Kelly Okamura
U57912123
SM 323 (A4)

Core Pre-Assignment Part I
Health Consciousness
We live in an entirely progressive generation where we are bombarded by a plethora of newly emerging social trends. In fact, it seems that as soon as we are made aware of what is currently “trending,” a new social trend is discovered. However, what has seemed to steadfastly hold as trends are the fitness and health related ones. A few years ago, Atkins and the South Beach Diet were the most promising diet regimens. Now, we hear the terms “paleo” and “raw vegan” being thrown around daily. While these diet regimens have certainly made some headway towards more restrictive and extreme measures, the underlying purpose remains unchanged; that is, Americans who follow these dietary trends do so as a means of weight loss or maintaining a healthy body weight. As of this year, as many as two-thirds of Americans are categorized as overweight, whereby a third are considerably obese. We, as Americans, are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of maintaining unhealthy body weights, thereby offsetting a surge of diet regimens, workout routines, and the like; each “scientifically proven” to restore your health and bring you back to a healthy weight level. For anyone who has gone forth with one of these health trends, they can attest to the fact that it is not, in fact, an easy feat. Had it been so, we would not be faced with this sort of epidemic of American obesity. That being said, weight loss is not something that simply happens at the snap of the fingers or on a whim: more so if our genetics are not wired in such a way. Bearing this in mind, I believe it is safe to conclude that the social trend of health consciousness and diet will remain intact for years to come. Something that many Americans consistently struggle with is the ability to exercise self-control, specifically when it comes to food. We’ve all been there: lurking in front of the snack cabinet, making compromises with ourselves and promising that we’ll stop after one cookie. Yet in most cases, stopping after just one morsel is simply wishful thinking. The product that I have thought up for the market for the health conscious is called the Moral Support. In essence, it is a contraption that helps to promote a healthier lifestyle by exercising self-control and portion control for those who need the assistance of an external factor. The Moral Support is a programmable food dispenser, whereby users would put their favorite junk foods in and set a time and day whence the Moral Support will dispense a single serving of the food item. Upon dispensing the snack, the container will lock itself so as to prevent binge eating. It would also have an air tight seal on the lid, which would help keep the food items from being exposed to excessive moisture and becoming stale.

Grooming/Hygiene Many of us start our days off by washing our faces as a means to wake up. For those of us who do so, we have all experienced the inevitable annoyance that comes from washing our faces: the trickle of water that streams down our elbows, wetting our shirtsleeves and our countertops. However small this annoyance may be, it is still an undesirable experience the first thing in the morning. It doesn’t make sense, though, to do away with proper hygiene because of this. A product that may appeal to those who run into this problem is some sort of wristband or wrist attachment that catches water right at the bottom of the palm. The market for this is promising, as nearly everyone undertakes this simple act of good hygiene, and this product may also be used for dishwashing.

Part II

Williams Sonoma
Location: 100 Huntington Ave, #9C
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: (617) 262-3080
Clerk: Rachel
Date: 08/01/2013

Many of the clerks at Williams Sonoma were stuck in the same conundrum, after I had approached them with this pre-assignment: most clerks were used to being asked very