ELMO Bookshelf Redesign
Bees extinction affects everyone; 1/3 of our food is pollinated by bees. If bees became distinct, we would lose 1/3 of our food.
For the redesign of the ELMO Bookshelf, my team came up with a product called Alvarium. It is an urban beehive that makes beekeeping effortless and allows the user to monitor the hive and collect honey through their smartphone.
My Role: UX Designer
- Conducted research on Hong Kong culture
- Completed primary and secondary research on target market
- Created user profiles
- Designed questionnaires for user testing
- Conducted and analyzed results from user interviews
- Designed icons for the app
- Proposed solutions based on user tests
The Client
The client is a furniture company called ELMO based in Hong Kong that use eco-friendly wood and stylish designs. They wanted to redesign their REDONDO Mobile Bookshelf to expand the product market with the integration of the Internet of things. The dimension of the bookshelf is 109 x 43 x 95 cm.
Design Requirements:
- The frame of the bookshelf has to remain the same size and material
- The wheels of the bookshelf cannot be changed
- Target market is Hong Kong
Problem and Research
The first step my team took was research on Hong Kong culture and current issues and trends in Hong Kong. The problem that resonated with us was bee extinction and the rise of urban beekeeping in Hong Kong. Traditional beekeeping methods requires many special equipments, intensive labour and time. Bees' homes are destroyed in the honey extraction process and many bees are killed. In recent years, people have been using rooftops in Hong Kong for beekeeping. Surprisingly, the urban environment has many varieties of flowers and plants that harvests a suitable environment for honeybees to pollinate in comparison to farmlands.
Final Design
Alvarium helps to solve the issue of bee distinction by simplifying bee keeping and uses rooftops, balconies and backyards as beekeeping environments. Users can manage and monitor their beehive through our smartphone app available for both IOS and Android to track bee activity, health and their honey. YES, Alvarium allows the user to extract fresh honey with a click of a button on their phone. The design uses a plastic molding technology to ensure the easiest way for the honey produced to be extracted. This is done through plastic molded honeycombs that the bees fill with honey and wax. When these plastic molds shift the honey is dispensed.
Plastic honeycomb
App Design
The User
I conducted primary and secondary research on the target market. Specifically, I gathered demographic, geographic, behavioural and psychographic information of the target market. For primary research, I interviewed people living in Hong Kong about the lifestyle and culture. Based on the information I gathered, I created user profiles.
Some Rough Sketches
First Iteration
Design challenges:
- Hong Kong has small living spaces and the REDONDO Bookshelf is very big
- Bees are seen as dangerous and unpleasant to many people
User Test
Three types of user tests were used for this product. Moderate-in-person usability testing, contextual inquiry and voice of consumer survey were used. I was responsible for designing questionnaires and executing the moderate in-person usability testing.
What we learned from the user tests:
- Many people don't have any knowledge on beekeeping
- People have busy schedules, they are likely to use the product in the evening and on weekends
- People wanted to be able to monitor their bees on the app
