For frequent flyers, one of the most infuriating parts of the journey is shuffling your way through the airport’s security checkpoint.

Belt, shoes, wallet, keys, coins, laptop, watches and jewellery all need to be removed and placed in the plastic containers.

 

 

But what if there was a way to smooth out the process and eliminate a lot of the fuss? Canberra entrepreneur Trish Smith, and her partner-in-crime, Tanya Corcoran, have solved the problem with an innovative product called Airpocket.

 

 

The lightbulb moment
Designed to fit in seat-back pockets in airplanes, this is the kind of idea that has you thinking, “Why didn’t anyone think of this before?” Once you see it, the solution seems so obvious.

 

 

But creating something like Airpocket doesn’t together overnight. Sitting with Trish and Tanya over coffee at East Hotel, the simple thought of endless R&D makes Trish groan with the memory. “That’s really where you do the hard yards. The basic concept makes sense, but what you have to do is understand the fine details and the little elements that will take your idea and turn it into something truly unique.”

 

 

The process of refinement can take years.  For Airpocket, R&D involved working closely with industrial designers and the manufacturer, testing prototypes and fine-tuning various aspects. A lot of time was also spent researching the travel goods market in Australia and internationally.

 

Market testing and validation
For Airpocket, the next stage of the product was a Kickstarter campaign - a crucial part of the process that required as much time and energy as the product development. The reasons for this were two-fold. Firstly, the team was focussed on ensuring the campaign was visible on the platform, and a huge amount of work was undertaken to ensure that Airpocket would not disappear from the front page soon after launch.

Secondly, developing a strong community of backers (and keeping them engaged in the 'journey') was essential. A lot of groundwork was done within established networks to convert them to the Kickstarter platform, but by ensuring the campaign remained visible, backers were attracted from all over the world. A thorough communication plan ensured that the backers were informed during the manufacturing process which built excitement in anticipation of the product's delivery.

"The community became quite interested in the product - asking for new colours or providing suggestions as to how it could be altered," says Trish. "We received plenty of suggestions about how we should make it differently. Interestingly, we had spent so much time in the design phase - working and reworking the prototype - we'd pretty much covered all possible iterations whilst still being true to the design concept.

 

 

"For example, our initial idea was to provide a detachable wrist strap; we considered providing a shoulder strap instead, but in our minds the Airpocket was a bag that would be placed inside or on top of another, larger carry-on bag, rather than carried across the body, like a messenger bag. But a couple of our backers asked if a shoulder strap could be provided instead, and so we put it to a vote. The shoulder strap won by a significant margin – the market told us they preferred the shoulder strap!"

 

 

Just ask any innovator how many times they have heard the phrase “You know what you should do…” There are countless experiences out there, and most people are willing to help if they feel their opinions are welcomed. 
This process of thorough R&D followed by market testing & validation is essential to any sort of product launch. Whether you’re looking to create a travel pouch such as Airpocket, your dream restaurant, or a professional service, it’s important to test your ideas with your potential customers to discover where you can improve.

[Airpocket]