Initial Ideas: Chair to Lounge

 Even though I did not complete a lot of research behind this, I decided to add my thoughts down on a paper without filtering them.

After these initial ideas, I will be researching different existing products and the colour purple all week. My goal is to have as much research as possible by the end of the week and then simultaneously start developing my ideas as I feel like I do not have a lot of time left. 

DESIGN #1:

This was one of the first designs I came up with. Surprisingly, I really like this one. It has a cube stool stored under the chair which can either be used as a stool or you can combine it with the chair to form a lounge. I like the idea of separate parts being combined together. The user only has to move the stool and he can transform the chair. The use does not go through the process of folding and unfolding the chair to transform it. Additionally, they come in separate parts which allows the user to utilise the stool by itself to in order to accommodate any guest he has. 

I feel like the shape and aesthetics of this chair are very unique and that it would match it a lot of apartments. I can visualise the development of this chair already and I am definitely going to consider this chair to develop. 

DESIGN #2:

The second design was inspired by some research of planks I did earlier this semester. I though of the idea of designing a chair using multiple planks. The planks would be able to fold and unfold to  form the chair and the lounge. I like this idea as I feel like it is simple yet very effective. I could add paintings or texture on the surface of the chair to make it look like more of a piece of art when it is unfolded. 

However, one issue I can definitely point out from now is that the chair will not be able to withstand weight. Looking at the shape of the chair when it is in a lounge state, there is not enough plank on the floor to act like a base. The user would add all his weight on the left side, and this would cause the chair to tilt as there is no support under that. I am glad I noticed this now as it would be very unstable and maybe dangerous for the user.

Safety precautions is definitely something I need to take into account. If the chair is made out of wood and the user falls down from it, he can injure himself. This design is not ideal, however, I like the concept of it. 

DESIGN #3:

In comparison to design 3, this is an improved version. I talked about the backrest having no leg support which might cause it to collapse. In this design, I added some support to ensure that the chair will not be tilting and would be very sturdy. 

The user would once again be able to fold and unfold it to create the lounge. If I design something like this, maybe I could consider creating a mattress to be placed on top of the lounge. Even though I feel like the concept of folding, unfolding, adding and unadding mattresses is a hustle, I could still look into this. 

However, this chair comes up all the way to the neck which can be useful for the posture of the user when studying. I have to look closely into ergonomics and anthropometrics to ensure that my users are going to have maximum comfort. 

This is definitely an improved design from the previous one. 

DESIGN #4:

The idea of this design is to have a double layer of the chair, and then be able to unfold one of the layers to create a leg rest. Even though again, I like the concept of this design, I dislike the execution. In my opinion, it looks like a sunbed which might not look coherent in a student accommodation. If the chair was designed in a more rectangular shape, it might avoid looking like a sunbed. 

However, I decided to try out a more organic shape so the user can naturally let the body relax. In my development stage, I am definitely eager on designing more shapes with this chair to see where it goes. 

DESIGN #5:

I feel like this design is my least favourite one out of all. I feel like it is very bulky and it would unnecessarily take up a lot of space. I could potentially make each layer thinner, however, the main idea of this design was to create it out of very comfortable cushions for more user comfort.

However, having that in mind, when the user is working he would be sinking in the comfortable cushions which might result in him being less motivated and would not want to do work. Keeping in mind what Rietveld said, he mentioned that he created furniture with hard surfaces to keep the user alert. This can be something I consider in my designs.

Additionally, if all the structure is made out of cushions, this may cause really bad posture to the user which can result to pain and discomfort in the long run. 

I need to research what material could be utilised to increase comfort and make sure that the user is alert.

Overall, I dislike this idea compared to the other ideas. 

Most probably, the chair will not be able to fit into the cupboard as my theme has shifted from foldable products to multi-functional products. I will be researching about this to see which one is more suitable.

My opinion: I really like the first design as it stands out from the rest. It provides the user with a simple yet very effective solution for the problem. It also provides the user with 3 functions as he can use them for a stool, a chair and a lounge. I am really intrigued by this design and I am very excited to see where it goes in my development.

After looking at my designs, it was time to ask for feedback from the same 4 people that gave me feedback the first time:

Person #1: I am intrigued by the fourth design. I feel like it is a very innovative design. I can understand where you are coming from when you say that it resembles a sunbed, however, I do not necessarily find that a bad thing. With some development, I feel like this can turn out great.

Person #2: As a person that barely has any studying to do for my course, I would prefer design 5. I could easily purchase a cheap chair for my studying. I am always the one to prioritise rest over studying; therefore, I think that chair is ideal for me. 

Person #3: I would be the first to purchase the first design. It looks like a design that can be utilised by a great majority of your target market as it is inviting to both genders and all ages. It is very modern yet minimalistic and it provides with a great solution to the problem. It has intricate shapes that can be developed to form an even more interesting outcome. 

Person #4: The design that I would definitely not purchase is the second one. I feel like you developed ideas like the first one that can also provide the user with an extra function. Continuing in that direction would be my advice as you seem very confident in that design and I believe in it a lot.

I am happy by the feedback I received, and I am planning on researching and developing my products.

I was planning on completing one more initial ideas for the cupboard that turns into a table. However, I feel like that will not be beneficial as I have some initial thoughts. I want to focus on research now and see how I can become influenced from my research to develop these pieces. Even though I completed some initial sketches, the end result may differ drastically. I mentioned that I wanted to explore more shapes in the table initial ideas. I will be exploring these in the development after the research. 

As I mentioned various times, the shapes and elements in this design will change after my research. This was simply to blog my initial thoughts and show how I use research to develop them. I will be adding materials and components after my final developed idea.

To recap, this is what I am designing:

A cupboard that turns into more storage, shelves and table.

A chair  that turns into a lounge. 

A question my tutor raised was how these differ from other products in the market: 

In my own designs, I take everything into consideration. I will make sure that they combine 4 very important things: form/ aesthetics, function, durability and being affordable.

This is the problem I stumbled across in the market. Whenever I found an aesthetically pleasing product, it was either too expensive or the function did not excite me. It was very rare for me to find products that combine all these functions. 

As a student, you need something  that looks nice to make you want to work and make you motivated. You need something affordable and durable as you need to ensure that the products you are investing in will last a long lifetime without renewing them. And, you need them to function correctly to avoid frustration. 

Not only do these products have 2-3 functions each, they conserve space and they will be very affordable and aesthetically pleasing. I feel like this would succeed in the market as it combines everything.  In my development stage, I will be changing these designs to make them stand out more and then I will explain more in depth about how these products differ from the market. 

HOWEVER, my tutor mentioned that the chair could slide into a drawer in the cupboard. I do find this idea interesting and i'm planning on exploring it in my development