industrial designer creating growth
industrial designer creating growth
Green Toys is well established in the bath category but growth had stagnated. I recruited and led a team to research bath play and challenge conventional thinking on water play. The result is an innovative theme of tide pool creatures which manipulate water in a magical and unexpected way. Elements are organized via a kelp basket which scoops them up and allows them drain effortlessly, making cleanup a snap. The Tide Pool bath line is not just a product; rather, it is a new, ownable direction that brings new life to a stagnant category.
Research showed that we needed to pay more attention to the relatively short but distinct phases of infancy to fill in the product line.
We conducted in home visits to see firsthand the bathing experience for a range of infant ages and development stages. Insights included depth of bath water, storage opportunities, and ease of cleanup.
The "aha moment" came when individual investigations coalesced to become a larger narrative about the seas and tide pools. The use of underwater creates felt very appropriate for the brand and how Green Toys cares about the environment.
Starting to blend the functionality with the poetry of the creatures.
The team made lots of models to investigate function, proportion, and play value. The results require very little time to assemble, an important consideration when manufacturing in the USA.