Hi r/awayluggage! Hannah here 👋
I joined Away as Head of Design last year, and I'm doing my first Reddit AMA on Thursday, May 7 at 12pm ET to talk about the design and engineering behind our suitcases—specifically the process behind our newest innovation, Topside.
A bit about me: I've spent my career designing across categories, continents, and teams, and I've held onto one belief through all of it: great design improves the human experience. At Away, that means thinking hard about how people actually move through the world. Topside is a product of a lot of those conversations.
About Topside: You heard it here first. We’re introducing our first non-clamshell hardside suitcase! Topside features top-loading access, deeper packing, and our first-ever StopLock^(TM) wheel brake. It's truly our most innovative suitcase yet, engineered for tight spaces and easy unpacking.
I’m happy to answer questions about:
- Why we chose a top-opening format
- The design and engineering process behind our new features
- How we make new product decisions more generally
- My approach to design leadership
- What else you’d like to see from Away
A few ground rules:
- Please keep your comments on topic for this AMA. The more specific, the better! I'll prioritize questions about Topside, its design, and our process.
- Please respect the Subreddit rules. For specific order questions, send u/away_official a DM.
I'll be live answering questions from 12–1pm ET on May 7, and I'll come back the next day to catch any I missed. Drop your questions below in advance if you can't make it live.
Looking forward to it!
– Hannah
