CAKE THE FUN PART
Cake the Fun Part
OVERVIEW
A drop-in space where customers can unleash their creativity and decorate a cake to their liking, with all the supplies and tools they need at hand.
MY ROLE
Sole Product, UX and UI designer.
A trend that has emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic is a shift towards valuing experiences over material possessions. The pandemic highlighted the importance of social connection and the value of shared experiences. As a result, many people have come to appreciate the value of spending time with loved ones, trying new activities, and exploring the world around them.
People have been forced to focus on what they truly need. This has led to a greater appreciation for experiences and the memories and feelings they create, as opposed to material possessions that can quickly lose their value.
PROBLEM 1
FINDING UNIQUE EXPERIENCES
Individuals struggle to find activities that appeal to their interests or that they can participate in due to factors such as physical limitations, age, or economic barriers.
People find that the same activities are available repeatedly, or that the range of activities available are limited to a particular age group or demographic. This can lead to a lack of enthusiasm and interest in trying new things, as people may feel like they have already exhausted all available options.
PROBLEM 2
INVESTING TIME AND RESOURCES INTO A NEW CRAFT OR HOBBY
Buying all the tools and supplies to try a new craft or hobby can be a frustrating experience due to the financial commitment, overwhelming selection, uncertainty about the tools' effectiveness, discouragement from not achieving desired results, organizing and storing a new and specialized set of supplies.
SOLUTION
In order solve these two problems myself, I brainstormed the elements of a successful experience. What makes an experience successful? What activities are people interested in? How can I pull this off in Brooklyn? What are some other needs, interests and issues that can arise when searching for an experience?
After researching Brooklyn maker spaces and experiences, I opened a makerspace for cake decorating. I rented a space on a busy street in Park Slope and built it out with help from a friend. I designed the logo, identity, and all printed materials and designed, developed and tested the website.
Cake The Fun Part provides customers with everything they need to stack, frost, and decorate a cake.
The studio is a well-lit workspace where customers can focus on their cakes. Cake The Fun Part provides a variety of cake sizes, buttercream, flavors, dyes, toppings and sprinkles.
Customers also have access to a wide range of decorating tools, including turntables, piping bags, tips, bench scrapers and decorating combs.
The studio offers classes for customers to learn new techniques and hone their cake decorating skills.
Photos of customers’ completed cakes are posted to social media sites.
Cake The Fun Part offers a fun and interactive experience for customers and is an appealing destination for cake decorating enthusiasts of all ages. Guests get to try their hand at decorating before investing in expensive tools.
After surveying over 50 customers and potential customers, and implementing guerrilla usability testing with 14 users, I added birthday parties, corporate team-building parties and cake decorating classes to the drop-in business.