Children nowadays play an important role in consumerism, as they are constantly in touch with current trends, brands and technology. My brief was to design a bicycle for children in the age group of five to ten years. There is a huge market segment that can be tapped into just by trying to understand the consumer, the child at a more realistic level.
The project required a detailed study of the growing trends among children in the given age group. In order to grasp things from their point of view, a user survey was carried out and consequential data analysis was done based on which this project was taken forward.
In designing a children’s bicycle, one of the main issues that needed to be kept in mind, was the specific age group being dealt with, and the level of development of their minds at that particular age. This was necessary to be able to deliver a satisfactory product to children. The final concept of this bike tried to relate to children as young adults and treated their wishes and demands seriously. The customizability of the components addressed their need for an element of wonder and change in every product that they used.
Working in TI has made me understand what the design industry in India really stands for. The children’s bicycle segment has vast and varying possibilities. There are opportunities available to explore beyond just standard requirements of a bicycle and to use a child’s imagination as the base of future developments. Working in a factory like environment helped me understand manufacturing processes and also helped me realize the viability of my designs in more practical terms.
