Imagining New Possibilities with Ungendered Products

The Gig

A Foundational Exploration of Co-creation Opportunities for Multi-tools

The multi-tool market has traditionally been a male dominated space, but our client hoped to rectify that. They partnered with The Band to engage female consumers in research focused on identifying growth opportunities and product needs for this new audience. But creating a more inclusive brand is the work of years—not simply one new product, so the Band worked to provide longitudinal inspiration that our client could return to again and again.

Approach

This was the brand’s first exploration into designing for women as a category—but of course, women are not a monolith. For this initial exploration, we helped them to focus on one core group: creative problem solvers with an interest in crafts and DIY.

We engaged these participants in a series of online diary activities, followed by on-location interviews—meeting our participants at home, work, or even in their cars. These findings were then utilized to develop a series of design concepts for a final round of feedback.

Impact

For many of the women we spoke with, tools carry a nostalgic association with family and knowledge passed down through generations. This presented a clear opportunity to develop a brand story around a more “heritage” product; a narrative that would speak directly to her values, while also addressing other tensions like sustainability and smaller living spaces.

The Band provided clear “ways to win” by designing a product that would address needs of specific interest to women—such as safety concerns, or their role as de facto caretakers—in a way that would still maintain broad, ungendered human appeal.