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Minmax Folding Bicycle by Monica Oddone |
Home > Winners > Design #82718 >Interview |
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FS: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
MO: The main goal in the development of MinMax was to design a new folding bike that could exceed the size and weight limits of existing models, applying innovative solutions that would make it unique and recognizable.
FS: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
MO: I hope that winning this prestigious prize will be the launch pad for this project. It has become clear, especially in the present situation, how much innovation is needed in the individual mobility field, both in terms of sustainability and personal well-being. I would love to be able to take this project forward and work with interested partners to develop it further.
FS: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
MO: The project development took 4 months of full-time work and was divided into several phases. Initially, through research and analysis of existing foldable bikes, it was possible to identify the unsatisfied needs of users and the current technical solutions that could be implemented. The preliminary design phase involved the development of different methods of folding the frame and the wheels, which could meet the dimensional constraints originally conceived. During the executive design phase, there were collected all the necessary standard components and designed the ad hoc solutions required for the product realization.
FS: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
MO: The idea of designing a folding bike different from those currently on the market occurred after the work done with a design brief on a related topic. It was the ideal opportunity to deepen the theme of sustainable mobility, intermodality and to come into contact with different sector realities. I developed a passion for these topics and have been actively following them for almost five years.
FS: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
MO: MinMax started as a personal project, but soon turned into a long-cherished dream. Its potential led me to apply for an industrial invention patent and to contact I3P, the business incubator of the Politecnico di Torino. For almost a year, I worked as designer and aspiring entrepreneur, developing a business plan and an innovative start-up idea that led me to be awarded a “Mention for Equal Opportunities” at the Start Cup Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta in 2018. I am currently looking for interested industrial partners to take the project forward, both as a collaboration and/or a lease of production rights.
FS: Who is the target customer for his design?
MO: More and more people are choosing sustainable solutions and new tools designed to move around freely, optimize routes, achieve both time and money savings, escape the stress of the road traffic and the difficulties of the public transportation. In this perspective, folding bicycles are a perfect solution: they combine the benefits of traditional mobility on two wheels with the possibility of having a compact, lightweight and easily transportable vehicle. Also used in intermodality with other vectors, the folded bicycle proves to be the preferred choice for city commuters, which are becoming more and more demanding in terms of performance and comfort.
FS: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
MO: There are many models of foldable bikes, mainly differentiated by the folding mechanisms and sequences that give shape to the compact and strongly characteristic geometries of the various brands. However, MinMax adds one more step, not found on any model currently on the market: the folding of the wheels.
FS: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
MO: It wasn't difficult to find a name for this bike, because it fully reflects the design goal: to occupy the MINimum space, while ensuring MAXimum experience.
FS: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
MO: MinMax is the result of an ambitious goal: reaching the smallest possible dimensions (the size of a hand luggage) without sacrificing comfort in use and with absolute freedom in ergonomic adjustments. Thanks to its innovative wheel folding mechanism, this bike is designed to be stored in a regular backpack: its size is reduced by almost 9 times (compared to other foldable bikes in the current market)!
FS: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
MO: After the executive design phase, I contacted a mechanical engineer with large experience in the cycling field for the structural analysis of the innovative components of the bicycle, in order to particularly evaluate the performance of the wheel locking mechanisms. It was an enriching experience, a meeting point between design and scientific disciplines.
FS: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
MO: The concept development was followed by a primary research phase with the identification of the target through a questionnaire entitled "Folding bikes: experience and imagination". The aim was to involve different kinds of riders, regular and non-regular users, to find out which characteristics of the folding bike are fundamental to improve its perception. The data showed that purchase and use are strongly influenced by factors such as low weight, reliability of the locking system and price/performance ratio.
FS: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
MO: MinMax development was not only a technical challenge: bikers and commuters have new emerging needs, given by the constant evolution of personal habits and ways to live the urban environment. We can't respond to these needs using a standard approach. For these reason, the idea of "reinventing the wheel" was vital to design an extremely compact solution, not only functional, but also emotionally significant for the users.
FS: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
MO: I nominated the MinMax bike for the A' Design Award to get a reliable feedback on its quality and to actively promote it with the aim of finding industrial partners interested in carrying out the project.
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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