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Riutbag R15 Secure Laptop Backpack by Sarah Giblin |
Home > Winners > Design #45704 >Interview |
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FS: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
SG: In 2012, I realised that the conventional backpack design was causing extra stress and worry when you travel through a busy city, as so many people do. The problem? The person behind you can get into your backpack more easily than you can. So I decided to turn the backpack round exactly the opposite way. In March 2014 I left my job with my sketches to I remove all the zips off the outside of backpacks and put them against your back. I call this the RiutBag
FS: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
SG: I'm a life-long backpack user and commuter. That's my only qualification I have never studied design. In 2012, I realised that the conventional backpack design was causing extra stress and worry when you travel through a busy city, as so many people do. The problem? The person behind you can get into your backpack more easily than you can. So I decided to turn the backpack round exactly the opposite way. In March 2014 I left my job with my sketches to I remove all the zips off the outside of backpacks and put them against your back. I call this the RiutBag: the secure, backwards backpack. It's designed for all real commuters and city travellers who want piece of mind wherever they are. I made the RiutBag with the help of over 2,500 city travellers. How? On crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Thanks to them I now have a living breathing startup and there are RiutBag users in cities all over the world. I now run a one-person startup shipping RiutBags globally every day from www.riut.co.uk. It's tough, but it's worth it to know that RiutBag users feel more secure, confident and calm every day.
FS: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
SG: My quest is this: To turn the world's backpacks around, so we all travel with calm and confidence. I believe if we all feel secure when we travel, the world will be a better place for us and those around us. Lower stress, less suspicion, less hostility and more adaption to our new urban world. Riut, the name of my one-person startup, stands for Revolution in user thinking. I'm going to keep asking RiutBag users and travellers to take my surveys so I can keep upgrading the RiutBag to solve the travel problems of today and tomorrow.
FS: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
SG: Within 12 months of leaving my job to make the RiutBag a reality, I prototyped, crowd funded and made my first production run. Within a year of me starting, I had RiutBag users all over the world.
FS: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
SG: I'm a life-long backpack user and commuter. That's my only qualification I have never studied design. In 2012, I realised that the conventional backpack design was causing extra stress and worry when you travel through a busy city, as so many people do.
FS: Who is the target customer for his design?
SG: I make the RiutBag for women and men who travel with tech and other valuables every day. Whether you're a commuter getting on a train, an office worker getting on a bike or a freelancer heading off on a budget airline, I've made the RiutBag to solve the problems of city travel. The usual RiutBag user is 25-25 years old and they live in the world's biggest, busiest cities.
FS: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
SG: The RiutBag is exactly the opposite of all other backpacks. That means, all the openings are hidden against your back allowing you to feel calm, safe and secure.
FS: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
SG: Riut, the name of my one-person startup, stands for Revolution in user thinking. This describes the RiutBag, revolved my 180 degrees to put all the openings against your back. But it also describes the way I created this one-person startup and how I will run it in the future. I revolve all my thinking around my users. I try not only to impact their use, but their thinking. Can I make them feel calmer, less stressed, more confident with my design? Finally, I encourage other other users to go and make their ideas happen. I'm going to keep asking RiutBag users and travellers to take my surveys so I can keep upgrading the RiutBag to solve the travel problems of today and tomorrow.
FS: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
SG: I used free online survey tools and found city travellers on social media to take my surveys. Their views powered the all the RiutBag designs to date, and they will continue to in the future.
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
SG: I'm speaking at TEDx Brighton 2016. My talk is called: How to innovate without being a programmer I sell RiutBags exclusively at www.riut.co.uk shipping globally every day Anyone interested can visit Riut's Facebook page www.facebook.com/riutbag or Twitter, Instagram and Google+
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A' Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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