Impack
protection design
type
Individual project
duration
September–October 2024
overview
On Halloween 2022, a tragic incident occurred in Itaewon, South Korea. What started as a lively Halloween festival turned into a disaster when the crowd became too dense, leading to a fatal crowd crush. Unable to protect themselves from the sudden surge, 159 people lost their lives, and nearly 200 were injured.
As a Korean myself, this event deeply resonates with me, highlighting the urgent need for effective safety solutions. So, for this project focused on protection, my goal was to create a product designed to safeguard individuals from crowd crushes, specifically in concert and festival settings.
ITAEWON INCIDENT
Main Cause
In October 2022, fatal crowd crush happened at Itaewon, South Korea, during the Halloween celebration. This caused 159 deaths and 196 injuries out of approximately 100,000 attendees.
About
Poor crowd management, and sudden rise in density in a narrow space.
WHY DOES IT HAPPEN
Poor Crowd Management
Panic in the Crowd
Overcapacity & Density
Dangerous Structures
WHERE DOES IT HAPPEN
Concert
Festival
Religious Event
Sports Event
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT
“The United States has an unusually high number of crowd crush incidents for a country in the developed world.
One expert notes that the United States is responsible for 37% of the concert-related crowd injuries worldwide.”
Pearl, Tracy Hresko (2015) "Crowd Crush: How the Law Leaves American Crowds Unprotected," Kentucky Law Journal: Vol. 104: Iss. 1, Article 4.
GROWING DEMAND
With concert attendance increasing each year, the risk of crowd crushes at these events continues to grow.
Number of concerts and festivals promoted by Live Nation from 2008 to 2023 (Statista)
81.3 million people attended concert in North America in 2023
Billboard, “Live Nation Had Another Record Year as Its Business Went Global & Fans Continued Flocking to Shows”
CURRENT SOLUTION
There are existing solutions to prevent crowd crushes from happening. However, there are limitations with these.
Regulation & Laws
Crowd Management
Barricades
Safety Poses
Cannot Control Crowd Density
Unpredictable Behaviors
Becomes Obstacle
Physically Demanding
OPPORTUNITY
While these methods address certain areas of crowd crush prevention, there’s one area that hasn’t been explored: a physical product that protects individuals in real-time.
DRIVING QUESTION
How can we design a product that will help individuals protect themselves from a crowd crush immediately at concerts and music festivals?"
TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC
The target demographic for this product is live event enthusiasts, ages between 18-49.
Live Even Enthusiasts
Atmosphere of the event and enjoying the immersive experience.
Values
FOCUS AREA
A key design challenge for this product was understanding the target user’s needs and wants.
Considering their characteristics, I narrowed down the focus areas to identify key design elements to incorporate.
Visual Appeal
Protection
Visual Appeal
What would motivate people to wear it?
What can ensure enough breathing space instantly?
What is the easiest way to activate the protection?
Fashion Item
Airbag
Life Jacket
IDEATION
I explored various wearable airbag designs focused on compactness and lung protection, testing placements on the neck, arms, shoulders, wrist, chest, and hip. The chest proved most effective, and a crossbody bag design offered the best stability and protection, so I moved forward with that form.
MARKET RESEARCH
Goal
Before diving into prototyping, I researched existing inflating wearables to understand their mechanisms.
Takeaway
These products typically use CO2 cartridges and manual triggers to deploy the airbag.
USER TESTING
The bag had to be big enough to store personal items while maintaining a sleek design and fit on different body types.
Form & Size
For the handle, I explored different positions, sizes and shapes, colors, and materials to find the most intuitive interaction. It needed to be large enough to grab quickly in an emergency, but not so large that it could be triggered accidentally.
Handle Size
The airbag had to be big enough to secure enough breathing space for one person and compactly stored in the bag. Different body types were also taken into account.
Airbag Size
IMPACK
Impack is a crossbody bag with an airbag feature designed to protect individuals from asphyxia during crowd crushes at concerts and festivals, giving concert-goers the ability to secure their breathing space in critical situations.
TECH PACK
HIGHLIGHTS
MATERIAL
DETAILS–HANDLE
Crescent
The handle’s crescent shape seamlessly integrates with the bag’s contour.
Haptic Cues
The handle has different textures and colors for easy identification and quick activation. the whole in the middle also provides better grip and haptic cues.
DETAILS–AIRBAG
Velcro
The airbag pocket is secured with velcro, strong enough to hold it in place when not activated, and easy enough for the airbag to pop out during an emergency.
Visual Cues
The airbag's color matches the handle, visually linking the action of pulling the handle to the deployment of the airbag.
SIZE VARIETY
Impack is designed to fit different body sizes, whether tall or petite.
Velcro
6' Male
5'2" Female
CMF
IN CONTEXT
How To
With just three simple steps—wear Impack, pull the handle, and deploy the airbag—you can protect yourself from a crowd crush and ensure you have room to breathe.
Systematic Protection
The airbag is a vibrant color to make it visible once deployed, aiding crowd management staff. Impack can coexist with the current solution to the crowd crushes too.
HAVE FUN
& SAFE TIME WITH IMPACK