Wood Supply Chain Service Design
Wood Supply Chain Service Design
Year
Mar 2012
What I did
User research
User experience design
Video and production
Designing New Service for Traditional Wood Supply Chain
This is a collaboration between SEOS Design, VTT technical research centre and Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture,
aimed at improving and developing services within the Finnish Wood and Forestry Industry. This project provides and analysis of and service solutions to how the Finnish wood industry could better serve architects and designers. The methods of the study used qualitative research interviews of Finnish designers and architects.
As designers we then interpreted this research information mixed with some of our own experiences to develop concept solutions. All detailed findings can be found in the appendices. Our findings showed a need for greater access to information and interaction with the wood supply chain, particularly at the early stages of the design process. We developed several service concepts to address these needs. these services are the WoodOrg, Wood Visualisation, New Thing, and Wood Material Search services. The project finds the prospects of information exchange between the wood industry and designers and architects in its current position are not positive. The major areas of weakness require implementation of services to facilitate greater interaction between the parties.
A good sample of Finnish designers and architects gave us good insight into local opinions and experience with the wood supply chain.
1. Observation- Visit the Wood Factory the Koskinen Company in Kärkölä, Finland
2. Analysis Wood Supply Chain
3. Decide Interview Questions: Six Category Questions
Research question: How could the wood supply chain best support Designers and Architects?
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Intro/General Questions
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Wood Use Questions
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Services Questions
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Futures Questions
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Information Questions
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Ending Questions
4. Two Teams to Do Interview
Designers Team
Architects Team
5. SWOT Analysis
6. Develop Three Design Concepts
Wood Visualisation Service
Online image access
New “Thing”
Creative Cooperation
Wood Material Search APP
Mobile app to research materials on the go
Wood Material Search APP
Mobile app to research materials on the go.
Description
Use image recognition technology in a mobile app to find out about materials. Help architects and contractors to find out information about materials quickly.
Why
Situation 1
If architects find an interesting wood material, they often have no information about what it is or its characteristics.
Situation 2
Architects use the internet to research about material information. If architects want to see the real material, they have to wait the sample sent.
Situation 3
Contractors want to find the best price and similar wood material.
How
A material database company will create the app. Use photo recognition technology to find a matching material and information.
The service collects information and builds a database of wood materials. Architects and contractors can upload their projects in this app.
User Profile
Revenue
The service sources funding from wood suppliers advertising on the app. And charges users of the service. If you just want to trial the app, there is a free trial version. But if you want to use the full version, you have to pay money for it. The advertisement shown on the new material characteristics screen.
Value
Architects
Architects can quickly find out materials characteristics and find real samples.
Contractors
Contractors can save money and get an affordable wood material.
Wood suppliers
Wood supplier can get more people to know about his company and order materials from him.
Remarks
The photo recognition technique is gradually maturing. So this concept will be possible in the near future.
