(2008) The Supermarket in 2025
The goal of the design project was to create several scenarios for the year 2025 and design a product to fit either of these.
Smart Shelves - Preview
This project had Albert Heijn (supermarket from the Ahold group) as a fictional client, so the scenarios would have to deal with factors that are important for the retail sector, in which Albert Heijn is active. The question by Albert Heijn is: “What is the future ‘waste-climate’, and what do we need to do based on that prediction?”
Actors and Factors Research
Therefore, the project started by mapping out important actors and factors in an uncertainty/significance-matrix. The most significant and uncertain factors were chosen to create a strategic space, and some significant but more certain factors were also chosen as a base for the scenarios.
Mapping the Strategic Space
The strategic space was used to choose three points for scenarios that would cover most of the future aspects in all it’s different ways, so there would, ideally, be a scenario for every future.
Scenario Trend Analysis
Trends were derived from statistics on the significant factors and were used to predict the scenarios through trend analysis. Each scenario has a different balance of trends and therefore three completely different future scenarios arise.
Ideation Concept Sketches
After this analysis phase, one scenario was chosen to use as a base for a product design. Very different concepts emerged from the scenario, but one was chosen that would be able to fit the other scenarios without too much adjustment (robust product).
Future Supermarket Waiting Lounge Concept
Future Supermarket Layout Plan
The end result is a complete map of a supermarket from 2025, with different elements derived from the concepts. All the different areas were designed up to a certain detail level, but one product was chosen to develop into more detail.
Future Supermarket 'Taste & Experience'
Future Supermarket Lounge Area
The product resulting from the process is the Smart Shelf. The supermarket doesn’t function as a self-service shop, but a single product is presented on the shelves, which can then be ordered by the visitors.
Smart Shelf Visualisation
Smart Shelf Close-Up (Semi-Transparent)
The product is presented behind a transparent screen. From far away the screen takes the texture or image information from the background (denoting the theme), but when the visitor approaches, the product becomes visible, as well as more information about that product, variants, pricing, and more.
Smart Shelf Close-Up (Augmented Info)
The background can be used to group different themes and types of products from far away, or to combine several products on a shelf into a sub-group.
Smart Shelf Themed Grouping
Client:
University of Twente – MSc. Second Year Assignment
Albert Heijn Supermarkets (fictional client)
Assignment:
Design a product for a fictional client of your choice, based on scenarios that equip trend analysis to predict the situation in the near future (2025).
Date:
September 2008 – November 2008
Specifics:
Eight week project in a team with four designers.
(N.W. Hoogendoorn, J.J. Kneefel, T.K.M. Thung)
