Design Problem – Where Have All the Good Pockets Gone?

Whenever I’m at a store with my girlfriend, I always hear the same thing: “I love these hiking pants… but the pockets are too small!” or even worse, with a lot of athletic gear it sounds like this: “I finally found a pair of running shorts I like… but these don’t have any pockets!”

Problem:

It seems that most clothing for women always have the same challenge, either there are no pockets, or something even more maddening is when there are pockets but they are too small to even comfortably hold a credit card, let alone an iPhone X.

We’re both active (she much more than me – she’s a personal trainer), so we end up doing activities that require workout gear, and it seems like all my hiking pants, running shorts, etc. were built with at least one pocket that zippers/or velcros shut, whereas she can’t find a decent pair that actually fits her with some way of holding her phone/wallet/keys. As a result, she ends up putting her phone in her waistband, and then leaving her keys and wallet either with me or at home while we are out. It seems crazy to me that there are no alternatives other than really bulky bags or sport specific things like an armband for running, or a bicycle mount for riding, but nothing that is able to transition between sports seamlessly that isn’t so horrendous looking, you would still be okay walking around the city with.

Solution:

A’s Utility Belt – an all-in-one solution for your clothing with inadequate pocket storage that can hold a phone, keys, cash, and cards. It is waterproof, it floats, and is modular so it can either be worn around the waist, as a sling, or even attach itself to bike handlebars.

https://www.tinkercad.com/things/kMxBnYplDhk

Tinkercad – Old School Jungle Gym

JG Sketch 3D JG ISO

We were tasked with recreating something that reminded us of our childhood, and for me that was my Elementary School jungle gym! Back in the day – before they had things called “child safety laws” – there used to be awesome playgrounds made of wood and metal where kids could truly test their mettle.

This is a fairly accurate representation of the wonderland (i.e. injury-machine) where my friends and I spent most of our recesses.

https://www.tinkercad.com/things/3EGvpdvDVT7

So What is Design Thinking Anyway?

I’m actually still trying to figure this out, but I think we can all agree that at its core, Design Thinking (henceforth referred to as DT on my site) is a process used to creatively solve problems. How DT was different from the purely data-driven methods used before its creation is that it applies a human-centered lens through which problem solving needs to be approached. I strongly believe that DT had been created after-the-fact as a crutch to ensure designers focus more on the impact of their solutions. This is achieved by forcing designers to empathize with the end-users and understand the true needs of the populations they are trying to help. In the long run, this should apply to all problem solving and although the amount of investment into the empathize stages might not always be optimal, it seems to me that any design that is designed without the end user in mind is just a poorly designed solution to a misunderstood problem. Could the outcome work out? Absolutely, but I believe that the vast majority of problems “solved” in this matter are ultimately destined to fail.

Welcome to DS9

Hey there and welcome to DS9 (aka Design Studio 9[967]) the base station to the outer reaches of my creativity and innovation journey. Hopefully you’ll enjoy your stay, and please feel free to share your thoughts – all are welcome here!