Assessment details
Assignment 1: Group Design Model (20%).
Every organisation has a reason for being. It may be to lobby for change in society. It may be to bring relief to those in need. In sports, it may be to triumph over others on a playing field. Businesses exist to provide product, services or a combination of these. Though customers vary, circumstances vary, scale varies, (indeed so much varies), all businesses exist to satisfy consumer needs. In this assignment, your group (of no more than 3 participants) is asked to apply creative thought to design an original product or service (or combination of these).
This assessment is combines two elements:
1. Prototype Submission
First, your group is asked to design a prototype product or service. This should be showcased/ submitted in Session 6 to the workshop facilitator. Please note that online submissions are permitted for students studying externally. Types of prototypes you may use include:
Storyboards. - Sketches and Diagrams. - Paper Interfaces.
- Physical Models. - User-driven Prototypes. - Web Interfaces.
In characterising prototyping: "Prototyping is the making of a representation of a solution to a design problem in such a way that a user can experience it. Prototypes are not meant to function but rather to let users interact with them so as to provide feedback. Prototyping is a crucial part of iterative design processes, design thinking, and user-centered design. Prototypes can be categorized as high- and low-fidelity prototypes. High-fidelity prototypes are highly realistic in their appearance and interactions (e.g., a mock-up done in Illustrator), whereas low-fidelity prototypes are sketch-like objects with an unfinished quality about them (e.g., sketches of an app drawn on paper).
Typically, low-fidelity prototypes are used early in product development, while high-fidelity prototypes only start coming into play in later stages. Although high-fidelity prototypes may seem more desirable as a means of communicating designs to prospective clients, they have some important and costly drawbacks when used too early in the process. Introducing high-fidelity prototypes too early means more time spent making them, thus postponing testing; they also discourage iterations due to the effort that goes into their construction. Perhaps worse than that, they can also cause a premature commitment to design decisions. Conversely, low-fidelity prototypes for all their roughness offer a wealth of leeway and flexibility, also helping designers to avoid building on assumptions."
2. Building the Basic Business Proposal
Second, in introducing your new product or service, we need to begin thinking about how we plan to 'sell' the concept. In a methodical written format provide clear and compelling explanations as to:
1. What your product or service is/ does/ represents. 2. Why your product or service is innovative/ different? 3. Why are you the right people to develop the product or service? 4. Who are your potential customers and why would they want what you're offering? 5. Your personal journey: How your idea developed and how your agreed upon this direction?
Students are encouraged to support their answers with supporting evidence.
Business: Vegan-Based Protein Foods consultation for Healthy Living
1. Prototype Submission
Stage 1: Background and Associated Issues
Figure 1: Stage 1, Outlining Existing Issue in Australia
Action: Rising health consciousness has led to growing demand of healthy and nutritious foods, specifically fresh foods in Australia along with associated growing concerns of people regarding intake of the proportional amount of essential nutrients as carbohydrate, protein and fat. However, according to Wan, (2018) Australians are not taking suitable types of protein foods in correct amount and the lack of the right quantity of protein is also creating issue in ensuring healthy weight loss. People in Australia, specifically the working population and youths, are much dependent on frequent consumption of high-quality protein sources as eggs, red meat, chicken and nuggets. Overconsumption of meat-based high protein, in many cases, is leading to unhealthy protein consumption and thereby the risks of obesity, cardiovascular disease and bowel cancer (Noone, 2016). Thus, protein consumption by Australians mostly is focused on animal meat, instead of plant-based meat, which also is disturbing the healthy diet concerns of people. Therefore, increased meat-based protein consumption has been a major problem for the health of Australians as they lack consumption of plant-based protein and vegan protein, while less than 1 in 10 people there eat sufficient plant proteins (Willis, 2020).
Stage 2: Service Development
Figure 2: Stage 2, Outlining Development of Main Service
Action: Considering the problems in healthy living due to lack of healthy protein consumption as faced by Australians, we decided to design a Vegan-based protein food solution service for healthy living of people in Australia, which will provide vegan food and plant-based alternative protein suggestions to people. This will ensure offering appropriate healthy protein-based nutritional suggestions for people and thereby meeting their bodily requirement of daily protein by avoiding the risks of taking animal meat-based protein. The service will basically target the young working people of 20-30 years and people with middle age groups of 35-45 years as they are mostly unaware of the ill impacts of eating meat-based protein continuously. Moreover, the aged people can also take counsel with diet and nutrition expert team under the service for receiving suggestions on most suitable vegan protein source for them as per Optimal Protein Intake need of body (Carfì, Donato, & Panuccio, 2018). Suggestions will be provided based on checking of individual Nutritional Input Need of people and the service will be accessible to clients on Mobile App, Website chat, Social media as well as office-based system. Apart from this, there will be an arrangement of telephonic conversation between nutrition experts and clients. Thus, consumers can raised their queries and get necessary suggestions through digital platform also. The Vegan-based protein food service would reach the target consumers by leveraging YouTube and Facebook paid campaigns and print media advertising (newspaper and magazine).
The service is based on vegan food based suggestions for rich alternatives to animal meat for fulfilling individual nutritional needs in terms of intake of protein. The service will strictly be based on vegan foods as fruits, vegetables, Legumes, Soyfoods, nuts and seeds and will avoid any suggestions for making artificial/chemical supplements of protein. Moreover, our business would recommend such a vegan source of protein that are easily available in local markets in Australia and are cost-effective, as per individual budgets of clients.
Stage 3: Unique Selling Point
Figure 3: Stage 3, Outlining Unique Selling Point
This particular start-up has its major USPs (Unique Selling Point), which is its strict vegan basis nutrients suggestion, time effectiveness of the service and advantages of checking up Nutritional Input Need and Optimal Protein Intake Need (Hirth, 2021). The service is designed for offering suggestions of protein-rich vegan foods as per its manageability by the consumers in terms of their cost budget on nutrition and ready availability of such foods in local markets. This will help them in easily replacing their daily protein needs by consuming those readily available vegan sources in the market. For example, if someone has been suggested to eat Quinoa or Amaranth daily morning for fulfilling protein needs, our service will suggest the adequate amount of Buckwheat and soya seeds, considering its easier availability in market and comparative low price (Ahlborn et al., 2019). Therefore, this business is expected to provide app, social media or office-based effective suggestions to people for taking vegan-based alternative protein sources for facilitating healthy living. Therefore, managing the need of healthy living by taking vegan protein is the basis of USP for this service.
Stage 4: Cost Development
Figure 4: Stage 4, Outlining Cost Management Planning
We have set the overall business development cost for this service to $ 26,500, including spending needs for operational and marketing areas of the business. The key perspective for enhancing the operational cost would involve consultation with physician and expert team of Dietician and Nutritional experts. Moreover, for effective service providing and promotional operations, development of adequate technical and physical infrastructure is necessary for running social media, website and app-based service of protein nutritional suggestions. Considering these, the setting up cost for the business has been determined as follows,
| Initiatives and Components | Cost |
| Engaging and recruiting Diet and Nutrition experts | $4000 |
| Team of Physicians | $4500 |
| Developing Website platform and App | $4000 |
| Facebook, YouTube marketing | $2000 |
| Purchasing software for information and database | $3000 |
| Digital infrastructure development for marketing | $3000 |
| Office rental and physical infrastructure | $6000 |
| Total | $26,500 |
Figure 5: Stage 5, Outlining Revenue Management
Revenue stream development is a vital aspect in this business for ensuring higher profit, and therefore, specific plans have been considered that would provide higher benefits of healthy living for Australians. There will be a monthly package of Vegan-based protein food consultation worth $120 per individual along with 3 month plan of $310 per individual. A yearly family package has been developed facilitating consultation service for 4 members of a family at $3500 only. If a client purchases 2 consecutive 3 years’ plan within a 6 months period, he/she will receive a monthly package of the service without cost. Moreover, on referring 2 clients to the business within a month, a consumer can get a rebate of $20 in his/her 3 month plan purchasing. Thus, this project start-up is expected to reach almost 1500 people within the first 4 months along with generating revenue of $22000-25000.
2. Basic Business Proposal
1. What the service represents
The service represents a specific business plan of helping people in leading a healthy life by providing them with effective suggestions of vegan-based alternative protein foods instead of consuming animal meat, especially red meat for protein intake, which has considerable ill effects on health. Hence, this service is an effective business idea, unique in nature with a specified focus on health management people in Australia in terms of providing them recommendations for healthy protein consumption. From a consumer viewpoint, this service presents effective solutions to their ever-increasing health problems due to the habit of fulfilling protein needs by eating high calorie foods as red meat, egg, chicken and nuggets.
This is important to note that young and middle-aged people in Australia are over-consuming animal meat for addressing their individual protein needs as part of nutrition but additional fat and calorie in such foods are resulting into increased health issues. High intake of animal protein in the form of processed meat and egg has increased the risk of colorectal cancer by 17% because of consumption of 200g and 120g meat by males and female on a daily basis in Australia (Canceraustralia.gov.au, 2021). Moreover, this is directly associated with the risks of weight gain and over-nutrition of people. Therefore, this service present a ideal opportunity for Australians to take necessary measures for ensuring healthy living by emphasising on vegan protein that will help in improving metabolism function, digestion, cardiovascular health.
2. Why the service is innovative/different
The service of Vegan-Based Protein Foods for Healthy Living is innovative in nature because of its key differences with other existing business types in the Australian market in terms of their focused nutrition system, service nature, price facilities and service package. There are existing similar services as Eat for Health, Sanitarium and Click Dietitian, which mainly provides consultation servcice on diet chart and overall nutrition management based on animal and plant foods and at high cost rate. On the other hand, this service has a complete focus on providing vegan food-based protein suggestions at affordable price and with multiple cost-effective service packages and terms of rebate. This service does not consider any artificial or chemically developed protein option for people but recommends pure vegan and plant meat-based protein intake (Alamoudi & Alandijany, 2017). Moreover, this service will provide the required protein nutrition solution in cost and time effective ways depending on manageability of the option provided to the clients. Moreover, the vegan protein suggestions will be provide based on thorough check-up by physicians and checking of Optimal Protein Intake and Nutritional Input Need. The service is also highly dependent on the easy availability of various vegan foods in various local markets in Australia.
3. Right people to develop the service
We are the right people for developing this particular service because our efforts have been based on thorough research on the possibility of success of such services in the Australian market in consideration with type, nature and limitation of existing food and nutrition consultation businesses. We have applied adequate group efforts for understanding existing health issues faced by the Australians due to over-consumption of high protein and calorific foods as meat and egg, which destroys their intention of healthy protein consumption and healthy living. Therefore, as we are aware of the core issue, scope and success possibility of the service in the market, we are eligible enough to develop this service. We have identified a suitable target market by focusing on people of 20-30 years and 35-45 years old for this business. We also have the ability of making a necessary investment for setting up the business as we have set up the business cost within $26500 inspite of involving effective technology infrastructure. We have developed a sound plan of recruiting a team of nutrition and diet experts and physicians for providing consultation to clients along with developing an attractive purchasing package for customers. Therefore, we have been able in ensuring proper plans for adequate revenue generation from the business by reaching potential clients.
4. Potential customers and why would they want the service
The young working people of 20-30 years and middle-aged people belonging to the age group of 35-45 years are the potential customers of the service Vegan-Based Protein Foods for Healthy Living as they highly rely on eating animal proteins. This section of the Australian population prefer easting meat, eggs and other protein-rich animal foods, which gradually is leaving bad impacts on their health status. Apart from these particular consumer groups as targeted by this service, other people in Australia, especially old aged people can also purchase this service for receiving valuable suggestion on taking appropriate vegan food-based protein for ensuring healthy living.
The customers would want to buy this mainly because of its innovativeness and cost-effectiveness along with coming in the form of various monthly and yearly package systems, which are affordable and people can buy easily as per their requirement (Diaconu, & Baraitaru, 2019). For example, the monthly package of Vegan-based protein food consultation is of $120 per individual, which in the case of 3 month plan is worth $310 only. The yearly family package for 4 members is worth $3500 only, which presents an opportunity of saving $2260 (instead of $5760 for 4 members in a year). This cost-saving opportunity will attract clients largely. Moreover, according to Kilvert, (2019), consciousness towards vegan food is in steady rise in Australia due to high cost of red meat and growing concerns for animal welfare. This will also make this service highly popular in Australia.
5. Personal journey and how the idea was developed
This service idea has been developed based on researching the food market in Australia, the popularity of vegan foods and health issues faced by people from eating too much meat for protein intake purpose. My personal initiatives of researching the facts from research papers, online sources and news article helped me in developing this service idea, the importance and practical context of which was also recognized by other members of the group. However, sufficient possibility of success has been another reason of this idea being developed and agreed upon.
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