Market ResearchCatherine Broadhurst and Daniel Marshall

Storyboard identifying a new need:

After looking into professional working environments, we have found that the stapler does not work very well for the user. A very effective product for holding documents together, however it can be improved, as shown.

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STAPLED STAPLER

Advantages:

• Clean and sleek design.• Suitable for target market.• Doesn’t take up too much space

on the users desk.• Simple design; not too complex for

use.

Existing Products on the Market:

We have researched a wide range of products, some primary and others secondary for comparing market prices, advantages and disadvantages for further product development of our concepts.

Disadvantages:

• Heavy as it uses a lot of plastic and metal.

• A lot of materials used in the design assembly; thus harder to manufacturer.

• Constant refill of staples

R.R.P: £1.00

R.R.P: £50.00

Advantages:

• Automatic stapling.• Can connect to the computer or

run of batteries.• Robust design.• Uses staples, but can hold extra,

so refills are less.

Disadvantages:

• Extremely difficult to design and manufacture.

• Constant refill of staples.• Very technical for a stapler product.• Very expensive; the high price of this

product would cause consumers to make cheaper purchases, such as the £1.00 staplers often found in supermarkets or stationary stores such as WHSmith.

Reverse engineering of an existing product:

Reverse engineering looks at the assembly, manufacture and design of a product. We have disassembled an existing product for research, and have also analysed the product known as the staplless stapler for inspiration for our concept development.

The Stapler Product – general aspects:

• The purpose of this product is to join documents together.• Rotating staple base for different staple backs.• Grip base to prevent the product from sliding/slipping of the desk.• Wider top so its easier to staple.• Lightweight.• Sold in a range of professional colours.

On line issues and what they are:

• Uncomfortable to use/operate.• Difficult to use in its primary purpose, (on a desk/surface).• General size; some too big/small.• Safety; can be dangerous when reloading the device, (tension of spring).

OFF line issues and what they are:

• The base; not many users use the product whilst placed on a surface, instead, it is usually picked up and used in the air.

• It’s unattractive aesthetically and functionally.• Weight; some staplers are high in mass when handling.

STAPLE-LESS STAPLER

R.R.P: £1.00

Advantages:

• Uses no staples.• Small, not very many parts.• Simple product, yet effective.• Doesn’t take up much room on

the desk.• Sold in a range of colours; suited

for all users, professional or novelty.

Disadvantages:• Although easy to use, it requires a lot

of pressure to staple through paper because of the strong springs in the core of the product.• Can only staple up to 5 pieces of

paper before falling apart.• Easily breakable.

Existing Products on the Market:

The Staplless Stapler:

BOM:

Part Material Process Quantity

Main Body ABS IM 1

Staple Platform

ABS IM 1

Base ABS IM 1

Screws Nickel plated steel

Screw Machine

1

Springs Spring steel

Spring Machine

3

Top ABS IM 1

Mechanism Storer

ABS IM 1

knife Spring steel

Punched and pressed

1

Cutter Steel MIM 1

The Staplless Stapler Product – general aspects:

• The purpose of this product is to join documents together.• It uses NO staples, just PAPER!• Lightweight.• Sold in a range of professional colours.• Small and simple.

On line issues and what they are:

• Uncomfortable to use/operate.• Unusual to use; press hard with fingers, however easier with the palm of

hand.• General size; some too small.• Can only hold 5 pieces of paper maximum.

OFF line issues and what they are:

• The base; not many users use the product whilst placed on a surface, instead, it is usually picked up and used in the air.

• Small and easy to lose.

With the use of springs, human interaction and 2 small components stapling with staples is completely erased. The product respects costs in manufacturing, its simple to design and is eco-

friendly. This product is an excellent example of sustainable functionality.

PRIMARY RESEARCH

Market ResearchOur market research was done by using

a questionnaire/survey on workers from 2 large banking groups, Lloyds and Bank of America. We did ethnographic research on admin workers at Morrison's as due to security we could not go into the banks. We also conducted an interview with the ex head of Ecommerce of Bank of America who was also an Assistant Vice President of the corporation.

Survey ResultsOur main respondents where test

consultants, managers and admin staff. The most used and useful items were paper, pens and staplers with the most wasteful and costly being staplers and paper. The main influence on purchasing is the function.

From this we can conclude that staplers are one of the most costly and wasteful products but an important one in the office.

Product Design Brief Our aim is to redesign an item of office stationary so that it is more

sustainable and responds to user needs. Through market research we have found that one of the most wasteful

and costly products are staplers and other methods of joining paper together.

The need that we have identified is the need for a new type of stapler that doesn’t use staples and so saving money and environmental resources. The market for this product is professional offices such as banks, financial offices and administration offices. The target user is aged between 25 to 40, male and female but will be suitable for all users.

The aesthetical element of this product will be smart and professional but with a bit of colour. However the function is the main priority as that is what influences purchases the most. It will be able to staple a large number of papers as this in a key issue with current products and it must also be comfortable to hold and grip.

A key element of the product is it must be sustainable. To do this, it will be designed with assembly and disassembly in mind so it can be recycled effectively and efficiently. As it will not have staples, it will eliminate the need for repeat purchases, and as it will be a sustainable product it will have few parts so therefore reducing the amount of materials used and the environmental impact of the product.