Designing a playful checkout companion for Australia's kids
SIDNEY the Snake - Research | Prototype | Deploy
Embedded Files
A rapid product development program delivering a handheld, interactive checkout toy for Coles supermarkets taking the concept from early exploration through functional prototyping and production-ready units for in-store testing.
Services
Product design development
Mechanical CAD design
Rapid iteration prototyping
Electronics prototyping
Design for manufacture
Designed to delight
A kid-friendly interaction that turns waiting into play.
Built for abuse
Durable, safe, and engineered for repeat use in a retail environment.
Deployment-ready
Integrated with a secure retraction system for real-world rollout.
Turning a brand moment into a working product.
Sidney was designed to create a small moment of delight at the checkout, something children could hold, explore, and enjoy while meeting the practical realities of retail: durability, safety, hygiene, maintenance, and theft prevention.
The challenge
Retail environments are harsh. The product needed to be robust, safe, and easy to maintain, while delivering a satisfying interaction. It also had to be designed for fast turnaround—moving from concept to store-ready prototypes within an aggressive timeline and coordinating across multiple stakeholders.
My role
I led the end-to-end product development: research and concept development, detailed design and CAD, prototyping and finishing, mechanism development, electronics prototyping (Arduino), and integration with the retraction/deployment system. I worked across partner studios and Coles stakeholders to converge on production-ready test units.
What I delivered
Evidence
Early exploration of interaction, ergonomics, and retail constraints
Risk considerations: safety, durability, maintenance, theft prevention
Direction
Design development + CAD
Mechanisms and retention strategy
Electronics prototypes (Arduino) supporting interaction behavior
Iterative prototypes to validate feel, robustness, and usability
Commitment
Multiple functional prototypes
Four production-ready units delivered for in-store testing
Deployment integration including retraction system
Scale
~$50K program | ~8 weeks
6 prototypes, 4 production-ready units deployed for testing
Stakeholders: Coles leadership, client handlers
Credits
Research, industrial design, CAD, prototyping, mechanisms, electronics prototyping, finishing, and delivery by Thom Luke / Threshold Design in collaboration for Coles supermarkets.
A playful, robust prototype product delivered on a short timeline, ready for real-world in-store testing, gathering evidence on engagement, durability, and operational fit.
Google Sites
Report abuse