Ru Baby Carrier

Matt Marchand RÅ« Baby Carrier Soft Goods / 132

RŪ BABY CARRIER D E S IGNE D F O R TRAV E L

PROJECT Researching, designing and fabricating a soft goods baby product that improves life for parents and their children.

[

“Soft goods� are textile based products involving fabric and sewing.

]

RESEARCH The foundation of good design begins with understanding.

To get an idea of what was important to new parents I needed to interview them. Thankfully I am about the age where it seems like everyone I know is having a baby, so there was no shortage of opportunity. Over the next few pages I will present two families in particular as well as the data collected from interviews and surveys.

SA M , M Y R A & Z A ZIE

A N DY, BECK Y & L A NCE

Notes

Notes

- Getting them out of carseat is time consuming

- Main items: Diapers, wipes, changing pad. Water bottle.

- For such small people they require so much work

- 2-3 times a day nap. 1 or 2 and pajamas.

- Baby proofing everything so they don’t die

- Most stuff got while baby was still young. Adjustable

- Always keep big ziplock bags for wet stuff, like clothes.

products, or things that grow with kid are good.

“I feel like I’m always in a rush”

“Moving a baby around all day is tiring”

How many months old is your child?

What do you never leave home without?

7-11 3-6 12-18

19-24

Diapers - 100%

Wipes - 95%

25+ 0-2

Snacks - 45%

What activities do you like to do?

Running

Baking

Biking

*Peaks indicate popularity

Swimming

What is the hardest thing to do with a baby?

Yoga

Hiking

Nurse

Exercise

Sleep

Travel

10 %

20 %

30 %

40 %

CONCLUSION

GOAL

One thing I realized from all the interviews and research was

Find a way to improve transitions with a baby.

how busy parents are. They are constantly moving around, and everywhere they go have to bring their baby. Almost all issues arose in the “transition� periods- for example, getting a baby out of a car-seat. Realizing this opportunity for improvement helped me pick a direction.

MEET THE DAVIS FAMILY

WHO?

Josh, Naomi, and their three children, Eleanor, Samson & Conrad. Josh is involved in a few tech startups, transitioning from years in corporate banking. Naomi is a busy blogger, baker and mother. They currently live in New York City and love traveling as much as they can. It was one of their favorite things to do together before having kids, so they decided to share their love of travel with their children.

If transitions with a baby are hard in everyday life, traveling with one is even harder. Traveling is made up of one transition after another.

This makes the Davis family perfect to design a baby softgood product for. Something that makes transitions easier, with an emphasis on traveling.

MOV E M E NT

BOUNCE

SIMPLIFY

SO UN D

Moving around with a baby is unique.

Being able to pivot baby to front or back is essential when traveling since there are so many transitions. Conmfortable with and easy on and off.

Keeping baby occupied. Babies required attention, how can you keep them happy in one place? Babies like bouncing, on knees and rocking beds. Possibly incorporate a diaper changing surface.

Reducing the ammount of things needed when traveling with a baby. Less is more.

Everything should have a second purpose.

This would also reduce the need to pack more while traveling.

Reduce noise around the baby while they are sleeping, and reduce the volume produced when they are crying. Possibly incorporate a nursing cover for privacy that integrates a noise reducing feature.

SPACES & CONCEPTS

EARLY MOCKUPS With a final direction in mind, I began working on mockups to test things out like sizing and comfort.

POSITIONS

CONCEPTS REFINED Looking to address the improvement opportunites discussed on the previous pages with a more specific focus.

FIN AL DIRECTION

It’s decided. I will be designing a baby carrier for traveling parents that makes their lives easier by functioning great and having a ton of helpful features like a sound dampening hood.

M ATERI AL SELECTION

It was difficult to find the right material for the exterior

It needed to be hydrophobic and durable, but not too rough as to be uncomfortable to the touch.

Eventually I came across a great fabric for it in an upholstery store in San Francisco.

Pictured on right

I visited seven different fabric and upholstery stores to find the precise materials for this project. This is Mary from Sal Beressi fabrics in San Franciso - She was extraordinarily helpful.

FIN AL M ATERI ALS • Sound Dampening Foam - “Auralex”, San Jose • Structural Foam - “House of Foam”, Palo AltoW • Leather - “Fabric Outlet”, San Francisco • Exterior Fabric- “Sal Beressi Fabrics”, San Francisco • Interior Fabric - “Britex Fabrics”, San Francisco

ASSEMBLY With all the materials in order it was now time for the fun part, putting it all together.

Like a Rubiks Cube - but inside out

This was one of the hardest projects I have ever done.

Sewing involved meticulous planning, tirals, errors, and immaculate execution. I put my heart and soul into this carrier and was pleased with the result.

RĹŞ BABY CARRIER

TH ANK YO U