Context
UTE is an outdoor product designed to challenge the way people view camping and campervans. The idea is to reach out to a larger audience of people by advertising the product to be more than just a pick-up camper.
A product primarily for the safari tourism market of Africa. People are increasingly traveling to Africa hoping to go on the classic safari experience. However, the expense of these trips can often be a deterrent for tourists and self-drive companies are becoming increasingly popular due to the cheap costs associated with this form of safari.
Brief
To design a product that sits on the back of a pick-up, providing all the camping essentials that two - four people would require on a self-drive safari.
The design must fit a variety of pick-up models so as not to limit the target market. The project's primary objective will be to ensure a comfortable, functional, and beautiful outcome that will entice people to buy into this camping experience. The product will have to provide the necessary camping amenities that travelers will need and should be easily fitted and removed from the pickup vehicle it is used on. Therefore, careful design considerations will have to be made for the method of mounting this unit.
Whats Next?
With a project as complex as this and with the time frame that it was achieved in there will ultimately be many areas that will require further refinement.
Moving forward with the project and prior to the production of the first prototype the following points have been identified as areas for improvement for the UTE:
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The fastening & installation of the unit (with jack storage on the unit)
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Weight reduction
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Possibility for a reduction in overall width and height
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Refinement of manufacturing techniques for larger production quantities