fiBona

One of fibona's activities is "Co-creation with Consumers," in which researchers and consumers communicate directly with each other to develop products and solutions, utilizing S/PARK's facilities and contents.

fibona held a two-day workshop to develop products through direct communication between three researchers engaged in suncare development at Shiseido's Global Innovation Center and five daily-running women, who represent the consumers. The following is an overview of the three-month-long project undertaken by the fibona team and researchers.

The first day of the workshop began by asking five female consumers to introduce the suncare products they use on a daily basis. Almost all of them chose different suncare products for different purposes, such as daily use, running, and carrying around with them, and the researchers interviewed them in detail about the reasons and their selection criteria. Some said "I like the fragrance" and "I trust the effectiveness of this brand's sunscreen." The researchers also listened to their comments on how they use the products. One woman said, "I start by applying it on my arms first.”

Next, the researchers introduced the concept of two types of suncare products. The concepts were developed by interviewing Shiseido employees who enjoy running and discussing the needs of runners for suncare products. When the characteristics and effects of each concept were explained, the participants were surprised and asked, "Is it possible to make such a sunscreen”? On the other hand, they also pointed out that they "don't really want such a sunscreen at this point" and "are not happy with the efficacy of the product.”

Then, prototypes of the more popular of the two products were distributed and actually used on the participants’ faces and bodies. Various opinions were voiced, such as "I prefer a lighter texture," "It is hard to blend into the skin," and "It is comfortable to apply, but I am concerned about whether it is effective in preventing sunburn.” “It's true," said one researcher, even scratching his head.

Afterwards, with the prototype sunscreen applied to their bodies, they all went for a run outdoors to test its effectiveness. The running coach this time was Yoko Aizu, an OG of the Shiseido Running Club and a regular instructor of S/PARK Studio's running program. They started with stretching and a warm-up to get their bodies ready for the run. The participants enjoyed running for less than one hour.

One of the aims of "Co-Creation with Consumers" is for the researchers to explore hints for research and development while experiencing the same things that consumers do. The researchers who participated in the program this time were members who themselves love to run. While enjoying running together, they shared with consumers in real time how their skin felt when they were sweating and what they were wondering about the prototypes as well as engaged in different conversations.

After the run, the participants freshened up in the showers and changing rooms at S/PARK Studio. By the time the second half of the workshop started, it was impressive to see the distance between the consumers and researchers had shrunk, and they had grown much closer.

In the latter half of the workshop, the researchers asked questions about points of concern, such as how the prototype sunscreen felt when running, how easy it was to remove when showering, the condition of the skin after use and their honest feelings, and the improvements to the prototype for the next workshop were summarized. Thus, the first workshop was completed.

The second workshop was held about a month after the first one. During this month-long period, the researchers considered various improvements in terms of product benefits, feel, fragrance, easy-to-use containers, etc., based on the opinions expressed in the first workshop. A new product prototype was prepared.

After the researchers explained the new prototype, they immediately asked consumers to apply the improved prototype to their face and body. Then, the consumers commented, "The fragrance is fresher than the last one!" and "It's easy to apply." The atmosphere was very friendly right from the start, as this was the second time workshop. As the researchers themselves applied the prototypes to their own skin, they communicated with each other. Again, as in the previous session, detailed opinions and information such as "I will focus on the cheek area," and "The nozzle is thinner and the sunscreen is easier to apply" came up, to which the researchers were convinced.

In addition, when experiments were conducted in front of the consumers that allowed them to learn about the technology and science used in the prototypes, the consumers furthered their understanding of the prototypes, and the discussions became even deeper. The ability to conduct such experiments, which are difficult to do outside of the company, in a workshop with consumers is a unique feature of S/PARK, which opened as an urban open laboratory.

Next, the degree of congruence between the product concept and the impressions of using the prototype was discussed. The discussion began with the question, "Are there any discrepancies between the description of the concept and the actual use of the product"? The consumer and the researcher worked together to determine the image associated with the keywords in the concept and the desired feel of the product.

Then, in order to verify the impressions of the sunscreen while actually running, the participants went running outdoors under the guidance of S/PARK Studio with the prototype sunscreen applied to their bodies as in the previous session. Starting with stretching, the participants ran for about one hour at a nearby park. Once again, there was active communication between the researchers and consumers during the run.

After the run, the workshop started again. The workshop was lively as consumers actively used onomatopoeia to convey their impressions of the product after applying it, while running, and after taking a shower, and in other situations.

At the end of the workshop, consumers and researchers were paired up to discuss the evaluation of the improved prototype and further improvements in the future in a more up-close-and-personal atmosphere. Compared to the prototype used in the first workshop, the new prototype received many positive comments that it has been improved to be more consistent with the concept. Additionally, this discussion also brought up a new insight and discovery for the researchers: "Is running seen as an everyday activity? Or is it seen as a special activity, like outside leisure?"

“Co-creation with Consumers" aims to develop new value through direct communication between consumers and researchers. In this project, we have taken on the challenge of creating a prototype of a suncare product that runners would like to use. Although there are still various hurdles to overcome before the prototype becomes an actual product, this project should have been a meaningful time for the researchers to work on product development while listening more closely to the opinions of consumers. For consumers, on the other hand, the opportunity to see prototypes of suncare products in the development stage and to watch the experiments up close made it a time to enjoy being involved in manufacturing. This is one form of manufacturing that is typical of S/PARK, where researchers, who are the creators of cosmetics products, and consumers, who are the users of cosmetics products, meet together.

The next article will feature interviews with researchers who participated in the project, which lasted approximately three months. We will delve deeper into the realizations and feelings gained through the project.