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The Fragile Pack Moving System is a packing tool designed to allow consumers to efficiently pack and transport their fragile items and plants with ease of mind.
I focused on creating a solution that was 100% recyclable, manufacturable, and utilized a system design for future product expansion.
Fragile Pack Moving System
The Background
How might we create a streamlined system for transportation of consumers' belongings during a move?
Existing Market
The existing marketplace for moving technology consists widely of corrugate box variants. While these boxes range in size, they remain the same in function. They serve as a container to protect the items they hold while compromising on internal organization.
Movers Say
The hardest things to move are:
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Moving Insights
Packing boxes is easy but extremely timely and tedious.
Respondents appreciate the ease of recycling boxes after a move is complete.
Movers struggle most with plants and fragile items.
Design Criteria
- allow user more robust organization
- increase speed of packing without compromising on simplicity
- create a streamlined process of packing
The Corrugate Box
Instead of reinventing the wheel with the corrugate box, I looked to innovate on the box packing process.
Issues
While the corrugate box since the late 1800's, design innovation has not caught up with the changing user's needs. While boxes excel in their ability to pack, stack, and store belongings, they lack built-in internal systemization. This means that the users are left to create their own form of packing system.
Box Interactions
I studied how users interact with the boxes they pack and found their packing styles range from organized to chaotic, and contained to unprotected. When it comes to packing their belongings, users have different needs based on what they're packing.
Contained
The Gentle Packer is the most intense mover. They meticulously wrap their belongings and organize them in boxes.
Gentle Packer
Wrap & Tosser
The Wrap & Tosser doesn’t care about the organization of their items as long as they’re protected during a move.
Organized
Chaotic
The calculated risk taker doesn’t use much packing materials, but tends to organize items. They keep kitchen stuff with kitchen stuff and make sure things are securely nestled within each other.
Calculated Risker
Free Baller
The Free Baller is a packer that doesn’t use packing materials. They throw things into their vehicle and hit the road.
Unprotected
Inspiration & Ideation
Utility
Modular
Language Creation
The Box System
The Box is a standard 15x22x16 moving box. The Box’s main feature is a vertical rail system that runs down the length of the Box. This system allows an expandable line of modular packing tools to be swapped in and out at the user’s will much like a filing cabinet.
After purchasing the box, a consumer purchases additional modular packing tools to easily secure their belongings (see packing tools in part 3 & 4).
Fragile Pack
Now that a packing system has been established I set out to create tools that streamlined the packing process for users.
Existing Products
Fragrance Packaging:
I was inspired by a fragrance packaging video I found online. This product molds to a variety of forms and cleverly secures product into place for shipping.
Cushion Lock:
3M developed Cushion Lock as an alternative to bubble wrap. This die cut paper stretches to wrap items.
Iterative Problem Solving
I worked through 16 experimental sketch prototypes learning from each as I went. Many of my prototypes were not viable, however, the iterative process forced me to explore corrugate and deepened my understanding of the material.
The final prototype is die cut from one sheet of 16x32 corrugate cardboard. It features an internal and external layer of Scotch Cushion Lock. It also features locking mechanisms along the edges of the product.
User Flow
After finalizing the prototype, I created a user flow to ensure the process of using the Fragile Pack was easier than wrapping something with cushion.
OPEN
PLACE
STRETCH
SECURE
SLIDE
Viability Check
I reached out to a connection at Great Northern Corrugate to understand how corrugate boxes are produced. I pitched my product to the sales team and we talked about product viability, manufacturability, and concept novelty.
Fragile Pack
The Fragile Pack is a packing tool designed to allow consumers to pack their extremely fragile items in a streamlined manner. Users secure their items in place via corrugated locking mechanism. Users then take the packed tool and and slide it into the vertical rails along the Box.
The Fragile Insert uses Cushion Lock technology to stretch and secure items smaller than a standard vase and that weigh less than 10 pounds.
OPEN
PLACE
STRETCH
SECURE
SLIDE
Plant Pack
Utilizing the box packing system established, I set out to create a plant packing tool that streamlined the packing process for users.
Pain Points
The moving process for plants is nearly non-existent as plant movers have relied on DIY solutions to ensure their plants reach their destinations.
Ideation and Co-Creation
I generated 40+ ideas surrounding plant packing methods that used my box system. These sketch models were taken to a co-creation session where users were given 30 minutes to iterate them and make them work.
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User Testing
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Using the prototype created from the co-creation session, I user tested with 3 different users. I found that while the product worked in the system, adjustments needed to be made to ensure that the product was easy to use and worked for a variety of different plant types.
Plant Pack
The Plant Pack is a packing tool designed to allow consumers to pack their small house plants in a secure, streamlined manner. Users punch out the perforated circle that most closely matches their pot and insert into place. Users then place their plant inside the tool and route the leaves through the openings in the sides. Lastly, users lock the container at the top of the tool and slide the entire piece into the box.
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MEASURE
SLOT
PLACE
SECURE
SLIDE
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