Elias Grieninger / Twyne – A new type of binoculars designed for shared experiences, both physical and digital.
Adventure from kids’ perspective
Strategic Product Design (APD1)
2025
This project was developed in collaboration with Thule’s design team in Hillerstorp, Sweden. The creative challenge was to analyse Thule as a brand, its core values, and develop aspirational solutions that align with Thule’s legacy, values, and future potential, seen through the lens of adventure from children’s perspective.
Process
The course began with a three-day field study trip to Thule’s R&D site in Hillerstorp, in southern Sweden. This gave students an up-close introduction to Thule’s history, production facilities, and the product development and design processes behind its various product lines.
The overall goal was to explore new design offerings that both point to future market opportunities and support people in reconnecting with nature, by experiencing it through the eyes and curious minds of children, young adults, and parents. At its core, the aim was to create solutions that inspire deeper respect, awareness, and appreciation for the richness of the natural world. Ideally, these solutions would help foster a responsible generation that will carry these insights and values forward.
Alongside the search for relevant design opportunities, a parallel focus of the course was the strategic development of a form language tailored to each student’s proposal for a new Thule product offering.
Outcome
The outcome was nine student projects, each offering a fresh perspective on what Thule could provide in the future. The students’ visions ranged widely, including:
- A pair of digital binoculars that can be split in two and shared between child and parent.
- A tow hook-mounted electric cooking solution with adjustable height, allowing children to safely join in the cooking process.
- A smart and playful series of lights that offer interactive elements and, when combined, create complete lighting scenes for various camping scenarios.
- A compact trolley for last-mile transport equipped with a system of interchangeable storage accessories, useful both for efficient packing and playful on-site use.
- A bicycle trailer that allows a child’s bike to be attached without tools and towed by an adult when needed.
- A quick-to-set-up swing, enabling parents to supervise their child while setting up camp, preparing food, or relaxing.
- An orientation device designed to give young teenagers a sense and experience of independent exploration in nature, with built-in communication to stay safely connected to nearby parents.
- A practical and versatile urban stroller tailored for transporting kids and gear during everyday adventures and errands in the city.
- A playful kit of inflatable elements, from which children can build and create various structures for indoor or backyard adventures.
In collaboration with:
Field study trip to Thule’s Research & Development and Design team in Hillerstorp, Sweden.
Artyom Shpagin & Thorben Westendorf / Nomad Kitchen – A tow hook–mounted electric cooking solution with adjustable height to accommodate children.
Leonie Schüttler / Luma – A series of connected lights that combine playful interaction with practical lighting and cozy ambiance.
Sharvin Sawant, Samuel Nagel / Slate – A last-mile transport solution that addresses the needs of adults and sparks the imagination of children.
Eskil Sverreson, Jakob Höxtermann / DuoTrail – A bicycle trailer that allows a child’s bike to be attached and towed without the use of tools.
Cheolhun Cheon, Marceli Rogala / Swing – A quick-to-set-up swing, enabling parents to supervise their child while setting up camp.
Nils Heider / Outlink – An orientation device that gives young teenagers the experience of independently exploring the outdoors.
Selin Bakis, Zixin Zhu / Urban-X – A versatile stroller made for transporting kids and gear during everyday city adventures and errands.
Chenyu Dong / Kido!t – A kit of different types of inflatable modules that can be combined to create various playful constructions.
