Chair Questions - Work

How is the assigned word interpreted?

My assigned word is work. Through observation, I realized that work does not necessarily mean sitting behind a desk. In my project, I define work as “knowledge work.” Like the word “work,” “knowledge work” is also still a broad term. Knowledge work includes communication and the exchange of ideas. The chair can facilitate this work by allowing for the user to be in different positions and interacting with others. The chair will also allow for the user to feel a sense of privacy when independent thinking is needed.

Folding Methods Research

Through my research, I have found that folding can be a space saver or folding can create more usable space that otherwise wasn’t there. In my chair, folding will mean that there will be more possibilities and the possibility of more usable space. Since knowledge work generally happens in a community space, rather than at someone’s designated office space, it is important to me that the chair offers flexibility for the user to personalize the chair through folding.

Persona

Since the chair is for knowledge work in a non-designated space, the chair will have a lot of different users in one day. It is important for the chair to be light weight and easy to move. The person approaching the chair will have the opportunity to adjust it to fit their own personal need. The goal is to make the adjustment a smooth transition and something that happens naturally (like the man in the video who subconsciously moves his chair over a couple inches).

Aesthetics

Since the chair may have a lot of elements to it because of the different folding opportunities, it is important that the chair does not look visually heavy. A visually heavy chair will make the chair look more complicated than it actually is. A heavy aesthetic would defeat the purpose of making a chair that gives the user options while being easy to use and come naturally to the user.