Almost 40% of today’s “office” workers no longer work offices. These mobile workers may work in a coffee shop, a client’s office, or from home, all in the same week. This new breed of office workers has their own set of needs for carrying their belongings that previous generations of workers never had.
Bag design is a broad field with many excellent designs. However, many of these bags don't specifically address the needs of mobile workers. Very few of them use new technologies to do so, and when they do it is often an unresolved design element.
I began my project with a research deep dive into co-working spaces. I observed people working in these environments and conducted interviews to gather relevant information. Through this I was able to gain insight into the needs of mobile workers.
Almost all mobile workers carry a core set of items like a laptop, phone, notepad, and chargers. In addition, many mobile workers will add items depending on the nature of their workday. Finally, all mobile workers need access to power and the internet.
Based on my research I began to ideate.
From my concepts, I distilled two design directions. The first was a bag that carried all your belongings and unfolded where you need to work to present them for your use. The second was a bag with some sort of power integration or access. This would allow the mobile worker to power all their necessary equipment.
I developed a series of models based on these concepts. By using these models, I was able to conduct a few pieces of field research. I came to the conclusion that both of these designs could be combined into one product.
From these models, I refined a final model to test for fit and sizing. I then created sewing patterns and set about constructing the final prototype.
Constructed from waterproof fabric and padded for both comfort and protection. Mercury sports a power strip/bettery combo with outlets and USB ports for charging all your mobile devices. Its sleek and trim design keeps your profile small when moving through crowded spaces, but spreads out enough for you to work comfortably.
