Nara Bassinet

Research / Human Factors / Industrial Design / Branding / Animation / Engineering / Production

Nara is our baby. It was internally created from the ground up as a new, innovative hospital bassinet. It was designed to bring mothers close to their newborns when it matters most and provide caregivers with a beautifully designed, safe, ergonomic care solution

We recognized that the bassinet market has been relatively ignored for decades. Current bassinets could be described as one of two things: a wood filing cabinet or a metal filing cabinet on wheels. We started to ask the question, why are we pushing newborn babies around on filing cabinets?

We started our research at the source – with NICU and mother/baby nurses. We heard complaints of bulkiness, uncleanliness, and inaccessibility that added up to an experience that was just plain clunky. We studied each person’s interactions and allowed their feedback to evolve our design. Some nurses were stooping and straining too much, others struggled to quietly and efficiently maneuver the bassinet, and mothers had trouble reaching for their babies from bed. It was clear we needed to develop a new solution.

Disclaimer: The following video is not hosted by Tekna. Any claims made in this video are by the video owner, not Tekna.

We implemented our iterative prototyping processes and leveraged sketch exploration, CAD development, in-house 3D printing, and fabrication methods to refine the aesthetic and functionality.

We conducted one-on-one user interviews, focus group discussions, and took full-scale mockups into the field to get feedback from people who would use this product every day.

We conducted comprehensive formative and summative usability testing with Labor/Delivery and NICU nursing staff, hospital environmental services, and new moms. Their overwhelmingly positive responses validated the final design and new features.

As the product evolved, so did the brand, differentiating it in the market as approachable, caring, and inviting. Branding efforts included print material, animation, and video creation. The true value of experience that we were reinventing was taking shape but it needed a name, and ultimately we had to look outside the English language to capture its essence – Nara.

Nara received a Good Design® Award from Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, as well as the Core77 Community Choice Prize, and a 2017 Core77 Notable Award in the Commercial Equipment category.

Altogether, initial user research, opportunity identification, and industrial design grew into a comprehensive new product development engagement including mechanical engineering, regulatory support, branding, and turnkey manufacturing for a Class II medical device. Following successful design validation, we launched an initial pilot production run to support early market access and limited clinical use, refining the product and processes based on real-world feedback.

Our thoughtful approach to product introduction laid the groundwork for a full production ramp-up, where we scaled manufacturing to meet and exceed the MedTech OEM customer’s sales projections for four consecutive years.

To support sustained growth and maintain tight quality and regulatory controls, we developed robust documentation, tooling, and assembly protocols that enabled a seamless transition of manufacturing operations to the OEM’s facility. Our team ensured that every detail of design intent was preserved throughout the process, delivering a locally designed and manufactured solution backed by a predominantly Michigan-based supply chain—one that successfully bridged innovation to commercialization at scale.

Nara

Nara Bassinet

Research / Human Factors / Industrial Design / Branding / Animation / Engineering / Production

Our thoughtful approach to product introduction laid the groundwork for a full production ramp-up, where we scaled manufacturing to meet and exceed the MedTech OEM customer’s sales projections for four consecutive years.

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Fenwick Grip

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Let’s see what we can do together