Cabot's EasyDeck | Cobalt Design

Cabot’s EasyDeck

The fast, no mess deck refresher

A revolution in deck maintenance

Decks aren’t set and forget; they require regular coating to maintain a long lasting, sleek appearance. But for many, coating a deck can feel like a real chore – and it is! With multiple messy steps that can make it a weekend-long project.

Cabot’s heard their customers. EasyDeck is the answer.

EasyDeck is an all-in-one deck maintenance product designed to refresh outdoor timber decks. Adopting a single-tool, single-step, single-formulation process, deck maintenance is as simple as loading a bottle, and ‘mopping’ it directly onto the deck. No prep, no bucket, and a very short dry time.

Cabot’s knew what they wanted in a product but did not know exactly what the product should be. That’s where our teams connected. Cabot’s are long standing players in the consumer deck maintenance market, so they brought a wealth of knowledge about customer experience, behaviours and purchasing habits to the table. Cobalt leveraged their knowledge and collaborated with Cabot’s to develop the EasyDeck - a process that spanned the entire design process, from early product and user research through to manufacturing engagement and production launch.

The outcome speaks for itself. Not only did the product resonate with users and address their pain points, but it was a commercial success – establishing a flagpole that drew an all-new customer segment to Cabot’s product range.

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2024 Victorian Premier's Design Award Finalist

2024 DuluxGroup Supplier of the Year Awards - Cabot's Finalist

Focus Areas

Year

2022-2024

Client

Cabot's

Design Outcomes

Accessibility

User journey

Aesthetics

Perfect timeline

Commercially viable

Liquid delivery mechanism

The ethos of this product is broad accessibility, it’s not just for keen DIYers. It’s universal design considers the wide possible range of users, abilities, and ages from young adults up. The pump is calibrated for a light squeeze from the handle’s trigger, and the length is sized to suit 1 to 97-percentile of adult heights.

User centred design does not stop with ‘use’. After the deck application is done, the product must be washed, stored, and retrieved for the next session. This phase of the user journey was prioritised – simple, tool-less assembly/disassembly, a separable deck solution bottle, and a quickly detachable applicator pad.

While conceptually based on an indoor spray mop, the EasyDeck was deliberately designed to convey the robustness expected of an exterior tool, referencing an “approachable power tool”. Importantly, as a brand-new product in a new sub-category, its aesthetics had to position Cabot’s brand to new customers.

The Cabot’s EasyDeck Applicator is a tool for a seasonal activity – enjoying the outdoors. Careful project planning and execution was needed to ensure the product made it onto store shelves as the planets aligned and summer rolled around.

Design considerations for the product and packaging go beyond user experience, retail display and point of sale to consider commercial viability. Factors such as unit cost, palletisation, transport, inventory needs and manufacturing are crucial for a commercially successfully product.

Spray mops simply spray cleaning solution directly out and forward; the microfibre pad being completely separate. EasyDeck’s liquid-path is more complex. For even coverage, pumped oil needed to run internally through the applicator head’s pivot and eventually through the semi-porous applicator pad (which was also specially developed for this purpose.)