THE PROBLEM

One mans trash is another mans treasure. In other words: what one person may think of as
worthless, another may find valuable. The Project X challenge however, is a case where the literal
meaning of this saying rings true. The challenge is to maximize value with limited resources by taking
unwanted, useless or recycled items in our surroundings and upcycling them into a re-usable and re-
purposeful form of value.
The challenge of having to create something out of nothing is where it all started. In order to
dig deeper and find a problem that could be solved from essentially nothing, there were a lot of
what if questions to be asked. After multiple idea generation sessions, our team identified two
completely different problems that potentially shared the same solution.

Problem #1: Useless SocksYou've just cleaned out your drawer, and in front of you is a
huge pile of old, mismatched socks. Once worn, used socks tend to travel into unwanted
places and spaces and end up being chucked aside in the missing socks pile until who knows
when. This is especially common at charity donation centers and clothing drives since a
majority of the time these distribution centers only accept new, unworn socks.
Problem #2: Winter in SyracuseThe cold temperatures and excessive snowfall in Syracuse
deliver a rough dose of the harsh winter reality throughout Upstate New York. But when it
comes to supporting their sports teams, Syracuse are willing to endure the cold when it
comes to the tailgating experience. So regardless of the below freezing temperatures and
blizzard conditions, stadium parking lots across the campus will be packed tight with orange
fans supporting their teams. The only real issue for tailgaters during the winter season is the
uncomfortable combination of having to hold an ice cold beer in your ice cold hands let
alone the risk of Hypothermia from exposure to these dangerously cold temperatures.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS (refer to appendices)

The Idea Safari

The original idea started off as beverage coasters created with recycled cansthat is until we
hopped on the Idea Safari.

Our first stop on the safari was the sticky note brainstorm. As a team, we attempted to come
up with opportunities amongst ourselves that we felt fit into the overall objective of the Project X
challenge. This was a great way to jumpstart the Idea Safari adventure as it wrapped our heads
around ideas that were realistic and resolvable. The next stop was Pinteresta little overwhelming but
definitely worth the ride! There were endless inspirational project boards, blogs, DIY tutorials and such
that was the source of even more ideas. It was an adrenaline rush to say the least! The final stop on
the safari was experimentation. In preparation for this final destination, the group decided ahead of
time to bring recyclable resources and materials with no dollarized value to class that day.
Experimenting as a team using these materials and resources, the Idea Safari finally came together
and before we knew it, the sock beverage koozie came to life.
Every stop on the Idea Safari added something of value to the final idea. The sticky-note
brainstorming session got us into the go-green mentality to help us think of the kinds of items people
recycled that had potential to be transformed into something valuable. Living on a college campus,
the most abundant of these resources we assumed would be beer cans, so that influenced our
thinking quite a bit. Rather than creating something OUT OF beer cans, creating something FOR beer
cans would be the way to go. That positioned the revolutionary koozie idea in our heads. And it
didnt stop there.
Pinterest took us a step further after researching DIY projects and tutorials on ways to utilize
recycled and useless items. It was decided that the most feasible way to make beverage koozies was
out of socks. The last stop, experimentation, was where the team came up with several different value
adding attributes to the product: A one-size fits all perk, the extra flare of designing it to have a
school spirit theme, and in the midst of all that, the perfect way to label and brand the product:
CUSE(i)E.

COMPONENTS OF VALUE CREATION

The customer value of the CUSE(i)E is created through various emotional, life changing as
well as social and relational aspects. The celebration and tailgating experience before Syracuse games
is an experience in its self. Fans dressed from head to toe in their Syracuse apparel is just one of the
many indications that depicts the distinct sense of school spirit and pride that is felt throughout
Syracuse. When sporting the custom made CUSE(i)E, people feel a sense of belongingness with the
rest of the Syracuse community as they root on their favorite teams. Meanwhile, they will also realize
the value of the koozies through the custom design and aesthetic appeal they give off when being
used. Each koozie is handcrafted and designed to provide the customer with a colorful and visually
appealing look for any drink they might carry. With that, the CUSE(i)E will fit a variety of
cups/bottles/mugs and is convenient for any occasion such as tailgates, parties, walking to class on a
brisk winter morning or for whatever purpose one may have.
 The value this is providing our customers with is functional. Its versatile and convenient. Its
small and soft. And its easy to bring and use anywhere you go. As an add on to the original idea for
the koozie product line, a seasonal line of koozie socks called CU{t}SEY which may not be Syracuse
related but provide that cute,
fashionable and trendy look that
appeal to customers. The seasonal
line of koozies will be made from a
thicker wool material and have
extra design add-ons like buttons,
ribbon and pre-printed designs on
the socks. The value gained from
purchasing this koozie design is
that it provides greater insulation, is Value
physically soft to the touch making Creation
it is comfortable to hold and use
for carrying a cold or hot beverage,
and is aesthetically pleasing to use for any occasion.

QUANTIFYING THE VALUE

Resources:

Water, electricity Pinterest, Rescue Mission Alliance, socks, a soda can, a beer bottle, a
YouTube, Email, Our Team, DIY tutorials, to-go coffee cup, scissors, glue,
Google Search peers DIY stamp, cardboard
clothing dye, acrylic paint,
bleach, laundry detergent, glue
gun, paint brushes, laundry
machines, buckets, pencils, letter
stickers, sewing stuff, buttons
Financials:

Unquantifiable Value:
CONCLUSION

Throughout the process of the Project X challenge, the team gained several new insights,
absorbed important lessons, and came across the solution to quite a few problems. One insight that
was acquired was that people can have values arent necessarily attached to the physical product itself.
While the physical product obviously has an influence of the customers buying decision, elements of
value come into play as well. Based on The Elements of Value Pyramid, CUS(i)E customers coincide
with elements such as affiliation/belonging, badge value, quality, and attractiveness. Given that the
koozie provides a sense of belonging, CUS(i)E is a way to bring the SU community together with pride.
While CUS(i)E had no intention of exhibiting any kind of badge value, to the teams surprise, people
began using the koozies to make a statement. For example, students were wanting to purchase these
unique koozies because they stood out and were a way to get noticed. One main takeaway from this
project is that you should never be just satisfied with anything. You have to keep building upon your
ideas and coming up with new ones. You cant be set in stone with one idea and never allow it to
flourish. If the original project idea we first came up with was where we stopped, the success that came
about from the CUSE(i)E would have been nowhere near where it is today. The main problem faced
throughout this endeavor was figuring out a way to obtain the large number of socks we needed in
order to make the koozies. From searching through our own resources and homes to eventually
branching out into the Syracuse community, the Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse served as the
perfect solution.
Given that this was the main problem, the solution to reach out to the Rescue Mission Alliance
was fortunately very effective. The goal was to take unwanted/recycled materials and create something
of value with it. The socks we gathered from the Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse, were unwanted
and considered useless since they were unable be sold or reused by customers. Therefore, the team
took it upon themselves to repurpose these socks and create CUSE(i)E koozies. Customers purchased
these koozies because of the value they found in them (belonging, badge value, quality, attractiveness).
This served as proof that one mans trash is another mans treasure. The socks were trash because the
Rescue Mission Alliance had no use for them and so the socks were then repurposed into kooziesan
item that transformed into something valuable for customers.
APPENDIX (A-F)

A
10 Ideas

1. Key chain - Destiny

2. Flower headbands - Destiny
3. Coasters - Haley
4. Beverage Koozie - Haley
5. Wine bottle vase - Sydney
6. Candle -Sydney
7. Jewelry holder - Olivia
8. Stress ball -Sydney
9. Tissue Box Organizer - Olivia
10. CUSE headbands - Olivia

Idea Safari
B
Destiny & Haley: play on Olivia & Sydney: insulation for
Syracuse - thus the the product if necessary (use
product being called cardboard, paper bags); socks
CUSE(i)E; tail gates, use that are not CUSE themed
athletes for promotions (even (key at tailgates for those who
though in the end we couldnt are here for the opposing
use them due to NCAA rules and team; and for those who want
regulations) to have different options)

Essentially, we took the idea of using socks and spiced it up. Instead of focusing on socks
that already had a design and just cutting it up and making it a koozie, we decided to
recreate the entire sock to cater to the needs of our target audience.
C

Action Plan & Prototype

D
 The Final Product
E
 The Process

F
A COLLECTION OF OTHER PHOTOS FROM THE PROJECT:
6 Thinking Hats

Works Cited: