Industrial design

Munchster

Tools

Sewing Machine
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Illustrator

Team

Nicole Kosin
Cindy Lin

Munchsters are customized backpacks tailored for young children who spend long periods of time in hospitals, clinics or health centers. The project was selected to be presented at the HxD Vancouver Health Design Showcase event in 2017.

Design Brief

Together with fellow industrial designer, Nicole Kosin, we empathize with not only the young patients, but family members who also travel frequently within these spaces. Upon visiting several facilities including Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children and GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, we were surprised and mostly displeased by the lack of warmth and play that are essential to children’s well-being. After a series of explorations around spaces and objects that would stimulate interests and engagement from young participants, we developed Munchters, which are colourful monster-inspired backpacks that contain sheets of fabric that can unfold into blanket forts. The fabric can be detached from the bag to be further manipulated in various ways. The portability of the bag is an essential requirement to our design, as our goal is to provide the users with comfort and sense of belonging wherever they travel. Through Munchsters, the team wishes to foster a better experience for those who seek hospitality and motivation health institutions.

Defining Project Goals

Our objective was to create an optimal growing environment for young children and toddlers with special health care needs (physical or mental disabilities). Whether the solution is a product, space, or a system, their happiness is what we aspired to achieve.

Research

I will explore the opportunities by understanding the context first. I would like to fully immerse myself in the lives of these children who are physically challenged. This way, I will be one step closer to knowing what it is really like to be in their situation. On top of the empathy study, I also want gain insights from the kids’ parents, guardians, teachers, classmates, doctor…etc. Their ways of interacting with these children is crucial to my design direction. I would like to further know their experience in terms of challenges, expectations, and their thoughts.

I am hoping to work with a child (or a group of children) with physical (or mental) disability, who is under the care of a specialized organization in Vancouver. Not only do I want to meet his/her guardians. I would also like to consult with at least one expert who is working with the kid.

Reaching out to organizations

Reaching out to institutions or centers that helps children with disabilities, requesting for an interview or just a visitation to look around. The main people to reach out right now is Sunny Hill, Center for Children, and BC for Ability. Currently, my project partner, Cindy Lin, and I are in this step.

Conducting interviews and visits

We were able to gain insights from Dan Chalcraft, the community engagement assistant from the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC. We conducted and recorded our interview with him.

We also visited the Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children and GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre to learn about the facilities operate. I was particularly curious about how the physical spaces were designed to influence the patients’ mood.

Co-creation Workshop

Participants are invited to create a piece of artwork or answer any of our questions using images or collages out of stickers, newspaper, papers, magazine… etc. We prepared different small objects with various textures or forms. Participants are asked to feel these objects (maybe blind folded) and tell us (write down or draw) how they feel when interacting with each object.

Ideation/Concept sketches:

We diverged into boundless ideas by rapidly sketching out designs that fit out design space. We focused on three main areas: assistive technology within these facilities, system, and the physical environment.

Midterm Critique/ Redefine Design Objective

We had our first presentation and critique with fellow designers, mentors and representatives from various health-related professions. We collected the feedback, which pushed us into a more specific design direction.

New objective: To explore ways of providing a safe and fun experience for young children and patients who often spend time in the hospitals.

Concept development

After the midterm crit, we decided to make this backpack design. It is a portable fort where children can bring everywhere. More importantly, it is also suitable to bring to the hospital because the backpack is wipeable and waterproof (as we learn that all toys and books, bedsheets and furniture, are all wipeable so it is easy to wipe germs or dirt rather than to laundry them all the time).

Prototyping/material exploration

An antimicrobial fabric is a textile that has been treated to help destroy the growth of germs, bacteria or disease -causing microbes. Fabrics are treated or made with antimicrobial chemicals. Some of the chemicals they use to treat fabrics are: quaternary ammonium, triclosan, and many more.

One of the examples of an antimicrobial fabric is Herculite Inc. Sure-Check. Their fabric is thermoplastic composite and they are strong, durable, antimicrobial, antistatic, flame resistant, stain, odor, fluid resistant, and resistant to popular disinfectants if used the right way.

Final Presentation/ HxD Event

We are honored and grateful to be able to be selected by our classmates to present our project at the ECUAD HxD event. From our experience presenting and exhibiting our work, we gain more confidence in our design and learn about how to get our project into the marketplace. Not only that, we also learn new things from other people’s projects and the guest’s experience from our conversations with them.