Rapid Redesign
Fall 2022
The Innovation Station is the current resource for the NEXT Innovation Scholars to ideate, create, and design the future. It is a bag with different supplies such as whiteboards, timers, paper, etc. which are taken to commercial, academic, and social projects in order to allow for maximum creativity and results. Currently, the bag serves its purpose with a few key flaws, leading to this design challenge.
For the final project of the semester, the transdisciplinary team worked together to tackle the challenge and improve the bag for the client. Using the Design Thinking framework, the team delivered an improved outcome.
Innovation Station
Key Findings from User Interview
The team met with the client to observe the bag and how they interact with it.
“Hard to wheel around” Client needs current wheels to be improved/replaced
“Does not stand up straight in a stable way”
Client identified that current product is not ergonomically efficient
“Needs to look professional in any setting”
Client needs bag to look professional in any setting
“Handles are awkward and not well structured”
Client needs handles to accommodate spaces where wheels are impractical
Prototypes and Early Ideation
Mood board created by Max Kemats
Prototype sketch by Caroline Berger
Sketch by Akash Khanikor
Branding
“Needs to look professional in any setting”
Client needs bag to look professional in any setting
The client expressed a desire to have the bag branded with the NEXT Innovation Scholars program as the main identity. The team played into the University of Cincinnati’s “Next Lives Here” agenda. The wooden tag was made in the 1819 Innovation Hub ground floor makerspace. The tag has a QR code leading straight to the NIS email, making it easy and accessible for others to get in contact with the program. The team also designed potential prototypes for a business card that the client can use.
Handles
“Handles are awkward and not well structured”
Client needs handles to accommodate spaces where wheels are impractical
The client felt that the original handle was uncomfortable to hold and was originally attached to the fabric, not the inner plastic. This led to the handles being unstable and the bag’s exterior was likely to tear. The team replaced the original handle with a kayak handle attached to the skeleton of the bag. They also added a top handle that made it easier for the use to climb stairs or navigate bumpy terrain.
Stand
“Hard to wheel around” Client needs current wheels to be improved/replaced
“Does not stand up straight in a stable way”
Client identified that the current product is not ergonomically efficient
The client had issues being able to stand the bag upright which led to them having to lay it down (or continue holding it) every time they stop wheeling the bag. The design team crafted a wooden block that fixed the issue of being hard to wheel around and enabled the client to leave it standing up.
Final Outcome
Easy to carry and pick up with new kayak handle.
Ability to stand innovation station upright + new branding
Transportation of station improved greatly
Acknowledgments
This project was completed with the second cohort of NEXT Innovation Scholars.