Project #2 - Design Sprints Part 2

Similar to the last post, we now focus on "Ration Ale" and apply the Design Thinking Tools:

• The OPV
• The 180 
• Mind Maps
• Zoom
• 50 Questions
• Idea Maps

This product was also included on the diagram of overall design considerations from the last post, and looks to reach the same target audience as well:

 Based on this information, we can then consider the OPV diagram for Ration Ale:

The next technique, 180 degree thinking, was also applied to the product including some attempts to invert the common ideology that "bigger is better":

Relationship explorations then begin next with a Mind Map of the product:

Abstracting the layers of the beer was also possible using the Zoom method:

 Then again, a textual approach to probing the product occurs in the 50 Questions task:

Ration Ale - 50 Questions:
1.) Do alcohol laws improve our odds of reaching only our target audience of 19+?
2.) If not, how do we discourage underage drinking of our product?
3.) Is 7.5% too strong for novices to drinking?
4.) If so, will the small sized bottles decrease binge drinking issues?
5.) Otherwise, how else can we decrease binge drinking?
6.) What is the cost of having smart serve and bartender trained staff?
7.) Does this cause issues with letting younger customers into the cafe?
8.) If so, is this possibly a benefit to creating an adult-focused atmosphere?
9.) Should we stay open and sell alcohol until the latest time legally allowed?
10.) Otherwise, should we market our product to bars open after our closing time?
11.) Should we sell the product in the BEER store and LCBO?
12.) Is the strong taste of the beer likely to turn away younger customers?
13.) If so, should we continue with the stronger beer?
14.) As customers must drink on the premises, should we continue with bottles?
15.) Is a keg and beer tap format more environmentally friendly for serving the ale?
16.) If so, should we switch to this method and use glasses that we clean?
17.) Will the beer taste the same from a keg and tap than from a bottle?
18.) If better than bottled taste, should we not sell it at BEER and LCBO stores?
19.) Otherwise, will customers notice a difference in taste?
20.) Is there a new way to bottle and store the ale that preserves flavor?
21.) Or is the backlash of not selling bottles of more importance to customers?
22.) Is it easier to transit kegs than bottles to the store?
23.) Are bottles more fragile during shipping from the brewery?
24.) Are cans a viable alternative for lowering odds of breakage in shipping?
25.) Will customers accept canned Ration Ale?
26.) If not, and if kegs are rejected as well, should bottles have a unique shape?
27.) Will customers want the bottles to fit in their existing beer sleeves?
28.) Should bottles use colored glass or clear glass?
29.) Should bottles use paper labels, or should we print directly on the glass?
30.) Should bottle caps be twist-off or pop-off?
31.) Should the empty bottles be very light or heavy?
32.) If sold in BEER and LCBO stores, should it be sold in cases of 4 or 12?
33.) How does our target audience perceive alcohol in general?
34.) Would binge drinkers using our product affect its public image as a brand?
35.) What methods of advertising help promote Ration Ale customers as professionals?
36.) Should the label be easily removable for recycling?
37.) If so, how much would this cost to attach rather than traditional strong glues?
38.) Should natural dyes be used to color the labels?
39.) What about the cap, should it be printed on a label or directly on the metal?
40.) Should the cap have soft edges, or traditional pointed edges?
41.) How do we ensure the bottle caps are recycled rather than thrown out?
42.) Does our target audience care about recycling?
43.) If so, does a positive environmental image boost sales?
44.) Is Ration Ale considered a specialty drink by our customers?
45.) If so, how do we maintain this impression? how do we encourage repeat business?
46.) Would a special offer on pitchers of Ration Ale increase weekday business?
47.) Would the target audience perceive such an idea as damaging to the brand image?
48.) Should Ration Ale promote on television, web, and print adverts?
49.) If not, should the cafe run promotional events to advertise the beer?
50.) Can we afford to run such events frequently?

Finally, an Idea Map can be drawn for the product to expose relationships between a variety of aspects of the product:

This product can be harder to market due to the extremes of opinion on alcohol that occur in the general public. Whether by past experiences or personal beliefs, a negative viewpoint on the alcoholic beverage may be more likely to form than for the Lift Tea products.

Combating this would be to add emphasis, via colors and fonts, on the product being "traditional" or "classic" and marketing it as the choice drink of "professionals" to be consumed slowly rather than by binge drinking.

Each customer becomes a representative of the product through their actions, if publicized, and so the strength of the alcohol content also increases odds of an indecent action being performed by someone who is intoxicated from it.

Successful marketing will therefore imply that the drink is a specialty occasion and insist on "smart consumption", and so despite the added challenges would still be a viable product for the cafe.