Daily UX Challenge #7 — Backpack
This is a part of #DailyUX design challenge series. I write about my thought process of approaching 20 different design prompts.
Design Prompt
It could be for a business trip or for a round-the-world trip, you choose your target. Get to know your users and design the perfect backpack for them!
My Commuter Daypack
Besides teacup, I’d also like to design this commuter daypack for myself.
My current backpack is the second one I had in the same model within the past three years. I bought the first one in the summer of 2015. After being used every day for a year and a half, it was quite torn, so I bought the current one in last January. Just like its ancestor, I’ve been using it every single day since.
Why do I like this backpack so much? It is sturdy and roomy enough to carry most of my stuff, smart enough for meetings and work, and stylish enough to look chic with almost anything I wear wherever I go.
What I usually carry in my bags are the essentials for my everyday use (from left to right):
- Foldable shopping bag
- iPhone accessories
- Makeup pouch carrying frequently used makeup items
- Pepper spray
- Notebook
- Stack of sketching paper and pencils
- Keys
- Carabiner hanger with hook for hanging my bag anywhere
- Reading glass
- Wallet
- Mini MUJI makeup pouch carrying miscellaneous items (e.g., portable sewing kit, travel-sized dental kit and skin care products, first aid kit, etc.)
- Water bottle (not in picture)
Some other items I also often carry, but never all at the same time:
- 13-inch MacBook personal laptop (sometimes)
- Lunchbox (on weekdays)
- Tango shoes (when going out dancing)
Sometimes when I need to take home the 15-inch MacBook Pro from work because I need to work remotely, I have to carry a separate leather tote to hold it and other work-related items.
Ideally, I hope my next everyday backpack could lug my life around — all of the items mentioned above together.
Fun Fact
I’m a sucker for red, and I’m all for being matchy-matchy —I swear it started unintentionally, then the designer in me screaming “Consistency!” just took over. Being easy on the eyes is an important factor of me choosing this bag over others.
One may argue being stylish is just cosmetics, but if comparing two items with almost identical durability and practical use, one is more likely to choose the one with better aesthetics. The emotional effect of the look and feel conveys the engagement of the senses interacting with the item. In my case, seeing matching items in red makes me happy. :)
Research, compare, critique
Just like educated consumers would do before they make an informed purchase, I did my research — in two ways of comparison, in-person and online.
In-person Comparison
My boyfriend is also in the quest for a perfect backpack. He has more than three backpacks all in different sizes with different features, but there are still neat things only found in one that he wished could be in another.
The slimmest one I tried on is called Bobby Bizz business briefcase and backpack. I particularly like its anti-theft feature using anti-cut materials. Its compact design makes it doesn’t look too bulky on me. Its adjustable open angles are also unique — it can almost stand free without leaning against any surface.
The only thing I’m not so keen about this backpack is it looks way too business to me. It could come across as too serious or rigid to my standard.
The medium-sized one is called The ClickPack Pro anti-theft backpack. The bag also includes neat anti-theft protections, and it’s made of anti-slash material. Despite the bag looking bulkier on me, it feels very comfortable according to their “weight reducing” strap design and back support.
One thing I like about both backpacks is they can open in 180 degrees and lay on a flat surface. This makes going through airport security line much more efficiently because it provides enough visibility.
The ClickPack backpack (lower) has a thoughtful design detail with using velcro on the surface of compartments to keep all separate storage pouches in place. This helps relieve the stress of stuff falling out when opening the bag.
The largest backpack my boyfriend has is called Nomatic Backpack travel pack. It seems his current favorite because it combines many neat features from both backpacks. However, it looks way too bulky on me. I don’t need a commuter daypack that feels overwhelming and makes me look like a Ninja Turtle.
Online Comparison
My online searches are a combination of my discoveries through Facebook groups built for women in technologies and the backpack options my boyfriend was tempted to buy but didn’t.
This “Tech Ladies Laptop Bags” Pinterest board has quite a collection. But only a handful passed my high bar of “being durable, practical and fashionable”. By fashionable, what I really mean is minimalism kind of simple and clean so that it can be versatile.
One bag called The Tracy Bag caught my eyes with its simple yet chic, compact yet versatile design. I particularly like its 3-way wear — shoulder bag, cross body, and backpack. Except that nowadays with my passion for tango dancing, I pay lots of attention to good posture, so I rarely wear shoulder bag or cross body. The two alternative ways to wear the bag seem useless to me. Though I like its zip-off clutch feature with removable strap. That makes it easy to grab lunch or go to happy hour and feel feminine.
Another bag called Relay Convertible Brief by Briggs and Riley also caught my eye by its versatility and compact design. Honestly, though, this bag almost didn’t pass my fierce filtering because its dull business looking. But it can convert between a backpack and a professional brief. I like the back panel where shoulder straps can be easily hidden. And the two handheld straps look like they can allow a solid and comfortable grip to hold a heavy backpack carrying a laptop and all other essentials.
Perfect Everyday Backpack Wishlist
What I Need
A backpack big enough to carry all my daily commute essentials and most frequent items (e.g., 13-inch MacBook Pro, lunchbox, tango shoes).
A backpack that is secure — anti-slash materials used in the ClickPack Pro backpack appears to be promising. The material used on front panel not only seems very durable but also has a geometric-looking texture. With the right design, it could add a fashionable touch to the backpack.
What I want
A backpack that is expandable — expandable side pocket to hold water bottle if I cannot fit it inside, expandable vertically to accommodate the infrequent case where I need to carry a 15-inch MacBook Pro.
What I desire
A backpack that is convertible — hide the shoulder straps to turn it into a handbag with solid handheld straps, removable compartments that can be used as a clutch with removable shoulder strap.
Final Concept
What I Learned
Designing for one is relatively easy, especially designing for oneself, but this “perfect” design for me only promises a small set of people who share similar needs as mine would consider it. This exercise gives me a taste of what it’s like to come up with a more inclusive solution, where how one idea can be extended to many others.
Previous pieces in the series (so far)
Challenge #1 — Wallet
Challenge #2 — Landing page
Challenge #3 — Parking machine
Challenge #4 — Chatbot onboarding flow
Challenge #5 — Teacup
Challenge #6 — Worst phone number input
