Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1053050
NOVEMBER 2018 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 25 Jovanovic: Yes. At Happiest Baby, we make a bassinet called the Snoo; it's a smart baby bed, which moves on its own and produces white noise sounds that soothe the baby on its own. We like to say that we're the safest baby bed out there because the infant is swaddled and clipped in; only then, can the Snoo turn on and start moving. There is no accidental rolling or suffocation, God forbid. It's very safe and is basically an extra set of hands for the parents because they can leave the baby in it without having to be attached while taking a shower or making a meal. Shaughnessy: You're helping protect babies and doing good things for the world. That's great. Jovanovic: We're trying, slowly. It's beautiful, and we're not just helping babies—we're also helping the parents. Everyone who's had a newborn in the house before knows it's hard with the sleep schedule; babies don't sleep like we do. With the Snoo, we actually give the par- ents more rest as well. Some studies show that if an exhausted parent drives, it's almost simi- lar to drunk driving, so if the parent can sleep at night while the baby's asleep in the Snoo, we are helping the parent as well. Shaughnessy: So you've been designing for a couple of months now, is that right? Jovanovic: I haven't gotten into it solidly, but I'm hoping that this event will deepen my knowledge and widen my horizons within the industry, which will set me up for the future. Shaughnessy: You're starting at a good time. I don't know if you've seen our magazine or not, but we had an issue a couple of months ago about who's going to fill the shoes of the designers. Many designers in North America are retiring or preparing to retire within the next 10 years, so we need new designers like you. If you want to do this job for 40 years, you probably can. Jovanovic: That's good to know. Someone in my lecture said the same thing today, and it's not so much that it reassures me, but engineer- ing is my passion, and I've always liked sci- ence a lot; hopefully, this is something that I can do for a long time. Shaughnessy: It's great to meet you. I'm always glad to see young people because we need a lot more in this industry. Jovanovic: At first, it was hard having minimal experience during my internships. I had practi- cally no experience with circuit board design in general—just engineering. I'm glad to be here and meet all these awesome people. I'm excited. Shaughnessy: It's good to be in a company that will pay for your training too—a lot of compa- nies don't do that. If you're in a company that doesn't send you to training, it's still up to you to keep going. You have to take care of yourself and your education. Jovanovic: Definitely. I'm in a great company. I love where I am. I appreciate the fact that they sent me here. I want to show them that I can do this and that I'm worthy of the job; hope- fully, they will see that one day. Shaughnessy: I'm sure you'll do fine. Thanks for speaking with me tonight, Tamara. Jovanovic: Thank you. DESIGN007