Radio Flyer
As an intern at Radio Flyer, America’s heritage brand for wagons and tricycles, I developed accessories that enhanced the functionality of their wagon and stroller product lines. Two of my projects became stand-alone items sold at Target and on Amazon: the Side Cargo Net and the Momentum Jogging Stroller Snack Tray.
Momentum Jogging Stroller Snack Tray
I created the snack tray in close collaboration with industrial design intern Allen Chou. He provided me with the initial concepts, and I brought them to life!
Attachment Mechanism
I researched, brainstormed, and filled pages with mechanism sketches. I modeled a select few in Solidworks, then produced high-fidelity SLS prints of the mechanisms alongside FDM prints of the complete trays.
The final clip pivots around a simple pin to click into place on the stroller frame. I refined the design through multiple iterations of pin placements and clip dimensions in order to achieve the most satisfying click.
User Testing
I observed children enter and exit the strollers with the trays on, eat and play on them, and generally do their best to break them. They survived!
Research revealed the need to reposition the tray higher and closer for improved accessibility. The half-tray design offered better positioning flexibility while meeting safety standards for head entrapment.
After determining the pivot points, attachment mechanism, and form factor, I finalized the CAD in Solidworks. This process included optimizing material usage, ensuring surface aesthetics aligned with the product line, and simplifying the model for efficient injection molding. I sent this to Radio Flyer’s manufacturer for injection-molding cost estimates.
Voya XT Side Cargo Net
I focused on prototyping attachment mechanisms that would keep the storage secure both during active use of the wagon and when collapsed for storage.
I developed minimum viable prototypes in-house before collaborating with Radio Flyer's manufacturers to create high-fidelity versions. They were able to create cargo nets and other concepts from my machine-sewn prototypes. Throughout this and other projects, I communicated with the manufacturer to receive itemized cost estimates.
More documentation for the project is available on request.
In the end, the cargo net won out for its ease of use and manufacturing simplicity. The final design features multiple attachment points on the wagon frame. Customers like it, too—it has 4.8 stars on Amazon.