DESIGN DEVELOPMENT OF AN INDIGENOUS TRICYCLE RICKSHAW
Phase 6: Planning for consumption Step 1: Design for maintenance
5.3 Product test program
the process as raw materials such as steel section, fittings, reskin etc that are processed in the factory; and labour cost is 18% of the total cost.
To reduce the total cost, the highest effort must be in the second category comprising 52% of this cost. A reduction of approximately 2% in this category will lead to reduction of 1% in total cost. Similarly labour cost is anyway way below the other cost component and thus effort in reduction in labour cost may not provide much reduction in total price.
Sometime, expenses incurred in effort to reduce this cost may out weigh the benefit.
Costs breakup provided in percentage for different category conveys very substantial information for evaluating or formulating a project proposal from the point of view of cost accountancy and manufacturing.
Prior to this trial, the newly designed tricycle rickshaw was given different colours to various parts to impart a product identity even through colour and product graphics (Fig.
5.18, p 153 and Fig. 5.20, p 157) and to differentiate from other traditional existing rickshaws on road. The tubular frame was painted in post office red with the rear panel painted in golden yellow. Scientifically, these colours are easily noticed and these are considered very auspicious colours by the citizens in North Eastern region of India. This is due to influence of two religions, both Hinduism and Buddhism. For both these religion, these colours are auspicious and the newly designed tricycle rickshaw painted in these colours imparts a sober look in addition to making them easily recognizable and acceptable by the users, both the pullers and the passengers.
The rickshaw was branded as Dipbahan.
In developing a market strategy for individual products, the seller has to confront the issue of branding (Kotler Philip and Armstrong Gary). Branding can add value to a product and is therefore an intimate aspect of product strategy.
Some of key definitions of branding are:
Brand: a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them which is intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors.
Brand name: that part of the brand which can be vocalized-utterable. Examples are Avon, Chevrolet, Disneyland, American Express, and Dipbahan.
Brand mark: that part of the brand which can be recognized but not utterable, such as a symbol, design, or distinctive colour or lettering. Examples are Playboy bunny and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayor lion.
Branding poses a number of challenging decisions to the marketer.
Brand name for the newly designed tricycle rickshaw was coined by combining two Assamese words- Dip meaning lamp/light and Bahan meaning vehicle. Thus literary Dipbahan means a lamp vehicle but combined word Dipbahan means enlightened vehicle or rather a vehicle derived out of knowledge that is advanced, since a lamp signifies knowledge in Hindu mythology.
From the point of view of brand name, it is easily vocalized-utterable, recognizable and easy to remember.
Another crucial aspect for providing a brand name Dipbahan to the newly designed rickshaw is that when several rickshaws are placed in a rickshaw stand, many a time, these are not in a queue. Thus when a passengers calls for a rickshaw by uttering ‘hey rickshaw’, even though the passenger want a newly designed rickshaw, other rickshaw pullers too respond and there starts the argument between the pullers of traditional rickshaw and new ones. Once the newly designed rickshaw was named as Dipbahan, passengers were calling these as Dipbahan and there was no chance to create
confusion on part of the puller with a traditional rickshaw. Thus branding of the new tricycle rickshaw with a brand name was a well thought of process as a part of product launch strategy.
This was noticed that after CRD launched this design in the market, passengers identified and called these rickshaws as Dipbahan providing it a distinct identity.
To expedite the field trial, another rickshaw was fabricated. Thus instead of single rickshaw, two rickshaws were provided to two different pullers every day in different locations (Fig. 5.22) and feedback from the pullers as well as passengers were obtained.
NGO interviewed more than 500 rickshaw pullers and 2,000 rickshaw passengers over a period of 1 month using 2 Dipbahans. That comes to almost 20 rickshaw pullers per day, 10 for each Dipbahan and 80 passengers each day, 40 for each Dipbahan.
Rickshaw pullers were the tentative members of Rickshaw Bank and passengers are regular rickshaw users in different parts of the Guwahati city.
Fig. 5.21 Pre-production model Fig. 5.22 Pre-production models in field trial CRD provided supervisors at various points where rickshaw was placed for trial and for obtaining feed back from rickshaw pullers and passengers. It was observed that when asked a list of questions, the persons were not keen on answering all the questions.
Thus after the first day’s observation, only selective questions were asked based on keenness of the users to answer these questions. Also a remark book was provided so that any one can write why he or she liked the rickshaw and its merits and demerits.
Pullers were asked to identify the advantages and disadvantages of the model in their own term. When they did not cover few expected aspects like whether lowering of the top bar as existed in the diamond type frame compared to the new ones has any advantage, they were asked to answer this. Similarly they were asked whether it is comfortable to ride this rickshaw compared to the traditional ones or not and whether hood over their head is a desired one or not etc.
Passengers were asked a separate set of questions like, what was the seating comfort?
Whether is it easier to get onto the rickshaw or not, whether luggage space is suitable for them? Whether protection from elements of natural is sufficient or not, whether the
support in terms of handle incorporated in the frame was suitable and if there is any specific shortcomings from their point of view.
Whereas pullers provided feed back relevant and concerning their aspects, passengers’
feed back regarding their comfort was very encouraging. The ease of access as well as the low floor height was appreciated by all. Seating comfort and ample space, good floor space was found to be the forte as per their general opinion.
Thus the experimental construction and the test program provided various important feedback and the tricycle rickshaw required certain minor revisions to incorporate these.
Sometimes modifications were also done using ‘Trial and error removal method’.