OCCASIONALLY, MATADOR ACTS AS A DESIGN HOUSE FOR REI
This was one of those times. We have an outstanding relationship with REI, so when they had a hook open up for a seven day supplement organizer, we were their first call. We were virtually guaranteed this SKU, but the kicker was we only had about 8 weeks to develop a concept and send it out for tooling.
INITIAL CONCEPTS:
There were several directions we pursued at first. Due to the condensed nature of the product we were trying to use either existing tooling or elements of existing products. However, we realized that in order to fulfill the waterproof element of the design brief we were going to have to pursue alternate form factors.
FORM DEVELOPMENT
Initial concept direction. Aluminum extrusion with an injection molded “shuttle.”
This concept had a couple flaws. This feature was designed to allow the user to either push the shuttle out with their thumb, or pinch and pull the shuttle out. The issue was that in order for the gasket to achieve IPX4, the internal gasket fitment needed to be so tight that it was hard to operate, particularly for folks with impaired hand strength or mobility.
To combat the ergonomic and usability issues of the first concept, we designed this style of opening. It allows a user with weaker hands to fit a finger through the big loop to use macro-muscles, or an user with strong hands to use the thumb-push ridge for fine motor control.
The final step to increase usability was to combine the gaskets into one shuttle. The split version often resulted in the shuttle being pulled out too quickly, resulting in spilled pills. Adding a gasket at the rear of the shuttle offers resistance the entire length of the tube, so the shuttle can be pulled out in a much more controlled fashion. Additionally, this added two new features to the product- the ability to push the shuttle open from the back, and the ability to lock the canister closed.
The details - we were originally going to label the compartments with the classic SMTWRFS nomenclature, but given that this is a travel product and trips don’t always start on Sunday, we opted for the 1-7 instead.
Once we had a viable concept, it was important to get materially correct prototypes and test them according to the IP standards. This was our silly-but-accurate IPX4 testing rig, where we confirmed that our design met the desired water and dust proof requirements.
AN UNEXPECTED COLLABORATION
This was a fun bonus. Supreme reached out to us with hopes of collaborating on this product, so of course we said yes. More than once, I’ve been amused thinking about the difference in “supplements” that people carry in the Supreme version vs. the standard canister.
CURRENTLY SOLD AT: REI, WALGREENS, HUCKBERRY, BACKCOUNTRY, MOOSEJAW, AND MANY INDEPENDENT OUTDOOR SHOPS.
AVERAGE CUSTOMER RATING: 4.4 STARS