The Crying Tent Effect

NEWS | ISSUE NINE | WHAKAKATA / HUMOUR

By AUT Ventures

University students have a perhaps slightly unhealthy habit of turning stress into humour. Whether it's joking about surviving on three hours of sleep, living off five coffees a day, or laughing in the face of looming deadlines, humour often becomes a way of coping with the realities of student life. At AUT's School of Art & Design, that same spirit once took physical form in something affectionately known as the "crying tent."

Hidden away in one of AUT's design studios, this fabric tent was exactly what it sounded like: an unofficial escape from the pressures of university life. What began as a joke soon took on a life of its own, with students using it as a genuine space to reset – if only for a moment. For AUT Bachelor of Design graduate Yeaseo Im, the idea lingered long after the laughter had faded. It wasn't until she enrolled in AUT's Material Driven Design Studio that everything clicked.

As she discovered New Zealand strong wool and its natural ability to absorb sound and regulate temperature, the memory of the crying tent took on a whole new meaning. What if the comfort and privacy of that space could be reimagined – not as a joke, but as something that genuinely supported children's wellbeing?

That question became Wool Cokoon.

Rather than creating another highly stimulating product competing for children's attention, Yeaseo chose to design the opposite: a quiet retreat where children could take a moment for themselves. Inspired by the protective qualities of a cocoon, she deliberately reimagined the spelling as Cokoon, reflecting the cosy "nook" she hoped the space would create for tamariki.

"Today, children are frequently exposed to high levels of visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli, which can lead to sensory overload and significantly impact their wellbeing," she explains.

Determined to take Wool Cokoon and its potential impact beyond the university studio, Yeaseo worked with AUT Ventures to navigate the journey from student project to market-ready innovation. While designing came naturally through her industrial design background, bringing that idea to market was a completely different challenge.

"I have learned many practical steps in designing for manufacturing, as well as guidance on how to bring this product to life," she says.

Alongside the commercialisation process, Yeaseo has continued refining Wool Cokoon with an occupational therapist and an early childhood teacher, testing the design with tamariki in early learning environments. Each round of feedback helped shape the project, ensuring it continued to evolve alongside the needs of the children it was designed to support.

With the next stage focused on small-scale manufacturing and further testing with educators and families, an idea once humorously tucked away in an AUT design studio is one step closer to classrooms across Aotearoa.

Perhaps that's the funny part. What began as a way for university students to cope with stress is now one step closer to helping tamariki do the same.