Another week gone by, another update from Lotus. This time about packaging!.

Our mission is to create packaging that, like our tech, is optimized for disability and usable by everybody. To that end…

…we’ve designed Lotus packaging so users can unbox with one hand!

This means incorporating the right blend of expertise, guidance (hello Universal Design Principles and ISO 22015:2019- Accessible Packaging!), and user feedback. The process isn’t finished yet, but we are happy with where it’s going. Here’s how it works:


Expertise

We’ve welcomed a talented and mission-aligned Industrial Designer to our team (for packaging and beyond), Julia Lemle.

We are all the deer in this picture - just happy to be in Julia’s presence.

Must-Haves

Early on in the process, we identified four must-haves:

  • Housing for all components (Lotus Ring + Switch Covers + chargers)
  • Storage and shipping survival (testing, testing, testing)
  • Minimal Waste (sustainable and cost-effective)
  • Accessibility (of course!)

User Feedback

A handful of Lotus community members - including older adults, folks with various disabilities, and veterans - offered valuable insights through self-recorded videos opening various packages while sharing their preferences and pain points. A few also completed more in-depth user interviews with Julia!


As seen here, we studied different types of boxes out there and how users interact with them.


Mood Board + Iterations

Rooted in data and guided by user feedback, we then explored various design options. Then it’s iterate, iterate, iterate.

packaging design direction mood board
Team in a zoom call and screen sharing a design illustration


This process, like most of the work we do at Lotus, has been done remotely and across time zones. However, our “packaging” group had a chance to leave our Zoom squares for a 3D meetup in Washington, DC this past week!

Dhaval, Julia, Rahul and Natalie smiling

Lots more to share from this trip, but I will save it for next week’s update.
-Dhaval

“The only thing standing between (us) and outrageous success is continuous progress.”