korb™ Smart Bag
YSDN 3006 Advanced Models & Speculative Interfaces: Visual Interaction Design
Fall 2020
Product Design — UI/UX Design — Motion Design — Web Design
Current Interactions
Shopping can be a real hassle sometimes, but it’s necessary. It’s how we get our food, clothing, and other living necessities. Currently, shoppers usually go get a basket or if they are lucky enough to have some loose change around, they can go grab a cart. But these basket and carts are only provided in grocery stores and are exposed to germs and bacteria. When you go to a clothing store, the only component you can use to carry all your items are your arms which reach a maximum number of items very quickly .
After you’re done choosing all your items, you have to wait in line to see a cashier who scans each and every item...and sometimes extra slow too on the days when you’re in a rush. Additionally, with the current pandemic, lines have been twice as long as before and you don’t want to be in the stores longer than you have to. What can we design to help eliminate this issue?
Pain Points
Long fitting room and cashier lineups, shopping bags in landfills, and sales associates individually scanning each item...all of this often leads to wasted time and missed items. RFID pads only work with one item at a time while also being slow and time-consuming. Additionally, the workers are already busy enough without customers constantly asking for inventory on certain items but it’s also hard for customers to find the products they want on their own.
When shopping for clothing, you want to make sure that it’s the right fit but as soon as you see the long line for the fitting room, you start to have second thoughts whether or not you really need to get those new pair of jeans. And after you chose to wait in line to try the item on, there’s another long line ahead for you to check out.
When shopping for clothing, you want to make sure that it’s the right fit but as soon as you see the long line for the fitting room, you start to have second thoughts whether or not you really need to get those new pair of jeans. And after you chose to wait in line to try the item on, there’s another long line ahead for you to check out.
The worst part is when you go all the way to a certain store and are looking for a specific item only for it to be sold out or unavailable. Lack of product information is especially frustrating for customers who hate wasting their valuable time and energy without getting the item they want or need. Shopping shouldn’t be this hard which is why we decided to create korb™.
People
Our target audience are those who want to save time and energy on their shopping sessions. Our demographic would mainly be tech-savvy individuals around the ages of 18-40 years old who have the financial means to buy a smart bag that is not necessarily a need, but will most definitely elevate every shopping experience.
The majority of these individuals are frequent shoppers who enjoy the in-person experience instead of online shopping but do not want to wait in long queues for payment checkout, or for sales associates to help them with their needs. The accompanying application offers a variety of retail store options that includes users being able to see current available items while also gaining feature to save items that they’re interested but just not yet ready to buy. It is essential that the application is accessible to allow people with disabilities to have equal access to this technology.
Activities
The purpose of this product and accompanying app is to help alleviate shopper stress, save time and keep track of what’s going inside your bag. The product can be used at any store that carries items that are korb™ compatible which users can find out by looking for the korb™ stickers on the products.
The app will function as a platform to guide the user in the store. It is able to detect the number of items inside their bag, the sizes, the specific item codes, styles and more while also calculating the total cost of the purchase. The app will also have the ability to create shopping lists, access to live-up-to-date stock info, history of past purchases, and coupons for other stores.
The frequency of usage for this app varies depending on when the user goes shopping. But considering how korb™ is accessible for all types of shopping experience (both grocery and retail), users are estimated to use the app at least once a week.
The app will function as a platform to guide the user in the store. It is able to detect the number of items inside their bag, the sizes, the specific item codes, styles and more while also calculating the total cost of the purchase. The app will also have the ability to create shopping lists, access to live-up-to-date stock info, history of past purchases, and coupons for other stores.
The frequency of usage for this app varies depending on when the user goes shopping. But considering how korb™ is accessible for all types of shopping experience (both grocery and retail), users are estimated to use the app at least once a week.
Context
In response to COVID-19, it is best for people to have or bring their own things to the store, like reusable grocery bags so they don’t need to touch a basket or cart used by other people which could potentially be unsanitized. During a pandemic, it is best to take responsibility of your own health and safety rather than blindly trusting others. Reusable bags also help to reduce the amount of plastic/paper bags in landfills, creating a more eco-friendly retail solution. The bag will be collapsible along with its 50 hour battery life, enabling users to bring it anywhere with ease. The app will need access to wifi to function, and can automatically connect to the in-store wifi. Ultimately, korb™ brings users an option to have the best shopping experience while also considering environmental and current worldwide circumstances.
Technologies
When users first purchase korb™, they will have to download the app through Google Play or the App store. Inside the box, there will be a personalized QR code in which will then give users instructions on how to connect the bag to their app.
As users enter a store, they will receive a notification from the app, asking if they would like to connect with the store. Once they connect, users will be able to see any items that they add in their bag on their app, as korb™ automatically scans the items using RFID scanners. Users will also be able to have live-updates on the total cost of the items in their korb™ and can also see any coupons or sales that are currently going on. Additionally, they can see which items are in or out of stock, avoiding any useless commute going to and from the store.
When users first set up their bag, they will be required to input a minimum of one payment card. If users choose to put in more than one payment card, they will need to select one to be their default card. Once the user is done shopping, they can simply leave the store, automatically charging their default card. If they want to pay with their other card, they can change it before they leave the store or 24 hours after their shopping session.
As users enter a store, they will receive a notification from the app, asking if they would like to connect with the store. Once they connect, users will be able to see any items that they add in their bag on their app, as korb™ automatically scans the items using RFID scanners. Users will also be able to have live-updates on the total cost of the items in their korb™ and can also see any coupons or sales that are currently going on. Additionally, they can see which items are in or out of stock, avoiding any useless commute going to and from the store.
When users first set up their bag, they will be required to input a minimum of one payment card. If users choose to put in more than one payment card, they will need to select one to be their default card. Once the user is done shopping, they can simply leave the store, automatically charging their default card. If they want to pay with their other card, they can change it before they leave the store or 24 hours after their shopping session.
Shop smart. Shop with korb™.
