Design:
Parcel Locker is designed to be a metal household lock box for packages.
I came up with the idea after my sister mentioned she recently got a package stolen off her porch. Although she had Ring (smart doorbell with camera) installed, she mentioned that this wasn’t exactly helpful because knowing the person’s face doesn’t help her prevent them or other people from stealing packages in the future and police only get involved when the item stolen is of substantial value. With this in mind, I thought: “How might I deter package stealing in the first place?”.
After consulting some other friends and family members, I determined that package theft was a pretty common issue in today’s online shopping craze. Pitching my general concept for Parcel Locker, I received a lot of positive feedback to start building this idea.
To keep this idea feasible, I tried to use existing technology and keep the overall design simple. With these in mind, I began sketching.
By leaving Parcel Locker by your front door, delivery personnel can scan their credentials and safely unlock and deposit your packages inside. Parcel Locker will automatically lock after the lid is closed.
When you are ready to retrieve your packages, simply tap your phone near the NFC component and Parcel Locker will unlock. Parcel Locker app will also allow you to send permanent or temporary unlock privileges to friends or family in case you’re not home to retrieve your packages.
As an added security, Parcel Locker is designed to connect to your home WiFi network. If Parcel Locker is stolen and disconnects from your home WiFi, it will emit a loud alarm and use the built in camera to start recording, all while tracking its location. Parcel Locker also utilizes this camera to notify you whenever someone is near and allows you to view it through the app.
Lastly, Parcel Locker will come with options to bolt down to your porch or other areas near the front of your house. These are optional since some users may not be able to use bolts if they live in an apartment building or don’t have material suitable for bolting.
Prototype:
To build a prototype, I needed a material that would hold its structure and buildable to be large enough to hold several standard sized packages inside. With these requirements in mind, I chose cardboard to be my main building material since it’s stiff enough to hold itself up, easily cut into different sizes and shapes, and easy to glue or tape together. To cut the cardboard I knew I needed a cardboard cutter for bigger, straight cuts and scissors for smaller, more precise details. For the bonding material, decided to use crafting glue because it sticks well to cardboard and dries quickly.
First, I started building the base of the box. I used a large cardboard box from my recycling, cut it down the side and flipped it inside out, this was so the old packaging wouldn’t show and allowed me a blank slate on the outside to work with. I quickly realized I needed a secondary bonding material that wasn’t crafting glue because the surface area of the edge I needed to glue together was too small to create a secure seal that would hold together. To solve this, I decided to use packing tape on the inside of the box. Adding packing tape to my materials ended up being helpful in other areas of the prototype as well.
Next, I built the lid to Parcel Locker. I measured the length and width of the main compartment I just built and made the lid about half an inch wider and longer so that it would fit over the top of the main compartment. Then I scored a piece of cardboard to act as the hinge between the lid and main compartment. I had trouble with the hinge because when the lid was open, it was too heavy to be supported by the hinge and pulled the hinge off the main compartment. To solve this, I reinforced the hinge to the main component with an extra piece of cardboard and a few strips of packing tape.
Overall, the prototype was successful!
Analysis:
Due to COVID-19, I wasn’t able to perform as much user testing as I would have liked to. Based on testing for a single user, I received positive feedback about the simple design, noting that it was intuitive and has only what you need.
If I were to make this prototype again, I would want to find a different material to build the hinge, or possibly build a lid prop on the back of the main compartment to hold the lid in the upright position when it’s open.
As for the process, I would like to conduct more user research before I build so that I can build the idea dimensions for the most common package sizes. If conditions permitted, I would like to do a lot more user testing and get more input on possible design and feature changes to implement in future iterations and perfect the product.
For my next prototype, I’ll be looking for a better, more useful intern than this one:
