FALL 2023 | JUNIOR STUDIO
WNDR ALPINE X NASA
In a "Design Thinking" class, my teammates Dylan Marcinkowski, Taiden Gregson, and I collaborated on a project to develop a product that would align with WNDR Alpine's product offerings while also integrating a technology from NASA's patent portfolio. At the semester's conclusion, we had the privilege of presenting our concept to WNDR Alpine's design team as well as a NASA representative.
NASA's Technology Transfer Program manages a patent portfolio of over 1,400 technologies, all developed for NASA missions but with potential commercial applications, such as manufacturing processes, sensors, and, in our project, heating methods.
We began this project with several interviews with ski industry employees such as ski patrollers and lift operators, as well as avid recreational skiers and snowboarders at Utah State University. With this data, we created our persona, Jack.
After mapping a hypothetical day in Jack's life, we were able to narrow down our focus:
We discovered through our interviews the issue of phone batteries dying due to cold temperatures.
The NASA patent we chose was a "freeze-resistant hydration system," because we saw potential in the compact and efficient aerogel insulation.
We chose to include WNDR Alpine's algae based DWR coating as a healthier alternative to PFAS.
With this information, we created the WNDR-OUS front pack, designed to fit in the F/W 2025 product line for WNDR Alpine.
I created a rough and quick prototype in order visualize interacting with the product.
We addressed sustainability goals we hoped to achieve in the WNDR-OUS:
And finally, we analyzed how the WNDR-OUS would fit in the current market of heated products:
