Airplanes and traveling can sometimes be the worst. Don’t get me wrong: I love seeing new sites, being exposed to culture, and stepping into a whole new world. But the journey there can be full of awkward positions and all kinds of neck cramps. Whenever my mom and I travel to India to visit her parents, we have to take 2 flights, with about a 10 hour layover at the airport in between. Then once we reach Bombay, it’s another 12 hour train ride to Aurangabad. I dread it every time and cannot wait to get home. There is so much time to sleep but it’s extremely uncomfortable and one position doesn’t last too long before needing to shift before my neck falls off.
Creators David Scrimshaw and Roz Ruwhui had the same issue on their flight to Melbourne, Australia to Wellington, New Zealand. Roz was trying to find a comfortable position to sleep on the tray table in front by holding her hands in her head. She said she wished something could keep her head upright. David noticed that many individuals on the flight had the same problem. Some were using the older version of the plushy “U”-shaped pillows to no avail. With his background in product development, him and Roz designed a pillow that allowed not only the conventional “U”-shaped comfort, but also the ability to hold one’s head upright during a flight.
The product itself, called FaceCradle, comes in 5 different modes: Dozing, Snoozing, Table Nap, Deep Sleep, and Deep Sleep (Side). The most creative part to me is the Deep Sleep mode. It allows you to strap the FaceCradle to your seat and lean forward into the U-shaped opening. It looks so awkward! But I know I prefer to lean forward when I sleep because my neck will get cramped leaning back. The product does try to maximize the most ways that allow individuals to customize how they sleep.
As partners, David perfects the product and Roz is more corporate in their partnership. David has 30 plus patents to his name. His LinkedIn describes him as a “market driven individual” and set on “building long term success.”. His experience with Face Cradle was not a complete “Eureka!” moment. He has been success in the field of project development and has focused on promotion and creativity for new products. Roz has been behind the marketing and advertising of the product, working in a team with other creative people to bring attention to the FaceCradle and it’s uniqueness from other travel pillows. 
The FaceCradle partnership connects to Gardner’s idea of multiple intelligences. David has had a greater understanding of the kinds of products that would sell and be accepted by people. His has been able to create many innovative products and perfect them. Roz has more interpersonal, linguistic intelligence in her ability to work with a team and properly advertise the product for consumers. Her intelligence requires her to think about the way others think, act, and function in order for Face Cradle and her goals to be successful.
The promotion and advancement of products like these give people the comfort they may need to travel. Traveling can be hard and push people out of their comfort zones. Products like these not only bring sleep to weary travelers but hopefully ease some of the worries of people that wish to travel and get a good night’s rest.
As a frequent flyer and traveler, there's nothing worse than not being able to fall asleep on a plane. Unfortunately, I've had many experiences where I am unable to sleep on a long flight or even a short due to being uncomfortable and difficult sleeping positions. And the traditional neck pillow just doesn't do it for me for some reason. Despite the funny-looking positions, I think this is a brilliant creation and one I would definitely try. Scrimshaw and Ruwhui were keen to take something that already exists, and innovate and make it better. Their experiences and observations have led them to a product I believe will be beneficial to all travelers. I am interested to see how this product does as more people learn about it and see if it sells. I might even buy one myself!
ReplyDeleteMy initial reaction to this pillow was "oh god another thing no one needs." However, while I do not think there is a huge market or need for creative neck pillows, I understood the merits of the arguments about the "Eureka" moment and the multiple intelligences involved in producing such a product.
ReplyDeleteWow, this creation is incredibly useful. The many different modes to sleep with this device is the best part to me! Because of the various modes, this product will reach out to many more people looking to comfortably sleep in airplanes/cars/trains. I know that I also enjoy leaning forward to sleep on airplanes, but leaning all the way down to the tray table makes my arms go numb. Sometimes, I like to sleep in a completely different way than I normally do, so this product would allow me to shift my sleeping style easily and efficiently. Since my sister travels almost every week for work and has very bad neck pains, I genuinely might buy this for her (and so I can borrow it).
ReplyDeleteWhenever I travel either by train or plane, I can never fall asleep. Many times I am up early too catching an early flight or train so all I really want once I sit down is to fall fast asleep. Therefore, I find this product necessary and useful. Also, I have tried using the tray to rest your head in your hands and it it very difficult and uncomfortable. Reading this article makes me wish I had the FaceCradle while I was struggling to sleep on a seven hour train ride. Maybe I'll give this a try when I travel in the future. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, this is awesome. Second of all, does it work? (Hope so.) What I like about this creative product is that there is not just one way to use it: there are five - each created for a different mode of the same need (sleep). That alone is creative in itself. I really like how you focus on two different types of creatives in this post: the person who is logistically creating and perfecting the product and the one who is responsible for making it known to the public through advertising and marketing strategies.
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