Work Sep 30, 2021

POP “PROBLEM-OPPORTUNITY-PRODUCT”: THE WORKSHOP METHODOLOGY

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We are witnessing a real change of era: a transformation that involves the relationship with the economy, the consumption, the world of quality and excellence in every field, from nutrition to design. The evolution of social values and paradigms is clarified towards experiences that cannot be bought: friendship, peace-of-mind, conviviality but also seriousness, reputation, reliability.

The new paradigm requires “Things be done well”: the goal becomes to produce better, and longer lasting than anyone else.  As the current model of development has become unsustainable, the ostentatious declination of wealth gives way to excellent experiences. Anyone who proves themselves equipped to face this challenge will win: everyday excellence and repeated pleasure.

Innovation will feed the construction of a new scenario and the challenge will be survival: it won’t be a question of being more innovative or advanced than the others, but rather to exist or not.

POP – the Workshop Methodology
 

Studio Volpi offers a set of tools aimed at developing and creating innovative products to take advantage of this period of change and make sure businesses are able to correctly address the new generation of clients and their needs. POP stands for Problem - Opportunity - Product: a strategic and concrete approach and methodology for creative problem solving and the exploration of new opportunities.

This approach collects the best practices of the most common workshop methods, such as Design Thinking, Design Sprint and Speculative Design. These methodologies have been acquired, reworked and made technology-agnostic. The undisputed added value is represented by two key factors: the involvement of the customer from the earliest stages, and the ability of our teams - made up of different professionals - to build connections between disciplines.

Let’s explore the 3-step methodology.


 

STEP 1: EVALUATE
 

POP Workshop starts with a 4 hours meeting dedicated to data collection and refinement of the initial requests. Studio Volpi’s dedicated team will use this explorative time to share ideas, scenarios and objectives related to the project, with the purpose of defining new approaches to the problem, new consumer scenarios, preliminary concepts and future strategies.

The purpose is to explore all possible scenarios and, at the same time, bring everyone on board in following the chosen direction. To be successful, this process needs to be collaborative and allow everyone to express their opinion in order to envision a common goal.

STEP 2: EXPLORE
 

During the “Explore” phase, Studio Volpi’s team will elaborate the findings, search for new ideas and scout for innovation on its own. This phase usually comprises user interviews, desktop researches and in-field observations, as well as the engagement of experts to unearth new and unexplored topics.

Through field research Studio Volpi is able to get a grip on the state-of-the-art, while experts and desktop research help in identifying the future paths the project can be driven on. The goal is to come up with new, exciting opportunities to be exploited as new products and services.

STEP 3: EXPERIMENT
 

The Experiment phase consists in a second and final workshop, in which Studio Volpi’s team shares its findings with the client in order to evaluate opportunities. During this activity, the team will share a possible plan of implementation for all the discovered paths, so that it can be directly evaluated. This proposal includes technologies, customer journey, use cases and timing for implementation.

This last phase is the most important of the whole process. The experiment allows to transform the scouted trends and technologies into prototype proposals: in summary, the client gets a project proposal in a very short period of time, with an implementation strategy already defined. Depending on the type of proposal, it will also be possible to visualise future industrialisation strategies after the prototype has been developed.

POC – Proof of Concept
 

Studio Volpi proposes a pragmatic approach to the solution: a simplified physical demonstrator built and tested quickly and economically. The Proof of Concept is developed by our Lab team and partners, and executed directly at the client’s premises.

A POC implementation leads to a functional demonstration with MVP features, prototype data gathering and analysis report, validation of aesthetics, ergonomics and usability.

Once the POC’s working characteristics, which are fundamental for the product to work, are tested and identified, Studio Volpi is able to transform the working demonstration in a fully fledged, commercial product.

Many international companies have chosen Studio Volpi as a partner for their leading-edge projects: our team of professionals supports clients in every step of their projects, from the first development to the launch on the market.

The POP Methodology is the latest tool designed as an element of analysis, definition of future scenarios, the making and grounding of a product, while helping our clients implement their best version of innovation.

Contact us to learn how we can transform your idea into a project: info@studiovolpi.com