@ CMU School of Design
8 Weeks. Fall 2024.


For students and backpack-wearers searching for
an easy, secure, and stylish way to transport items 
one might not want to shove inside of their backpack.





The  was designed to improve the existing experience of transporting food and meals amongst college students, but has become useful in a greater range of contexts.




1. How does it work?
Unclasp the Hitch’s front closure, pull the strap through your backpack hook and weave through one side of the closure’s tails. Reclasp, and go!


2. Design Considerations
Unclasp the Hitch’s front closure, pull the strap through your backpack hook and weave through one side of the closure’s tails. Reclasp, and go!






      Objectives:
      1. Hands-free transport, outside of bag
      2. Can wear on or off backpack
      3. Closeable, semi-insulated, waterproof interior
      4. Machine-washable
      5. Durable & texturally pleasant material
      6. Reliable construction for stress-free handling
      7. Stylish and visually appealing
      8. Stands up on its own



      Construction, Process, & Deliverables
      Given my prior experience and comfort with soft-goods fabrication, I was able to create my own sewing and construction pattern from scratch. My unrefined personal construction plan was incredibly lengthy.

      Project Prompt:
      design an on-the-go food experience

      4 Main Deliverables:
      Final Hitch Bag (shown above)
      Custom Sewing Pattern
      Bag Construction Guide
      Green Prototype for Revisions




      Ideation & Prototyping

      1. INITIAL APPROACH

      I originally tackled this project with the intention to ‘mobilize the food preparation process’. However, while iterating I discovered a more promising opportunity within my existing solution. 
























      2. FINAL APPROACH

      So, I pivoted, shifting my goal to improving meal mobilization/transportation for college students. 
      This meant I had to let go of my previous idea in order to better execute the new one. In this case, making that choice was definitely worthwhile.













      Custom Sewing Pattern
      (Deliverable #2)
      I made the sewing pattern for the bag entirely from scratch. The final pattern and design was achieved through manual drawing, physical prototyping, and Adobe Illustrator.















      Construction Guide
      (Deliverable #3)
      This guide is a refined version of my construction, a much cleaner version of what I was using while making the bag. I created this entirely from scratch. I designed the guide using inDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
















      Green Post-Revision Model
      (Deliverable #4)
      This green iteration was actually made after the final blue bag. 

      While making the final model, I took note of any incorrect or unsuccessful methodology, challenges or unnecessarily difficult steps, and resulting oddities in the form. I used these notes to reform my construction guide and pattern before quickly fabricating another last prototype. 

      This step/stage was a new addition to my usual process and wound up being quite effective and fruitful for correcting the issues in my previous iteration. 


      * The Hitch Bag was a transformative project in terms of honing my time management and project planning skills.


      HITCH BAGA lunch bag that ‘hitches’ a ride onto one’s backpack, enabling an easier, cleaner, and more stylish method for college students to transport their food.


      DETAILS

      Skills: Soft-Goods Fabrication, Custom Patterning, Research, Project Mapping, Prototyping
      Delivery: Products Studio III 
      Duration: 8 weeks (Fall 2024)