Wild Refillable Deodorant V2.0
A refresh of the Wild deodorant case
Brief
To update the Wild deodorant case and refill that we originally designed in 2019 based on 4 years customer feedback, with considerations for user experience, material and cost reduction and sustainability.
Narrative
We approached the redesign with a focus on making improvements whilst ensuring backwards compatibility with the existing case and refill so that no customer would have to replace their case.
Outcome
The new case has a 17% reduction in materials, is designed for disassembly for recycling and is more compact and easier to use.
Getting a product to market doesn't mean it's finished. Once it is in the hands of more and more customers, you see how they interact with it; sometimes in ways you could never have predicted when you were designing it. And, whilst lab testing will enable you to put your product through its paces, nothing matches real world use (and misuse).
Wild were also keen to look to reduce the cost. After review, we determined the best way to achieve this was by reducing the number of parts, amount of material and removing any complex processing in manufacture. Positively, these efforts would also reduce the overall impact of the case on the planet as well.
Improving the user experience
The UX improvements included and update to the refill design itself to reduce the amount of leftover deodorant when it was wound all the way to the top. The major hurdle here was ensuring that the new refill design was backwards compatible with the old case, and the new case compatible with the old refill, so that no-one would have to replace their Wild case or throw away refills.
On the case itself, the buttons were removed to make it more accessible to older or less able users. With the help of a clever internal self-locking mechanism, you simply wind the case all the way down and slide out the base to refill; no need to squeeze the sides. We also increased the size of the twisting part to make it easier to wind up and down for a more seamless loading experience.
Reducing and recapturing materials
When it came to reducing material, we started by reducing the size. Seeking to make the case more compact, without reducing the volume of the refill and still ensuring backwards compatibility. The overal plastic used in the case was reduced by 20% and the aluminium reduction was 16.5%. This not only translates to a cost reduction, but also reduces transport emissions.
When it came to the materials themselves, we were able to move to a glue-less assembly by celebrating the way the case is assembled. Visible snap features are not only a design detail, but enable the aluminium parts to be separated from the plastic parts for recycling without the need for a special tool - a pair of tweezers or a spoon will do!.
Ongoing improvements
This work was part of Wild’s commitment to putting carefully considered products on the market that are thoughtful of both the user and the planet.
If you'd like to find out more about this project, or learn about how we might create, improve or consult on your packaging design project, please get in touch.
