Reimagining The Cooler
ONDAGO
Knack X Derrk Collab
Last summer, fresh off the beach (and sweaty from exhaustion), it dawned on us that a cooler redesign was long overdue.
Adventurous people, like us, enjoy socializing in the great outdoors, but coolers hold us back. The problem is that the coolers available today are heavy, clunky, and a pain to haul.
Fueled by our own exhausting personal experiences with coolers, we drummed up the question:
Adventurous people, like us, enjoy socializing in the great outdoors, but coolers hold us back. The problem is that the coolers available today are heavy, clunky, and a pain to haul.
Fueled by our own exhausting personal experiences with coolers, we drummed up the question:
How might we reimagine a cooler to encourage adventure instead of limiting it?
We began by studying the pain points of today's coolers and discovered an opportunity space that no other coolers on the market could satisfy- being easy to transport in all terrains, especially sand.
We began by studying the pain points of today's coolers and discovered an opportunity space that no other coolers on the market could satisfy- being easy to transport in all terrains, especially sand.
After witnessing the different environments that coolers get dragged to, we also decided that a cooler should float. It shouldn't have to stay behind on the boat when the party is in the water!
Our biggest and most important design challenge was to eliminate the need to carry the cooler. What's that you say? ... just add wheels?
Many coolers these days have been equipped with wheels, but because their tires are so small, they sink into the sand and the cooler just drags on its belly.
Many coolers these days have been equipped with wheels, but because their tires are so small, they sink into the sand and the cooler just drags on its belly.
We took inspiration from balloon tires which use their large contact patch to almost effortlessly roll a large amount of weight across sand.
With an understanding of our user's pain points and aspirations, we explored a variety of form factors that would allow the cooler to float and roll over any terrain, but remain compact enough to lift and stow.
Through an exhaustive ideation exercise, we discovered that could have both the biggest tires, as well as, the most compact cooler by putting the cooler IN the tire. In other words, the tire became the entire circumference of the cooler body.
Through an exhaustive ideation exercise, we discovered that could have both the biggest tires, as well as, the most compact cooler by putting the cooler IN the tire. In other words, the tire became the entire circumference of the cooler body.
Once we narrowed in on the best form factor and functionality, our next step was to develop the product's design to deliver a delightful user experience. This meant refining every touchpoint to be ergonomic and user-friendly.
Adventurers value Mother Earth and expect their products to do the same. That is why we designed Ondago to be made from recycled ocean plastics.
The idea behind Ondago is simple, but with such a unique form factor and features not to be missed, getting that idea across proved more complex. That's why we teamed up with DERRK to tell Ondago's story through 3D animation.
We were able to communicate a lot through this quick and entertaining animation.
We were able to communicate a lot through this quick and entertaining animation.
Trading in a traditional cooler for the Ondago allows people to roll from one adventure to the next; solo and without breaking a sweat.
Our product concept and animation seize an innovation opportunity space and allow stakeholders to visualize a new innovation before it even exists.
Our product concept and animation seize an innovation opportunity space and allow stakeholders to visualize a new innovation before it even exists.
