Royal National Lifeboat Institution

In an effort to increase charity donations, the RNLI approached Solder with a brief to modernise their traditional donation boxes using creative technology.

After a donation, many traditional coin-based RNLI donation boxes have the charm of triggering a lifeboat to leave the lifeboat station, to travel down the ramp into the sea, before returning up the ramp.

When considering the new design, we wanted to retain the existing charm whilst enhancing the brand experience to delight users. In considering the new user experience we gave ourselves the goal to not only increase donations, but to encourage repeat donations, our aim was to create the reaction, “Dad, Mum, please do it again”.

Initially with conceptual illustrations and then 3D renders, the team designed a new donation box which includes a contactless payment reader, moving animatronics of waves, the movement of a physical lifeboat, a 3D printed physical lifeboat station and LED lighting to indicate a storm at sea and audio.

The team utilised their conceptual and product design skills along with custom electronics design to build the initial prototype. The prototype was tested before multiple refined prototype’s could be developed for installation in key lifeboat stations.

The infra-red sensor detects when somebody is near the modern donation box, this triggers audio and LED animations to encourage awareness and participation.

Following a contactless donation payment, a £2 coin appears from the top of the box and travels down, triggering the LED lighting to create the storm effects and the animatronics waves start to move. This triggers an audio file to enhance the storm and the lighthouse light to flash, causing the lifeboat to leave the lifeboat station and travel down the ramp. The liftboat travels across the stormy seas before reappearing for a second rotation of the storm.