We set out to expand Baby Jogger's product portfolio from stroller to home. The goal was to simultaneously launch a playard, high chair, and rocker. The rocker and high chair products were exercises of vendor partnership, with them owning the mechanism engineering. However the playard was entirely designed, engineered, and manufactured in-house.
The Baby Jogger City Suite
We first set out what we wanted to accomplish. Starting with market research and consumer studies, we identified our target consumer and built out a list of necessary functions for optimal success. As the lead design engineer, I took the functional requirements and worked closely with our industrial and softgoods design teams, and with our manufacturing product engineering team to begin building the driving mechanisms behind the playard.
Without the floor construction of a typical playard, we were able to save a significant amount of weight, creating the lightest spring-assisted folding playard on the market at 13.5lbs. In addition, we introduced the first integrated bassinet technology, a true testament to the softgoods complexity.
The fold was not originally scoped to be spring-loaded, however I was challenged with making the fold faster and easier. The complexity of the spring-assist mechanism came from the packaging. A torsion spring strong enough to be pre-loaded and lift the aluminum leg + softgoods at a cantilevered length would have been far too bulky for our packaging. The spring is a compresion spring housed in the upper tube, and runs half the length of it. It is then compressed via cabling when the leg is rotated outward during setup. A simple gear mechanism locks the leg in its final position, with a button to release. It's all hidden under the soft goods for a seamless look and feel.
Baby Jogger City Suite Fold
Key Takeaways
• Designing for demanding global safety standards
• Designing for a specific consumer profile
• Collaborating closely with softgoods design team
• Taking a product from concept to mass production
• Working hand-in-hand with marketing and legal teams
• Translating complex engineering concepts to layman comprehension
• US20190350378A1 Patent Application