A: Right
A: w welcome to the the first meeting of uh Real Reaction's uh um development meetings for our our new television remote control .
A: Uh this follows our very successful entry into the the consumer market over the last year or so
A: um which we want to to build on ,
A: taking advantage of the uh the the latest developments in in technology and the uh the latest uh uh feelings in in consumer design and and demand
A: and uh we want to make this the the very best product th that's possible for everybody ,
A: uh one that everybody wants ,
A: uh at a good price for the consumer and at a good price for the company .
A: Uh and to that end we need all to work together uh to do that .
A: Um and uh b in no particular order because ev everybody is uh just as vital to this project
D: Mm .
A: um I'll just go round th the table ,
A: Andrew , marketing ,
A: um m Kendra with the uh um designing the the the User Interface
A: uh uh and Kate with the the industrial design . Um .
A: What's uh the the th th project is is here to do , is is to to get this this project up and moving ,
A: ev everybody is is free to uh say wh whatever they want ,
A: uh everybody has a contribution to make
A: and uh everybody feel free to interrupt me at any time to to say what you want to say .
A: Um in in terms of the immediate meeting the uh um everybody knows everybody else ,
A: everybody's worked for the the company for a while ,
A: if if an anybody feels that they need to say more about themselves please do ,
A: if if if anybody wants to b briefly give their their background
A: so that everybody's quite clear what everybody uh uh everybody's experience is
A: please do so . Uh
A: in fact I'd I'd I'd welcome anybody to uh say something briefly about themselves ,
A: in fact we will do that by by going round the table quickly
A: and and saying what what contribution you you're looking to make .
A: So we'll start with Andrew .
D: Oh
D: my name's Andrew
D: I'm a I'm the Market Research person for this uh for this meeting and this uh project for creating this new remote control
D: and uh yeah I'll be uh presenting information statistics on what people want to want to uh get from this new design ,
D: what people want to like and from a fashion point of view and the practicality point of view .
A: Right C: I'm Kendra
A: Kendra .
C: and I'm the Us User Interface Designer and um C: I haven't had a whole lot of experience in this kind of thing before
C: but I'm m
C: so
C: I'll be working on the design .
A: Right
A: at least means you haven't got any preconceived ideas
A: so .
C: Right .
C: Yep ,
C: I'm just open to being creative .
B: Uh I'm Katie ,
A: Yep ,
A: good .
B: I'm the Industrial Designer
B: and I'll just be I guess presenting about the the inter workings of our little remote control
B: and uh B: yeah .
A: Okay ,
A: very very quickly , um this A: I don't want to make this meeting too structured
A: because the the whole idea is that it's a um you know a think tank .
A: Everybody says what they what they want to say ,
A: uh and we don't want to be constrained by uh kind of convention or uh uh slides on screens or or anything else
A: um but um briefly um th th this is what we want to do .
A: The the remote control needs to be original ,
A: there has to be something about it that uh other remote controls don't have
A: so that as soon as people see it they think um yes that's different ,
A: uh I want one ,
A: um and that goes along with being trendy , uh uh you know the I want it uh scenario .
A: User-friendly
A: as as we all know , remote controls can be uh uh very user-unfriendly
A: so we want to make ours one that people can pick up
D: A: and think oh yes that's it's obvious how that works ,
A: uh and they also want to look at the price and think oh yeah that's something that A: I may not need another remote control
A: but uh it's such a nice one
A: I'm gonna have one .
A: And last but not least , or indeed first of all , it it must make the company money ,
A: and we make the company money by producing what the consumer wants .
A: The uh the further work to be done is i the um the functional design , uh what it uh what it must actually do ,
A: the uh conceptual design , uh how we actually present that to the consumer
A: and th the the detailed design i is uh how we get that into production .
A: Uh now th the main design tool that we have available to us at the moment is is the white board
A: and uh uh let us very quickly do what i what it says in the in the in the prompt slide here , um A: In fact I suggest to avoid everybody untangling themselves from the uh the the wires , that we don't do that , um
A: So
A: I I A: everybody knows what whiteboard is
A: so we'll um uh we'll do a virtual drawing on the on on the whiteboard of of your your own uh uh favourite animal ,
A: but le let's go round the table ,
A: your favourite animal .
D: Um , badger . A: Mm and why ?
D: Uh it's it's got nice contrast with black and white and uh A: Uh-huh .
D: I feel they're underdog kind of status
D: and they're , the
A: Oh right
A: uh my my wife says my beard looks like a badger's arse
D: B: A: 'cause of the the white streaks in it . C: Um probably a duck
A: Kendra .
C: I just I li I like the way they look
C: and they're just nice animals
C: and I like how they can fly or swim or walk around or whatever .
A: Uh-huh .
A: Right ,
A: okay .
B: Uh 's horses ,
B: no particular reason why .
C: A: Uh-huh ,
A: fair enough yeah .
A: I'm not sure that I've got any favourite animal to be quite honest ,
B:  A: I think homo sapien
A: because of their their uh overall ability to uh uh C: D: Make mobile phones and T_V_ remotes  B: A: Sorry ?
D: to make T_V_ remotes .
A: Indeed absolutely yes ,
B: A: tha that's um A: Okay
A: and uh w we need to keep in mind here that the uh we want to sell this for for twenty five Euro um ,
A: we want to m make an overall profit for the the company of fifty million Euros
A: so we're we're looking at selling a lot of these um ag across the the entire planet
A: and and we're looking at a gross profit of fifty percent .
A: It needs to cost twelve Euros fifty to make .
A: Um so we're not only looking at a a very trendy original product ,
A: we're looking at making it at a very good price .
A: Um , okay , um A: would anybody like t like to to start by giving their o um sort of quick views of of current remote controls .
C: Well
C: I think I find a lot of them really complicated to use with all the different buttons
C: and uh it's handiest when you have one that works both the D_V_D_ player or whatever and the T_V_ as well .
C: Um , but that it's easy to if you can switch back and forth instead of having to press a bunch of different buttons
A: No .
C: and C: so I think it's is best when they're clearly labelled
C: and you can see which buttons you're supposed to use ,
C: you know .
A: Any any thoughts about buttons or any oth other way of approaching the p the uh the problem ?
A: Or anybody else , strong feelings about remote controls ?
A: Are there you know , bad ones they've used
A: or good ones they've used
A: or ones that they've lost and never found again ?
B: Um  I think it's important that you should be able to when you when you press the buttons it'll actually pick up the signals from kind of anywhere
B: and you shouldn't have to like contort yourself
B: and twist your remote control to get it the T_V_ to actually pick up the signal .
D: Yeah .
C: Yeah .
D: Think a lot of the time , remotes that come with T_V_ players and T_V_s and D_V_ players , like they aren't
B: Mm .
D: like an area that's put a lot of effort into ,
D: they're very boring ,
D: very plain .
D: Like
D: it's very a very B: Mm .
D: like um
D: making a a stylish remote control would be a very like D: Easily put us one step ahead of the current competition .
A: Um what so wh what's in in what particular style features are you thinking about ?
D: Um . Something that looks looks doesn't look like remote control .
B: D: So if you want , something that looks like uh something that makes you think oh what's this ?
D: Like this pen doesn't really look like a pen ,
D: but it makes you think oh .
A: Uh-huh .
D: So ,
A: . Yeah
D: sorry
D: that's a bit vague .
A: d
A: no
A: I mean do you think there's a risk if it doesn't look like remote control ,
A: people won't see it as a remote control
A: um and uh D: Uh I suppose suppose that's up to the marketing to to make make people aware of the product .
A: Uh-huh .
A: Any other thoughts about um th the physical appearance of a of remote controls ?
C: I think something that's comfortable to hold
C: because sometimes you get the remote controls that are just those big , rectangular things
B: Mm .
D: Mm .
C: and uh they're kind of awkward to hold onto ,
D: C: so something that's more comfortable
C: that fits in a person's hand better .
A: I mean th the thing that i immediately comes to mind is computer mouses
A: which um I mean y you get all sorts of shapes in the shops
B: Mm .
C: Yeah .
D: Yeah .
B: Mm .
A: and s you know some quite fancy ones
C: Yeah .
A: um than the  A: some from personal experience which look nice
B: A: but aren't particularly comfortable .
C: Yeah .
A: Um any thoughts about buttons or flat screens or uh uh D: Well
D: from the mouse idea you could ,
D: remote is a piece of plastic with the big rubber buttons sticking out of it
D: which you press ,
D: whereas if you want  D: could all be flat
D: and the buttons are very kind of almost subtle
D: that instead of being raised out of the device uh you push into device you see , like a mouse button .
A: Yes ,
A: I mean the only thing is if if you're watching television in a in a a darkened room um you need to be able to uh
B: Mm .
D: I suppose .
A: fi find the button buttons easily .
D: Easily , yeah yeah .
C: But maybe they could be concave instead of sticking up to have them be kind of down
C: so you could feel them
D: Mm .
B: Mm .
C: better .
A: Yeah ,
A: that's uh A: must admit I don't think I've ever seen one with concave buttons ,
A: that's uh certainly be different .
A: Um do we need it to uh A: I can't think of any re remote controls that I know of that actually light up at all .
C: Oh yeah .
A: Do we do we want uh B: Mm that would be good .
C: Like a like a mobile phone ?
A: Yeah .
B: Mm .
C: Yeah .
D: Mm , yeah that would be good .
B: Mm .
A: Okay . So ,
A: Andrew have you had any thoughts yet about how we might market something
A: which there are already millions out there
A: and that we want to uh uh uh t take over the entire um the planet with ?
C: D: Mm-hmm , um especially if we try to sell , what two million of them .
B: D: Oh sorry ,
D: four million of 'em ,
D: but uh I think if w if we market it as as not as not D: well
D: this you c you could either market it as the point of view we could have the two D: we could have parallel marketing s schemes
D: where you've got one where it appeals to people that want to have the new device that looks cool , is fashionable
B: Mm .
D: and like you just D: it's it's like uh it's one that rather than ra I wan I want rather than a kind of a need relationship with the device ,
A: Mm-hmm .
D: but that might D: considering the act what the device is for and the nature of some people might not like respond to having a device that they just looks nice ,
D: therefore they want it
D: so make it practical at the same time .
D: I think it's this is gonna have to appeal to people that want device that can enhance their living room
D: uh but also a device that uh
A: Mm-hmm .
D: is practically sound .
A: Mm-hmm . Okay , yeah , yeah , well
D: So um ,
D: I dunno
D: we'll have to decide which which angle we're gonna go to or both .
D: If you .
A: I d I think an any uh any facets that we identify w we aim need to aim for for all of .
D: Mm . A: Um okay well
A: first thoughts on um
A: the the industrial design side .
B: Oh
B: I think it's it's remote controls are kind of a unique object
B: 'cause it's you depend on them so much ,
B: but you don't i i it's B: you sort of just assume they're always gonna work ,
B: you don't think of them as a comp
B: like a computer can break down
B: and you're kinda like oh well fair enough
B: there's all these complex things going on ,
B: it's gonna B: something's gonna get messed up eventually .
B: They they just need to be very very dependable
B: because people sort of take them for granted
B: and then if your remote control breaks it's  God forbid you actually get up and manually change the channel A: Indeed .
C: D: B: it just B: it needs to be very effective , very always dependable . Uh
B: I don't think we should make it too small
B: I 'cause I think it needs to B: it can't be too big like you were saying big an and huge and um awkward ,
B: but also if you make it too small kinda like you know how mobile phones are getting smaller and smaller um , it's just gonna end up under a couch cushion somewhere and um yeah .
A: Yeah .
B: But B: so
B: yes
B: dependable , and have a good medium range size .
A: Okay ,
A: and um colours , materials ? Kendra , anyone ?
C: Well ,
C: most I think most of the remote controls now are either just black or grey ,
A:  .
C: so maybe we should go with something different
C: or be able to C: I was just thinking of um what they're doing with mobile phones now
C: how you can get the different um what are they called ? Like the face-plates
A: Yeah .
B: Mm , mm-hmm .
C: that you change
C: so we could have maybe C: I don't know if it would be feasible to do something with that ,
C: where you can change the face-plates
C: or have kind of a variety
A: Uh-huh .
C: so people can get different different things .
C: Have it kind of look how they want to , different colours , things like that ,
A: Right .
C: probably just plastic
C: because that's always the lightest .
A: Yeah .
A: Okay
A: that's uh A: Again I don't think that's ever been done before ,
C: A: it's uh the sort of the sort of thing that would get people uh thinking yes that's something that I haven't got and uh
A: might need
A: so . Uh
A: Andrew , any thoughts about uh how we might market interchangeable fronts on on the remote control ?
D: Um , well
D: we could either market it together by getting control in a set colour
D: or with like you buy it with several
D: uh like
D: you ge you get the f uh the face-plates with it when you buy
D: or as a separate thing ,
D: but uh maybe thinking of that , it's considering the nature of the device , maybe a second thing like a second campaign to market new facials for your to your might go a bit astray
B: Mm .
D: since it is the kind of thing where y you generally get one
A: Yeah .
D: and then forget about it .
D: Unless you were trying to A: Yeah .
B: Well
B: you could come up with like novelty ones ,
A: I think B: like they've done with the the mobile phones ,
B: you can get like different you know scenes from different movies and stuff on the remote control
D: Mm .
C: Yeah .
D: Oh
D: it's B: and sorta stagger the release of them
D: that's a that's a good idea .
B: and get people like oh I want that cover on it now
B: and that'll keep them spending money .
C: Yeah .
A: Mm-mm .
D: Mm .
A: Right , okay
D: Yeah true .
A: I think we've got um a good idea now .
A: We uh A: meeting is uh A: Needs to be k uh wrapped up fairly quickly .
A: So uh um
A: we've got thirty minutes to start looking at the um at the design in more detail .
A: Um then we'll we will reconvene in in thirty minutes
A: and try to get some of these ideas uh uh more formalised .
A: Uh thank you very much indeed .
D:  .
C: Okay .
B: Thank you .