PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

The product’s ideation journey began with defining the problem statement. With the baseline of the given problem and the designer (my posture is bad and Karim Rashid respectively), team members decided to brainstorm ways in which bad posture can stem from. Creating a mind map allowed them to do this in an efficient way. Looking through the various problem spaces, it was recognized that the realm of reading, specifically recreational reading, would be interesting to explore. This was purposeful as it was felt that whatever installation or implementation the to-be solution would need, it would yield a response that would be beneficial to solving the issue of bad posture. With that in mind, the following problem statement and project objective was created: what can we create to improve college students’ posture while reading a book? How can we support good posture by creating a relaxing and inviting environment for recreational reading in a private space?

IDEATION

After this, thumbnail sketches were created to explore potential solutions. Shown are distinct attempts made to come to a creative solution for the 3 objects: a lamp, book rest and chair. The purpose of these sketches are to help artistically visualize the starker contrasts of the potential visual spectrum the form of the product can take. The predominant inspiration for these solutions came from Karim Rashid’s previous work. The first four drawings on the top row of the thumbnail illustrates (from left to right) different iterations of the chair. These iterations include a more geometric type of chair, a crisscross type of chair, a “marshmallow”-like chair, and finally a similar type of chair to the ones previously shown with no armrests. The last drawing on the top row, along with the first two drawings on the bottom row depicts (from left to right) various iterations of the book rest, including a geometric book rest, a cloud-like book rest, and a book rest with a different type adjustable leg. The last three drawings on the bottom row portray (from left to right) several iterations of the lamp. These include lamps with a more unique “stem” part, a wine glass-like “head” part, and a different type of clamp. 

From these various ideations, the Marshmallow Chair, Diamond Lamp, and Wonder Bookrest were seen as a superior solution to progress with. Once a final consensus was made, two pin-ups were drawn to depict several perspectives and iterations of the chair, lamp and book rest in greater detail. In the pinup for the Marshmallow Chair, the perspectives focus on straight-on (front and back), side, and angled points of views. For the other pinup containing the lamp and book rest sketches, there are detailed perspectives showing the specific details of the adjustable legs and attachments of the book rest, along with the adjustable “stem” and “head” of the lamp. Color can also be seen used to emphasize possible final outcomes of the product. As Karim Rashid’s work heavily depends on bright vibrant colors, the conscious decision was made to ensure that this same color was used in the designs.  

PROTOTYPING - 1ST ITERATION

To start off the chair’s low fidelity prototyping process, the chair base used cardboard cylinders with walls several layers thick to act as support pillars. Rounded square cardboard cutouts created the top view shape of the seat base, and several tall strips of cardboard were connected with hot glue into one long line and wrapped around the cutout edges to create the vertical walls of the base. Then, stuffing and foam were used to create the seat padding.

For the back cushion, it was shaped and layered four pieces of cardboard, cutting a small space inside the two innermost layers for a scrap wood support piece. One side was covered with stuffing, then tightened it down with a thin layer of foam. To finish the cushion, a stretchy white fabric was pulled across the front. To create the support for the back cushion of the chair, two cardboard beams were sawed one end off at an angle. Using hot glue, the angled ends were attached in parallel to the back cushion, then to the front walls of the beams to the base of the chair.

The armrests of the chair were created by shaping and layering two pieces of cardboard each, then securing stuffing to both sides of each layered cutout with hot glue. Each arm cushion was then wrapped in the white fabric, pulling the fabric tight and fastening it with hot glue. Using the angled beam pieces left over from the back support, thin slits were cut in the fabric and stuffing, attached the angled tops to the cardboard cushion shape, then attached the beam sides to the sides of the chair base. As each armrest was attached to the base, the base and support beams were wrapped in the fabric.

Due to the difficult shape of the originally designed kneeling pad, the team members opted to instead create the perfect ottoman for sitting in the cross legged position. A thick cylinder of cardboard was curled up and tested various heights before sawing off the excess length. The top was covered in thick padding before wrapping all visible surfaces in the stretch fabric.

To create the head of the lamp, two plastic cups were sawed parallel to their bases, and connected by their mouths using hot glue. This created the desired angled shape. For the light source, clear office tape was used to bundle up the color changing string lights, and attached the bundle with its battery pack inside of the head. The head was then wrapped in clear geometric vinyl, securing it with hot glue. To create the lamp neck, 10 floral arranging wires were wrapped together with clear office tape. One end of the wires was bent at a 90 degree angle and attached to the bottom of the lamp head with hot glue. The base of the lamp was constructed by attaching one end of a copper tube to the lamp neck, then bending the other end into a rectangular shape to act as a stand.

First for the bookrest, a flexible cutting board was covered in geometric vinyl with hot glue. Then, the teeth and bottom surface of a hair clip were sawed off before attaching its base to the cutting board with hot and super glue. After testing, the strength of the clip were reduced by using pliers to pry the clip spring looser. Finally, the cutting board was attached to a laptop stand with duct tape and glued colored craft sticks to the sides of the arms to match the desired aesthetic.

THE FINAL LOW FIDELITY PROTOTYPE:

Based on feedback received after user testing, for the next prototype, a wider base with padding will be added to the book rest so that when someone sits on the chair with the book rest it comfortably lies on their lap. Furthermore, the lamp will be attached to the back of the chair to shine over the user's shoulders, much like multiple people recommended. For the chair, the armrests will be made more sturdy and the ottoman will be raised at an angle to better support posture of the feet. 

2ND ITERATION

Since the low fidelity prototypes were highly successful and expensive to create, it was decided to adjust the few issues users had experienced within our first iteration testing rather than start from scratch. This means that only minor changes to the already existing prototypes. Using duct tape, any exposed or uncomfortable edges that users had reported as bothersome were trimmed and tightened down. Additional padding was also added to the seat cushion, as some users had reported it was insufficiently stuffed in comparison to the back cushion. The angle was reduced which increased the support of the arm rests to make them more sturdy and reliable. The back supports of the chair were reinforced for increased reliability and sturdiness. Finally, the ottoman was raised to an angle with small support pieces made of layered cardboard attached to the bottom.

For the lamp, the string lights in the head of the lamp were dismantled and replaced with more powerful and higher light count strands. The copper stand from the bottom of the lamp was also removed and instead, the lamp was attached to the back of the chair at an angle to provide over-the-shoulder light. This was done by weaving the copper strand around the back support beams and back onto the base of the lamp neck.

The bookrest gained a much larger, wider base, made of several layers of stacked cardboard which was shaped to give users room to rest their hands or other possessions on. Additionally, padding was added to the underside of the base to ensure maximum comfort. This was comprised of stuffed pillows reused from a discarded past project. Finally, the base and book clip were painted with a custom paint mix to match the surface of the book rest, and the geometric vinyl was glued across the base with hot glue.

THE FINAL PROTOTYPE: