CoCreation Best Practice #2: User friendly Packaging – An innovation for industry

USER FRIENDLY PACKAGING – GUIDELINE FOR THE INDUSTRY

The purpose of the project was to develop a guideline for the industry regarding user-friendly packaging. The packaging should simplify the steps when opening medical and food packaging. The guidelines build upon the principles of user-driven innovation.The key partners on the project were “The School of Architecture” in Aarhus and the “Technological Institute”, Denmark.

The project purpose was to examine the new plastic box compared to traditional meat cans.For the company, it was paramount that everybody, including elderly people with less power in their hands, can open their packaging. Therefore testers were both young and elderly people with and without physical ailments. Testers opened and closed the chosen packaging while they were recorded. Then they were interviewed (10 minutes) to get detailed insights about the target group and their handling and use of the packaging. The insights were represented in detail at a workshop at the company with employees from different departments, packaging suppliers and an advertising.

 # DIVERSITY OF TEAM

All relevant stakeholders and experts were involved in the process with clearly defined roles.

The stakeholders only participated when they were actually relevant for the process. The

School of Architecture was the process facilitator. The Technological Institute took over the

expert role for food preservation, technical solutions, product testing, etc. Project partners

were involved throughout the whole process, planning different methods, tools and processes.

They offered workshops on analysis, development and definition of common guidelines

for companies. This made companies not just producers facing a certain challenge, but also

participants in workshops and prototyping sessions. Companies were involved in the definition

of test products and testing of competitor products. They participated in workshops, idea

generation, prototyping, testing, adjustments and, eventually, production.