Project Goal
I designed this breast milk management system in 2011, for a product design class at ArtCenter College of Design. The prompt was simply 'babies'.
Concept
The design process began with an exploration into the world of infants and their families. As I spoke to families, attended lactation support groups, and scrutinized parenting forums, it became clear that nutrition (breast-feeding, pumping, milk management) was an area causing a lot of stress. I focused on creating a milk management system that was easier and less stressful to use.
The final product–'Nutriflex'–allows working mothers to feel more secure pumping and managing their breast milk, giving them confidence about their milk so they can focus on their baby. The design centers on eliminating wasted milk; despite how precious breast milk is to mothers–it is often referred to as ‘liquid gold’–current systems mean that much of it is thrown away. Nutriflex introduces a pod storage system that allows caregivers to be flexible to baby’s changing and mercurial needs. Other features aid communication between various caregivers and provide reassurance about milk freshness.
OutCome
ArtCenter selected this project to submit to the 2012 IDSA Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), where is was a finalist.
It was also featured on blogs including TrendHunter and the Chinese ETtoday.
The following is a video explaining how the different parts of the system are used:
