Coca-Cola Product Design

Project Details

#HKMemories is a product and UX entry in Coca-Cola SWIRE's interdisciplinary honours design competition at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The entry was awarded Merit Award Finalist position and is currently in development by Coca-Cola SWIRE.

Problem Space

Hong Kong is one of the fastest developing regions in Asia and is widely considered to be an international hub for innovation due to its unique history and context. However, the fast-paced lifestyle as well as intense cultural developments has led to an increase in the emotional and social gap between existing generations. As part of Coca-Cola HK’s diversity and inclusion scheme, my team was tasked with developing a product that would help bridge the gap between the younger and older generations and help the two demographics connect in their shared Hong Kong identity, whatever that identity may be.

Our team was instructed to construct this product using the highly recyclable and patented rHDPE plastic used in Coca-Cola’s signature red bottle caps, as part of a greater environmentalist initiative being undertaken by the company. Our work included prototyping and experimenting with the nature and limits of the material through 3D-printing, and injection molding processes.

Solution

Our goal was to design a product that would address the following: through the adaptation and use of physically sustainable products distributed by Coca-Cola, how can we design an activity that increases awareness and education in Cantonese society regarding important cultural and historical roots?

Our solution, the ‘Hong Kong Memories Token’ is a plastic cap targeted for intergenerational solidarity. The tokens are made of recycled HDPE from SCCHK, which is designed to be attached to the drinking cap of the classic bottled Coca-Cola drink.

The core idea of the tokens came from a traditional Cantonese playground game, which involves taking the bottle cap of a drink (typically made in malleable metal), and creating an impromptu spinning top by connecting it with a piece of thread. The concept itself is deeply embedded in traditional Hong Kong culture, one of the many bits of history passed down by word of mouth from parent to children. On each of the tokens, there is a different illustrated pattern that represents an aspect of Hong Kong’s unique history and culture.The subjects range from famous landmarks, food, and other cultural characteristics such as Cantonese language idioms, particularly those whose meanings have never been taught, or explained to the younger generations. The illustrations, additionally, will include a QR code, which will lead to an informational site explaining the subject of the illustration on the token itself. The goal of this is to promote cultural exploration and education within Hong Kong in a casual and approachable way and emphasize the importance of cultural heritage and appreciation.

Additional Details

Due to the ongoing development and nature of the project, further details of user testing and implementation are not available at this time. Thank you!

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