A Design For Life

Have you taken a look at the latest product from the clever designers at Stokke? If you are interested in design (which you probably are if you are a Stokke fan!) this interview with the designer of the Stokke Bounce 'n' Sleep is worth a read:

Interview with designer Tore Mortvedt.

Head of the design team developing the Stokke® Bounce ‘n’ Sleep concept.

When you are tasked with creating a new product, where do you begin?

“Every project starts with an initial brief and as a designer my first challenge is to turn this starting point into a viable commercial product. Observation and market research are key. What’s missing from items already in the market place? Are they lacking key functionalities? How can they be improved?

Observations should validate the initial brief and highlight a need for what we are about to create.

We believe that our mission is to create physical products that enhance our abilities and help us in everyday life.”

Does your design process stay the same or has it been different for every product that you have created?

“Fortunately, since creative minds are not best served by repetition, projects do differ and inventiveness in the methodology of design is beneficial for the innovative solutions we provide. We could create products that follow traditional guidelines and stereotypes or we can question, challenge and push boundaries to create something totally unique.

In this instance, the initial brief could have been to design a bouncing chair, or it could have been to create a suitable play / rest environment for a baby from birth to 12 months. The second option is sure to result in a more innovative, exciting solution than the first? It did and it allowed us to create something new that works in synergy with a modern lifestyle.”

When you look at Stokke Bounce ‘n’ Sleep now that it has been produced, how different is it from your initial idea?

“There where many ideas in the beginning, possibly too many. The challenge is always to choose the right idea, and then to nail it! There’s always one idea that sticks with you and the worry is, of course, that this is not the best idea, but on reflection, these first ideas are often quite good! With Bounce ‘n’ Sleep the idea we ran with changed aesthetically but in concept it’s not too far away from our original idea.”

Can you explain how it evolved?

“Our challenge was trying to balance innovation and expectations with our design methodology. I guess it did develop into a more typical looking chair than some of our initial ideas but the key user insights of mobility, closeness and ergonomics remained.

From our observations in the home and in the maternity unit we explored solutions around mobile rocking cradles that retain the lay flat position - then the project developed quite rapidly.”

You designed the new seat for the Stokke® Xplory®, how did it feel when you first saw one out on the street?

“I must admit I was a bit proud. I truly believe that this relaunch has enabled the product to meet it’s potential. I saw it, the new Xplory V3 on Aker Brygge in Oslo quite soon after the market launch in 2010, and I turned to look one extra time, making sure I would remember it. It was a seat with the light blue basic textiels and beige summer kit. It was an empowering feeling as a designer.”

Quick Q & A

What was the first thing that you designed and created and how old were you?

“It was a paper bicycle stand and a paper bicycle placed in and leaning towards it - at the age of five.”

What inspires you?

“I´m quite inspired by nature, and the fact that Stokke headquarters, on the West coast of Norway (the city Ålesund) are located in what I would describe as the most beautiful location you can imagine, makes it an inspiring place. I must admit that I´m also inspired by other design and their use of the latest materials, technology, as well as the freedom of fashion, photography, and music. Music inspires mood, and good mood is what you need to create great designs. It becomes a long list here, but most of all, I´m inspired by the process of creation itself.”

What is your most treasured possession?

“Ha, I won´t tell you ;)”

Where in the world would you most like to live?

“There´s a lot of places that I would like to live for a while, but settle? On the west coast of Norway,!!! It´s paradise.”

What is your favourite smell?

“One of two: The first breath of salty fresh sea air when I leave the plane at Ålesund, Norway after being abroad travelling, or the smell on my Irish setters forehead. Unfortunately she is no longer here, but I can still remember this to be the best smell ever.”

What is your most unappealing habit?

“Being too much of a perfectionist, but I´m really trying to loose some of that.”

What is your most guilty pleasure?

“Besides the one or two I won´t tell, it would be take the day off after the most perfect snow fall and go with my friends to the mountains skiing on an untouched surface, painting the mountainside with perfect lines.”

What would you most like to be remembered for?

“Good question, well, I had hoped to become a legend someday, but I´m not so pretentious that I have decided on any “epitath”.”

Take a look at the Stokke Bounce 'n' Sleep....