or uneasy child. For these parents, the mental stress of managing their children outweighed concerns about boredom or even food. This was supported by 67% of parents stating their first thought during an outage was whether their kids or family members were safe and comfortable.
- Problem: Renters cannot make investments purely for power outages
Due to nature of renting, there are lots of limitations on what a renter can control regarding electrical wiring, thus it is not feasible to expect renters to make any dedicated investments, thus the solution should focus on portability and/or perform dual-function of power-outage device and a daily use driver.
Evolving our How Might We statements
After our interviews, we moved into the idea generation stage, where we concentrated on creating concepts, based on the How Might We statements we formed, that were practical to build and matched our interests and excitement for the project.
Using a Qualtrics survey, we ranked our 3 ideas as below. The three ideas were a portable light, a social card game using light, and a soft toy with textures, light, and sound.
With the portable lighting receiving top ratings in polls and design review sessions with market professionals, we collectively agreed on a revised "How Might We" statement and persona to pursue further concept variants.
Design Process
By concentrating on individuals' routines, we aimed to achieve two objectives: supporting them in their current routines and mitigating boredom, which enables them to return to activities such as cooking, working, socializing, and maintaining connections.
I developed the concept cards, which featured 6 concepts in total: two were the original ideas we aimed to pursue, two were idealistic and somewhat sci-fi in nature, and two represented some of our competitors' offerings. The reason for having unrealistic ideas is to assess market choice between out-of-the-box ideas vs realistic ideas and adopt any in-case of favorable features among unrealistic ideas. Our ideas – Flora and Sunwish stood strong among competitors because the competitors were either portable or having a backup, and most of them existed in desk form and were unaesthetic.
These were distributed via a survey ( as well as a physical printout for dot voting), yielding approximately 50 responses and informing us of our next steps to prioritize one product. I drew insights from the concept testing as follows:
- The concept testing results were quantified into predicted market share:
Flora (33.33%) > GlowFlo (27.69%) > Sunwish (19.49%) > CUBIC > Flip lights > Fly Me to the Moon.
- The average and median age of our survey is 22, and around 70% of them shared they are renters, with 20% unconfirmed/missing, and a majority of them spend most of their time in the Living Room, followed by Bed, Kitchen, and then the workspace.
- When asked about purchasing preferences, users ranked aesthetics and functionality as highly important, while materials and eco-friendliness were rated as somewhat necessary.
- People on average, were willing to spend a max of 109USD
- Buying the product CUBIC and ranking CUBIC to other products are inversely proportional, showing people don’t imagine themselves buying it but find it interesting as a concept
Conclusions from Concept Testing
Overall, people were sensitive to the necessity of buying a product because lighting products are already present in their households. This leads us to focus more on emphasizing attractive selling points – aesthetics, functionality, and unique selling points that motivate people to buy our ideas.
Some inspirations that we planned to adopt from other concepts:
- From GlowFlo, we will incorporate design simplicity and its usage
- From Sunwish, we know people didn’t appreciate the form factor but appreciated the features, so it’s an indication of the direction to pursue (incorporating a power bank and phone charging options) and not to pursue (wired design and weight)
Developing Flora—oops, I mean Lumios, um Ilumicharge — the final product!
We created a user scenario to place our product in the user's daily scenario. Then we finalized the product scale – whether it should be a floor lamp, table lamp, or other form factors – to a floor lamp, my team moved to explore aesthetics and ergonomics. I started brainstorming the ergonomics for the detachable flashlight and sketching out the floor lamp's shape, materials, and structures. Besides these, we localized features using affinity mapping and voting to focus on a list of 90 problems/concerns:
Ergonomics and Durability:
- How do we ensure the unit's detachable headlight is durable and ergonomic enough to use in the dark?
- Where should power banks be placed, making them easy to access?
Mechanical Stability:
- How do we ensure weight is well distributed, making it stable and making the detachable headlight lightweight?
Aesthetics:
- How do we make it simplistic and alluring to purchase?
- What design styles can we explore to make it versatile but not dominating?
Affordability:
- How do we ensure that the mechanical and electrical components do not exceed the budget?
- How can this product appear appealing and aesthetically pleasing while staying affordable?
Electrical Efficiency:
- How do we ensure power is well managed and fits different user’s needs?
Inspiration for form factor/materials
I undertook technical development of Lumicharge - the electrical components of a chargeable battery with a detachable headlight later integrated into the prototype - the introduction video and the website. Having no prior knowledge of electrical components besides basics, I studied all resources available on campus, inquired about mechanical and technical components through acquaintances, and used ChatGPT extensively to study the connections and requirements to ensure nothing exploded on my face.
Preparing for expo
The marketing tagline is "Never get left in the dark again," the description is:
Stay Bright, Stay Connected – Even When the power’s out. Ilumicharge is no average floor lamp: it is designed to keep your space illuminated and devices charged during unexpected power outages. With a detachable, portable lamp head and built-in charging ports, it provides power and portable lighting wherever and whenever needed.Website
With all materials finalized and branding under development, the pricing was finalized at 119.99 USD with manufacturing cost at 68.27 USD (margin of 43%), requiring us to sell 53% of the inventory to break even with capital costs.
I developed the following business plan, initially focusing on using Kickstarter to validate market sentiment and demand. Based on demand & sales, the following action would be undertaken:
- Plan A (slow sales): Efforts will include pitching the product to mission-aligned investors and partners while increasing social media presence and collaborating with influencers to generate buzz
- Plan B (fast sales): Expanding the product line with complementary items such as table lamps, wall-mounted lights, or modular chargers, scaling production through pre-orders, reinvesting profits into marketing, and establishing retail partnerships with stores specializing in home decor, sustainability, or tech gadgets
Marketing Mockups (designed by Sage)
Results
We presented our final developed Lumicharge at a mock online and offline tradeshow where everyone was given a budget of 200 USD to purchase any of the 5 presented products. With 2nd highest selling product in online sales, our product won the highest margin in sales.
However, the performance for the physical tradeshow was not so good, which leads me to challenges faced
Bento box of features
Challenges
- Challenge: The product struggled to capture engagement during the physical tradeshow
After analyzing a range of factors, we identified key physical constraints of the product that were less apparent in an online setting but became evident in person. Smaller products tend to invite less commitment, whereas larger ones require more thought, especially considering their impact on space and cost. Interestingly, the product’s dual-purpose design also seemed to position it as a competitor to existing floor lamps, which could make it particularly attractive to those moving or setting up new spaces. Plus, its size and functionality placed it in direct competition with furniture options both inside and outside the expo, which adds some complexity to its market positioning.
- Challenge: Lack of electrical knowledge
I found that my lack of prior knowledge made it challenging to explore any new creations for the class, especially since prototyping was required. However, after working through this project and its challenges, I now feel more confident in facing situations where I don’t have all the answers.
- Challenge: Conflicting views in the team at ideation stage, particularly when a teammate approached the project from their personal lens, often viewing themselves as the primary user
I approached the situation in two ways: first, I used user-centric language to chat about why the teammate felt their idea was important, which helped encourage open dialogue and allowed for constructive feedback through "I" statements. Then, I reached out to professors for their insights and feedback to bring in an external expert perspective, ensuring that our decisions were in line with our project goals and user needs.
Learnings and Takeaways
What Went Well:
I had the opportunity to apply a range of skills collaboratively and create a product that truly satisfied the whole team. This achievement wouldn't have been possible without the contributions, enthusiasm, and diverse skill sets of each member. I faced a challenge where I initially had no knowledge, but I was able to effectively tackle it. I built upon my electrical skills, embraced framer prototyping, and worked smoothly with 3D objects in After Effects and Framer. Along with my technical skills, I encountered a situation with differing perspectives arising from our team's diverse backgrounds, and navigated it in a friendly manner. I really learned a lot through the process!
What could be improved:
Given our limited time and experience with physical prototyping, our team faced some challenges in bringing the product to its final look and feel. With a little more time and expertise, we could have created a stunning prototype that matched the renders perfectly!
Possibilities for future:
Based on the results from the physical trade show, I think it would be great to develop an alternative version like a mini UPS that snugly fits into a socket after removing it and can hold a charge. This way, it could easily power up devices like routers, phones, lamps, and more. It seems like a practical solution that would also be budget-friendly and require minimal commitment.