BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample

Introduction & Background

Introduction

The product that has been chosen is coca cola black which eventually failed to meet the demands of the customer. The purpose of the report is to redesign a product and coca cola blak has been a good choice. In the overall study, an initiation to the background of the product shall be done, and based on the redesigning process shall be continued.

The overall report shall be made on the Design Thinking Process the ways Coca-Cola balk shell designed and the overalls study shall be initiated to carry out the redesigning princes, lastly, overall learning experience shall be evaluated followed by identification of the design thinking skills that are important for the overall process.

Background

A successful product is something that can be incorporated with innovation but a failed product needs restringing. Coca-Cola black was coffee-flavoured soft drinks that were introduced into the market by coca cola in the year 2006 (Cnn.com, 2019).http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample But soon after its introduction, the new version of coca cupola was soon discontinued in the year 2008.

It was in the year 2006 when coca cola back was first introduced in France and soon after it, it was incorporated into the markets of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Lithuania. There were CNN reports that analysed the reasons behind the failure of the Coca-Cola blak. One of the reasons includes because it “was a trend before its time”. In addition to that, coke reps said that the flavour of coca cola blak was not for everyone as people did not like the way it tasted (Cspdailynews.com, 2019).http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample

Per the statement of Nancy Quan, the company’s chief technical officer, the reason behind its discontinuation was bad timing. The potential cola lovers were not looking into the drink as it contained high caffeine and it tasted like adult coke. Talking about the proportion of people who liked it, it was seen that the people of France liked the product to some extent but the US customers didn’t like to suggest any more to the fellows.

The high concentration of caffeine in coca cola was not suggested by parents for their children and being an energy drink, red bull was one of the toughest competitors. Due to its large amount of Caffeine, red bull was successful in competing with them eventually leading to accessing the customer base.

Aim and objectives

The aim of the report is to introduce the idea of Design Thinking concept for resigning Coca-Cola blak.

The objectives are:

• To bring the product into the market so that it can gain a customer base just like the original and iconic cola
• To evaluate the better performance in the market and earn good profits and growth.
• To make a product that is liked by all and not a particular segment of people

The Design Thinking Process is the non-linear, iterative process that takes part in understanding the way users think, assuming the challenges that have come or can be faced, redefining the problems, and creating innovative solutions for testing the prototypes (Kosalge et al. 2022). http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment SampleThere are a total of five phases in the Design Thinking Process which include Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.

Main Body

Design Thinking Process

The Design Thinking Process is the non-linear, iterative process that takes part in understanding the way users think, assuming the challenges that have come or can be faced, redefining the problems, and creating innovative solutions for testing the prototypes (Kosalge et al. 2022).http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample There are a total of five phases in the Design Thinking Process which include Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.

A step in the immediate and direct plan thinking process seems to promote the next, with a clear outcome at client testing. Nevertheless, the cycle is really finished in a more flexible and indirect manner. For instance, different groups within the planning group may oversee many phases concurrently, or architects may gather data and model throughout each stage of the project to refresh their minds and visualize the issue situations as they go.

Results from the Test stage may also reveal new customer insights that prompt another meeting to create fresh ideas (Ideate) or the development of new models (prototype).

The plan figuring interaction shouldn’t be seen as a serious and firm approach to handling the plan; rather, the section organized acknowledged should serve as a guide for the activities creators complete (Ratten and Jones, 2020).http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample The stages may be exchanged, led simultaneously, or rehashed a few times to acquire the most enlightening bits of knowledge about the clients, grow the arrangement space and focus on inventive arrangements.

This is one of the fundamental advantages of the five-stage model. Information obtained in the last option phases of the cycle can illuminate continues regarding prior stages. Data is constantly used to illuminate the comprehension regarding the issue and arrangement of spaces and to rethink the actual issue (Bittner and Shoury, 2019). http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample

This makes a ceaseless circle, wherein the planners keep on acquiring new bits of knowledge, foster better approaches to see the item (or administration) and its potential purposes, and foster an undeniably more significant comprehension of their genuine clients and the issues they face.

Theoretical framework

The Theoretical framework of a study is the structure that defines and focuses on the specific data that the researchers will use to analyse (USC Libraries, 2022). http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment SampleIt describes and introduces the exact research problem only focusing on the relevant data. In this framework,

the researcher uses existing knowledge which is guided by theories to support the research and to make it more authentic (PhD Assistance, 2019).http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample The theoretical framework divides the research into two simple factors: the research problem and the rationale of the investigation. The researcher can articulate the theories and make questions like ‘why’ and ‘how’ in the research.

This framework also helps the researcher to understand the limitations and the other alternative theories that can challenge the research. This framework can be followed in all types of work such as qualitative, quantitative or other mixed methods (PhD Assistance, 2019). http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample

It helps the researcher to understand the different variables and aspects of the research as per the given descriptions and theories. This framework increases the knowledge of the researcher on the research topic. It is very important to follow the theoretical framework in every research study to justify the importance of the work (USC Libraries, 2022).http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample

Coca-Cola Blak first became available in 2006 and it released a soft drink with coffee flavouring in 2006 by following an operation management strategy with design through a customer journey map.

On the other hand, the flavour of this product did not appeal to customers as per the quality design approach. It has been determined that this product was introduced before its time and that additional circumstances probably contributed to its death according to the preliminary theoretical model of product designing (Crites and Rye, 2020). http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment SampleCoca-Cola made the choice to divide the difference in energy between normal and diet sodas while creating this product by following a quality product design framework.

As a result, this item will be revised in accordance with consumer demands using the design thinking method. The presentation is on a product called “Coca-Cola Blak” that didn’t live up to consumer expectations (Crites and Rye, 2020).http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample

• Empathise

Coca-Cola launched their new product Coca-Cola Blak 2006 in the US market 2006 and it was a big failure. It was a carbonated fusion beverage which is a mixture of coffee and coke.

The drink was originally made with real sugar for the international market but later it was altered by sugar substitutes (Regan, 2020).http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample The people of the U.S were quite aware of the use of alternatives and they did not like the product.

This alteration negatively impacted the flavour profile of Coca-Cola Blak. According to the research from several reports, it was found that the product was unbearably sweet just like a ‘Coffee candy drink’.

The consumers found it an odd drink and did not like the taste of the drink. The company used the glass bottles provided with plastic caps whereas the consumers wanted pleasant packaging. Consumers always find cheaper goods in the market, but Coca-Cola Blak was quite expensive.

• Define

The following step is to take into account and recognize all the information and data in a planned and specific way that will lead to the issue statement and help you grasp its applicability from a human perspective (Crites and Rye, 2020). http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment SampleThis part contains the problem statement and the customer needs to address the challenge.

Customers have complained about the drink’s flavour, excessive calorie content, cost, and poor timing for market introduction. Depending on one’s perspective, this beverage should have less sugar and fewer calories for dieting clients (Wang, 2022). http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment SampleThe costs were also high when this product was first introduced, so the business needed to keep that in mind.

The researcher can now assemble all the data that was acquired during the empathy phase of the design process. It has been a good notion to characterise the challenges in a human-centred manner instead of a product-centred one after recognising the consumer problem. From the perspective of the researcher, Coca-Cola had to start out by offering this product at an affordable price in order to gain the confidence of its customers.

Before releasing the goods, they must survey the public to ascertain their quality and preferences. But because of a few problems, the business was unable to offer these goods to the clients. Consequently, the item vanished in 2008 (Wang, 2022).http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample

Innovativeness is the superb need for this step. It gives space to the item fashioner to develop the most recent and innovative items worried about specific issue proclamation and improve arrangements.

To give astounding client encounters, this is the main cycle. The third stage of the plan thinking process involves fashioners getting ready to generate ideas. In the Empathize stage, I have grown to understand my clients and their needs, and in the Define step, I have dissected my impressions to create a client-driven issue explanation.

With this solid basis, my colleagues and I can start looking at the problem from many angles and coming up with creative solutions to my worry. There are many ideation methods I can utilize, for example, “Brainstorm, Brainwriting, Worst Possible Idea, and SCAMPER”. “Brainstorm” and “Worst Possible Idea” methods are regularly utilized toward the beginning of the ideation stage to animate free reasoning and grow the issue space (Tu et al., 2018). http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample

This permits me to produce however many thoughts as could reasonably be expected toward the beginning of ideation. I ought to pick other ideation strategies towards the finish of this stage to help me examine and test my thoughts, and pick the best ones to push ahead with — either in light of the fact that they appear to take care of the issue or give the components expected to evade it.

• Prototype

In view of the information and data, when I put every one of my endeavors to shape my thought into the genuine for checking and assessment is the prototyping stage. The viability of the given answer for the issue of the clients can be assessed and introduced in a controlled climate or inside to try different things with the perceptions and characterize the results.

In order to explore the essential arrangements developed during the ideation stage, the planning group will presently make a number of little, scaled-down versions of the item (or specified elements located inside the item).

The real group, several divisions, or a small meeting outside the planning group can all exchange and test these models. This is a trial stage, and the goal is to identify the best solution for each problem identified during the first three phases (Piras et al., 2019). http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment SampleThe plans are implemented within the models, each of which is then analyzed.

Based on the experiences of the clients, each plan is then acknowledged, enhanced, or abandoned. The design team will have a better understanding of the product’s limitations and problems by the time the prototype stage is complete. Additionally, they’ll have a clearer understanding of how real customers will behave, think, and feel while interacting with the completed product.

• Test

The final stage of the design-thinking process is testing which helps the company to examine and evaluate their product with real customers.

The result that is gathered from the customer’s feedback and experiences helps the brand or the company to identify the errors or faults in the product and also helps to overcome them (Grgić, 2020). http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment SampleThe process of testing has innumerable benefits. The benefits of testing are as follows:

Saves Time and Money: The early detection of errors in the product ensures that the product to be launched is free from all flaws. Hence, a lot of time and money can be saved by using this testing tool.

Reveals Unexpected Insights: Even if the company is satisfied with the thorough research of the product and its results, there are many unexpected insights found in the testing process.

Improves Customer satisfaction: The first-hand information regarding the product is gathered which will help the company to understand the customer’s needs and expectations.

The Coca-Cola Blak product is specifically designed to target adult customers, especially people from age groups 18 to 25 years old. The company manufactured small packaging of this drink that is Coca-Cola Blak only for testing purposes (Dam and Siang, 2022). http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample

The company decided to sell these products at a much cheaper rate to gather customers’ feedback and experience regarding the drink. This will help the company to improve their product wherever needed. The Company used five methods of testing to examine the Coca-Cola Blak. The methods are as follows:

Concept Testing: In this first method, the company conceptualised the product before designing it.

A/B Testing: This testing method helps to compare the two variations of the product design.

Usability Testing: This method of testing helps to show how easy the design can be to use in a repetitive process.

First-click Testing: First-click testing helps the company to know about the customer’s first reaction when they come to know about the product.

Tree Testing: This method helps the company to know how user-friendly their product is.

Discussion & Conclusion

Configuration believing is an iterative, non-direct interaction that centers around cooperation among creators and clients. It rejuvenates creative arrangements in light of genuine clients’ thought processes, feelings, and actions. This human-focused plan process comprises five central stages: “Understand, Ideate, Prototype, and Test”. It’s critical to take note that these stages are an aid.

The iterative, non-direct nature of configuration thinking implies the planning group can complete these stages at the same time, echo them and even circle once again to past stages anytime in the plan thinking process (Henriksen et al., 2020). http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample

Configuration Thinking gives a way to deal with organizations to consider the case and work for their consumer loyalty. Instead of doling out an issue proclamation to a virtual machine, plan thinking asks organizations for the arrangements and picks the best outcome which is assessed and determined, and relegated as an optimal arrangement.

The best way to deal with giving such an answer is to zero in on the needs of the individual and client while giving any arrangement and results. In spite of the fact that benefits and cash are the significant targets of any developing organization, consumer loyalty and joy are a higher priority than anything. The stock of methods and gadgets that we analyzed here is just a starting importance for additional creation in this space.

Also, the examination could focus on how multidisciplinary segments utilize imaginative methodologies and instruments for creation in the singular arrangement grade and the impressively suitable ones (Kunamaneni et al., 2019).http://BS7718 Design Thinking for International Business Assignment Sample Another forthcoming examination subject could be the functional assortment of a segment that could increment ingenuity by utilizing these procedures and instruments.

Configuration Thinking is a procedure that exists in each circle of life, to plan and use remarkable and creative considerations to manage the issues in the conditions.

Reference List

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Cnn.com, 2019. Coca-Cola thinks Americans are ready for Coke with Coffee. Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/30/business/coke-with-coffee/index.html#:~:text=In%202006%2C%20Coca%2DCola%20launched,the%20company’s%20chief%20technical%20officer. [Accessed on: 21.7.2022]

Crites, K. and Rye, E., 2020. Innovating language curriculum design through design thinking: A case study of a blended learning course at a Colombian university. The system, 94, p.102334.

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Dam, R F. and Siang, T Y., (2022) Stage 5 in the Design Thinking Process: Test. Available at: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/stage-5-in-the-design-thinking-process-test [Accessed on 21.07.2022]

Grgić, J., (2020). Coca-Cola internationalization strategies (Doctoral dissertation, University of Zagreb. Faculty of Economics and Business. Department of International Economics).

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