Vacuum forming for the first time

I thought I'd share a quick packaging prototype I did a couple of weeks ago. Though I've seen people vacuum form before, I had never done it myself. I was redesigning a VR headset that uses a mounted smartphone when I discovered that one major deterrent for potential customers was that they were unclear whether or not their phone would be compatible with the headset. 

Providing a list of compatible phones is cumbersome. My first prototype was a QR code that when scanned checked your phone for compatibility, but user testing found that most people had no idea how to scan a QR code and were unable to find an app because they were unsure what to query. One major aspect of compatibility is physical size, so I devised a feature that could be added to the packaging where users could test whether their phone would fit in the headset.

The feature consists of a vacuum formed indent with two levels. The first level is the maximum size and the second is the minimum size. If you place your phone inside and it fits on the first level but not the second, your phone is compatible. It sounds confusing when written out like this, but users found it to be easy and intuitive. They were able to figure out what the feature was for and how to use it without instruction.

Along with redesigning the packaging, I also redesigned the VR headset. If you're curious to see more, shoot me a message on the contact page.