1. Research Analysis Target market Analysis Specification Analysis Existing Product Analysis Environment Analysis I began my research by finding a focus group whose ages matched that of my target market. I did this by searching on websites for people who left comments on furniture sites that fit with my theme. I asked them to take part in a short questionnaire and asked some for a bit more information about their life styles. In summary I found out the features they liked most were floral patterns, bird patterns and basic patterns. I will try to include one of these themes in my design to make it more appealing to my target audience. As for colour schemes they preferred the dusky purples and pinks and the pale greens and turquoises – however there wasn’t too much difference between all of them so I think my colour schemes are fairly open. I looked at 6 different products to gain some insight into the designs of current products that are based on the vintage theme. From doing this I learnt the positives, potential improvements and my target markets opinion of each. I found that a recurring feature of the products if that many of them had be recycled – many had the shell of an older radio which had then been modified to include an up to date speaker, this meant that many of the other functions were then left unusable – such as dials or buttons which used to be linked to the functions of the radio which were now obsolete. 1. Aesthetics  1.1 – product must fit with the vintage theme (possibly with bird or floral pattern).  1.2 – products colour scheme should be neutral, pale or muted.  1.3 – product should look weathered or distressed. 2. Market  2.1 – should appeal to young, adult female audience who enjoy vintage products.  2.2 – should fit within the anthropometric data limits. 3. Purpose  3.1 – must have universal adapter for all mp3 players  3.2 – must have appropriate power source  3.2.1 – must have ability to change batteries if needed 4. Performance  4.1 – should have good quality, clear sound.  4.2 – should be able to last for over 15 years. The aesthetics of the speaker are very important – just as important as the sound quality so I will be spending a lot of time ensuring I get these parts right. I also know that most people would pay between £20 - £30 so that would impact on the type of materials I will be using. In order to get a profit I will be ensuring that the material costs are low enough to still make a profit. From completing target market research I also got valuable anthropometric data, this gives me specific limitations for sizes of my product. If I use these as guidelines my product should be easily usable for my target market. 5. Quality Standards  5.1 – must have a high quality finish  5.2 – must have smooth edges 6. Safety Standards  6.1 – must have no sharp edges  6.2 – must be earthed if being connected to mains  6.3 – all wires must be insulated and protected from spillages  6.4 – batteries (if used) must be stored safely so if a leak does occur no acid is spilled to damage the circuit or property 7. Function  7.1 – must play good quality, clear sound  7.2 – must be able to hold or store the mp3 speaker  7.3 – must have a accessible on/off switch  7.4 – it could have a dial operating volume control  7.5 – batteries (if used) must be easily accessible in order to change them One of the other problems with using pre-existing shells is that there are only so many of the same type that are available to buy and convert which is good in some respects as some people will want one off products or will want something that is rare. However it increases production costs which would take it out of the £20-£30 price bracket. A lot of the people questioned like the design of the shells so I will research into those designs and modify them to create a new version but based on the original vintage designs. Many of the suggested improvements mentioned by the target market was the fact that none of the shells had the facility to hold or store the mp3 player while it was in use for this reason I will try to add storage facilities to the speaker without being detrimental to the design. I looked at the spaces available for the product to be kept and the averages uses of the speaker. I found that bed side tables or cabinet were the most likely place for the speaker to be stored. With this in mind I think that space could be an issue as most people have other items on their bed side tables too – such as lamps or alarm clock, sometimes glasses cases or books, sometimes drinks. For these reasons I need to limit the size of my speaker or possibly ensure that it has a flat top so that they can store things on top. A few people also mentioned the fact that their current rooms held a lot of clutter. It might be possible to design the speaker to also function as a small piece of storage or to hold small pieces of jewellery for example. This would still fit in with the theme as many people have their jewellery fully on show to fit with the glitz and glamour of the theme. I also looked at further anthropometric data and decided on the minimum sizes or depths of the mp3 speakers so that the product is still functional regardless of its positioning in the room and to the users position (sat, laid or stood).