The Blue Sugar Bowl - A lesson in Product designing

A few weeks back, I learned a classic lesson in product designing, the difference between imagination, expectation and the final products. I intended to put my design thinking lessons to good use before they rust and move to the attic of my mind, not to be touched again. Over a casual conversion with a dear friend on weekend plans, an idea of trying out pottery clicked. I mustered the courage and searched for classes in my vicinity. Anything far would kill the enthusiasm straight on my screen as it is inversely proportional to distance. I found this interesting ceramic cafe where you can color the premade ceramic objects or take them home. All one had to do was select an object, color it as per your wish and give it for glazing & kilning where the clay is put in electric heaters to make it hard and glaze it. The finished product is returned after eight days for you to keep. This cafe was the perfect setup for me, given my lack of creative skills. I managed to get a table booked for me on a Saturday to ensure I don't give it a miss.

Empathize/Understand

So on the bright and cold Saturday morning, I walked into the cafe to be greeted by a beautiful lady with a warm smile. It was a small and cozy place filled with ceramics like dishes, bowls, ornaments, photo frames, everyday items on the racks neatly arranged with a large set of colors, brushes, etc. and nicely done decorations on the walls. It was an extension to the warehouse inside that had piles of ceramics and color cans kept for wholesale customers. The lady gave me a quick walk around and explained the whole process with short and clear instructions. I was then guided towards my table, neatly arranged with paints, brushes and water, an impression of a well-prepared workstation. Soon the owner, an elderly yet lean gentlemen, of the cafe joined us for a quick talk. He explained how they carved this small place out of the large warehouse to allow artists and creative people. To find a quiet and calm place to try their creativity away from the mundane housework. I liked the thought and agreed with his views as many give their creative side a miss due to lack of time and resources.

Imagination

I explored various objects in the racks and fancied coloring a small sugar bowl. Looking at the uncolored, half-baked bowl, I imagined and recollected all the beautiful pottery I had seen in various museums over the years. So I selected a royal blue color for my bowl. The lady explained that the colors look different when fresh from when the kilning & glazing happens. The final finished products look entirely different. As a novice in pottery, I heard her and started on a rough patch first to practice using colors, brushes and water.

Define & Ideate

After some practice and being comfortable with the brush, I started on my bowl. Cleaning with the sponges to ensure no specks of dust were visible before I painted the first coat. Starting with the blue coat, I painted with my heart like a child, as there was no one around to watch or disturb. The lady gave me a few more instructions on the stokes of brush and color that I gladly followed like a new student. The first coat dried in about five minutes but showed the gaps and white background below. She instructed me to do another coat, so it is well covered. After the second coat dried, I was happy with my work - a nice and neat blue sugar bowl and thought to submit it.

Design/ Prototype

To my surprise, the lady was dismayed as there was no design on the bowl. She encouraged me to try out some designs unique to my taste, culture, or country as a memory. I had no idea that she admired the Indian designs, especially Mehendi (Heena), old architecture, textiles, everything creative under the sun in India. She had very high expectations from me to ask if I could do the Taj Mahal on the bowl. That blew me off as never in my life had drawn a Taj Mahal before. I explained to her that my drawing skills match a 1st-grade student's. I wondered how many people draw the Taj Mahal these days, even in India.

Review & Improve

After much motivation, I took the colored needle tube to try out some designs on the bowl. I tried a simple design with crooked lines and left it to dry. I wasn't happy with the art, but the lady was glad and loved it. Later she asked me to sign the bowl at the bottom as a memory. That was more a daunting ask as post-pandemic haven't used my physical signature anywhere. In the growing digital age, we hardly use pen & paper to sign anywhere. It was a good gesture on her part to remind me that it does leave a memory. So I wrote my name and date at the bottom and left it to dry. Having completed my two-hour timeslot and happy with my so-called art, I left the blue sugar bowl with them for further process to be picked up a week later. I thanked them for the experience, the encouragement, and the memory I created in the cafe.

Test & Learn

Throughout the week, I dreamt about the bowl - its color, size and where and how I will use it. A week later, I walked to the cafe with anticipation to see my art - the blue sugar bowl. Again I was warmly greeted by the lady, making me feel comfortable. It was busy with families enjoying their art and hearty laughs. Excitedly she showed me how the sugar bowl had turned out after the kilning and glazing. I had mixed emotions ranging from the happiness that the bowl is ready to distress that it is nowhere close to what I had imagined.

We both had the exact opposite reaction to a three-year-old showing her skills to the class teacher. She was three years old while I was the teacher in this case. The glazing had come out fantastic with a nice ting of twinkle. However, my lack of skills with the brush, color and ink needle was visible everywhere. It was a classic case of imagination, expectations and reality going in different directions. She was glad that I attempted it, and I was pleased it completed. I left her with a big thank you and promised to visit again.

On my way, I pondered on my mistakes and the lessons learned. I was not upset with the bowl but with my expectations and imagination about blue ceramics versus my pottery skills. Nevertheless, I now enjoy looking at my blue sugar bowl sitting ideal on the countertop, hoping it and the lessons stay for long.