Concept Design of an Inflatable Roofbox
Master Thesis project with
Concept design, Research, Ideation, Prototyping, Testing
The Project explores the idea of an inflatable roofbox made with dropstitch material.
Problem: Up until now roofbox are made out of polycarbonate shells in a clam shell design. In order to offer the maximum space they end up being big and bulky. They are difficult to install by a single person without special equipment and require large storage area when not in use.
Proposal: An inflatable roofbox offers the benefits of being stored in compact size and when needed it can be inflated to full size roofbox. It is also lighter and not bulky so it can be handled easily
Problem
Roofboxes are bulky and occupy a lot of space when not in use
As more people start migrating to urban cities, space is being challenged and there is a need of compact solutions
In 1950s Goodyear made an inflatable airplane using a material called dropstitch fabric.
It is like a regular fabric but due to the interconnected stitch pattern in between, it can be inflated to 5 times more pressure than similar material without dropstitch.
The result is it becomes stiff and hard and can resist enough forces to even be used as an airplane
Proposal
Design process
Bootcamp Bootleg
Double Diamond
Research
1.Theoretical studies
4.User observation studies
2.Product Analysis
5.Personal experience
3.Empathize (user interviews)
6.Competitor Analysis
Define
Mood board
Persona
Brand/Design guidelines
Ideation
Brainstorming
Concept exploration sketches
Storyboarding
