IN STYLE.
CONCEPT CREATION
Initially I designed this product to meet my personal needs, but I discovered it could have much greater marketing potential. After purchasing a beautiful wood outdoor table, I wanted to keep the table in good condition as well as accessible during the summer months. Yet my research yielded very few options for outdoor furniture covers.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
“How can we dress & protect our outdoor furniture during the warm weather that adds to the outdoor living space that we worked so hard to create.”
Based on user research, I found that retailers don’t offer many outdoor furniture cover options including selections in color, design & pattern which resulted in the creation of this product design.
This is a product design project based on aesthetics, not function nor price.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
-
- SELL OUTDOOR COVERS
- Yes
- COLORS
- Beige
Blue
Brown
Gray
Green - PATTERNS
- Yes - Allen + Roth
- DESIGNS
- None
- NOTES
- Amazon has the largest selections of covers, manufacturers & sizes.
-
- SELL OUTDOOR COVERS
- Yes
- COLORS
- Beige
Green - PATTERNS
- None
- DESIGNS
- None
- NOTES
- Crate & Barrel has a limited selection mostly in light green color but better quality than the others.
-
- SELL OUTDOOR COVERS
- Yes
- COLORS
- Beige
Blue
Brown
Gray - PATTERNS
- None
- DESIGNS
- None
- NOTES
- Although Home Depot offers options from several manufacturers, the stores carry about 7 of those.
-
- SELL OUTDOOR COVERS
- Yes
- COLORS
- Beige
Black
Brown
Gray - PATTERNS
- None
- DESIGNS
- None
- NOTES
- Target had basically the same options as Amazon, Home Depot, Lowe’s & other national chain stores offering outdoor furniture.
PROTOTYPE CREATION
HYPOTHESIS
I believe that if we made attractive outdoor covers in colors, patterns and designs it would enable users to have weatherproof protection that adds design value to their outdoor living space.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
For product design ideas, I researched the top websites for outdoor tablecloths and umbrellas assuming most people would want similar designs for their outdoor furniture covers. I have limited the designs to those below. However, based on the large number of umbrella and tablecloth choices the potential number of designs is extensive.
For product research, the following examples are from a subset of stores & their product designs.
PRODuCT RESEARCH & PROTOTYPES
top down, round
top down, rectangle
side view
SOLID COLORS
DUOTONE
WITH SMALL ACCENT
top down, round
top down, rectangle
side view
CONCENTRIC SHAPES
STRIPES
MULTI-COLOR STRIPES
top down, round
top down, rectangle
side view
DOTS
DOTS
DOTS
top down, round
top down, rectangle
side view
MADRAS
PLAID
TRIANGLES
IN CONCLuSION
With the many design options available for outdoor accessories and the growing popularity of outdoor living spaces, I was surprised to find that colorful, well-designed outdoor furniture covers were not already being made. Those that are available are limited to mostly solid colors in natural tones.
Researching possible options and designs, I found many colors, designs and patterns that would enhance the look of outdoor furniture covers. The design options are virtually unlimited thanks to the availability of weatherproof and waterproof materials. You could even make covers using the colors and logos of your favorite sports teams, business logos for restaurants outdoor dining areas and favorite characters.
