I am not a paper cup….I am also not that convenient.

Posted by Toby Daniels on Friday, 13 November 2009

I wanted to share a comment from one of our Kickstarter Campaign backers.  bLaKtivist comment below touches on one of the main challenges of redesigning the reusable coffee cup.

“‘I’m curious to know what your thoughts are of the “I am not a paper cup” design by DCI.

While interesting because it visually mimicks the cup that you are trying to replace, it still doesn’t seem to be as functional as one might like. I used to work in a store that sold these items, and we got frequent complaints that they leaked. [Spillage is NO FUN.] But I think more importantly, these cups are also ceramic, which doesn’t make it very durable for folks constantly on the move.”

Our view is that the “I Am Not A Paper Cup” is an interesting concept. If nothing else it raises awareness around the problem, and that’s a good thing. But it doesn’t solve the bigger issue that we are looking to address, and that our Kickstarter friend also points out.  Designing something that is both practical and convenient as well as desirable in the consumers mind is what we really need to focus on.

What do you think?  What other parameters should we be thinking about when creating the design brief?

Posted in: Research findings | Tagged: ceramic, cups, practical, spillage | 6 Comments