The structure works- now its time for design decisions

After the one to one scale tryout I had to make one to five scale prototype using laser cutter. I had to see the shape and how a chair can become a daybed when more parts are added.

 I cut different shapes of backs to decide how it should look like. All of them were to square and reminded garden furniture. That wasnt what I wanted at all. Horrible.

When it became a day bed it became even more horrible. It were to many parts, it became heavy and the result were not justifying so many parts.

 The only good thing that came out of that were the wedges. I tried different shapes.

Then I thought that maybe its better to have backless seat. It reduces the weight and this one can serve as a storage place (the pipe). But I still had a problem with how the bed looks like.

after speaking with some people I knew I have to change the bed. I still wanted that my chair will be able to transform to something else. So I thought about a coffee table. 

Now I could play with the shape more since Im not limited with legs width. 

I started to sketch from cardboard

Now it was decided: Backless rocking low chair that becomes a table. The legs are very simple. You can just put them under the chair legs. Detailed pictures will come..

Now I have to decide on the shape. The silhouette of the chair. It should speak furniture and not a toy, But not a square either. How to find the balance. Tomorrow I will look at rocking armchair silhouettes. Its interesting how we recognize objects by their silhouettes and even a small shift can provoke totally different association.

Shaping real size

 Creating angle of 107 

  Drilling with square drill using angled surface

 Connections 107 angle

 Connection to stabilize the construction

Turning point

I wanted to use mattress sponge to create seats. But it went to far from my concept. If I use sponge, it means I have to make the covers and use more materials then I have to. Its also becomes too heavy and sponge is toxic material. Using toxic materials contradicts with design for happiness. Heaviness contradicts with nomadic lifestyle. I was recommended to change a bit the target group.

So now its students or people in the beginning of they carrier that move for work and exploring new opportunities.

My materials changed to sheets of wood and textile. The wooden sheets are cutted in specific way and its possible to weave the textile (that a users can buy by them selves) in to the wooden frames using other designed connections.
Benefits: Light (carry just the frames), easy recycling, non toxic, puzzle like, no limit of parts, a user can give it another look by using different fabric, a big difference between the separate parts then to when they are together as finished furniture. The users will fill that they did something because of that.
The connecting parts can be designed from other type of wood, another color and so on. They help to achieve different look as well.

Thinking about trends

http://trendwatching.com/trends/7trends2014/

Conjunctive ambiguity - what is that?

I discovered conjunctive ambiguity while reading Paul Hekkert article Design aesthetics: principals of pleasure in design. In simple words it means double meaning. For example when a pattern is ambiguous, it allows more then one interpretation. Apparently when we see these kind of designs we experience a "wow" effect which can be repeated over and over again depending on the case.
Why? It is all connected to evolutionary psychology so we prefer environmental patterns and features that are beneficial for our development of the senses  in order to survive. Because of that we learned to enjoy discover this patterns and features.
So here are some examples of conjunctive ambiguity.

Institute du Monde Arabe by Jean Nouvel. What you see from distance is not just a beautiful pattern but also shutters that open or close depending on the sun.

"Clouds" textile tiles could leave different impression if it was just one big piece of fabric. But here a closer look makes the viewer see that its multiple pieces that can be arranged in variety of shapes and colors.

Hidden Creativity: QR Code Portrait Hides Double Meaning

http://weburbanist.com/2011/05/26/hidden-creativity-qr-code-portrait-hides-double-meaning/

I would like to use conjunctive ambiguity in my design. My idea is to make a pattern as part of the seat design but the pattern will be created out of function. Details later...

New name: Modular seating system for the living room aimed for nomadic lifestyle.

Now I know that my design will consist from multiple items that will serve as seats. I am thinking about different textiles and soft surfaces. Low seats. Maybe with possibilities for low tables. Can be assembled in a desired way according to activity and occasion. My design should speak furniture. Not seating pillows or carpets. 

Done some more reading today. Article about design for happiness. What are the ingredients of that design.

Positive Design: An Introduction to Design for Subjective Well-Being

Pieter M. A. Desmet* and Anna E. Pohlmeyer

http://www.ijdesign.org/ojs/index.php/IJDesign/article/view/1666/595

Enjoy!

Seating or sofa. How to call it? What is that?

I am thinking about softness and coziness that you can assemble with cushions and textiles. Multiple items. Passel like. I dont know if I can call it a sofa. Maybe its a seat.

First I have to create visual identity of the new nomads. What is their environment? Their activity? What kind of objects surround them? The seating have to emphasize their identity. They have to recognize themselves in the seating. This factor creates more attachment.

From there I can think about three levels of design (visceral, behavioral and reflective) and what I should include in design of each level. 

I was browsing and found some pictures of seats, sofas that I like. They inspire me with shapes, flexibility, the way that textile designed, how 2d becomes 3d and so on.

The new nomads

The new nomads are people who have no fixed home and move from place to place because of different working opportunities or to  experience other places while working remotely.  

This is how I define my users. 

Here is very interesting website for those who live or want to live like that 

http://www.nunomad.com/

Now I have to figure out what will be my inspiration. What will be the visual language in my project.

That will be my departure point. I need to create visual identity for these people. What will be the images of my inspiration board?

Meanwhile I can give examples of other nomadic aesthetic.

In this case the home full of colorful patterned textiles. Places for sitting are low and comfortable. There is a variety of different pillows that give the users freedom to arrange them as they want to. It is very different from so called modern nomadic furniture.

In my opinion this kind of furniture is for temporary traveling away from existing home. It is for travelers, not for nomads. But yet, it is easy to transport and store.
Should my design have a combination of both? We will see in the nearer future.

Motivation

I feel responsible to do more then designing from recicable materials using sustainable methods. Only that will not prevent from people get rid of their furniture quickly. Nowadays it is very easy to buy cheap furniture and while moving out after half a year through it away.

There are many foldable nomadic furniture which serve the function but they give a feeling of temporary condition. Therefore I would like to base my thesis on emotional design principals. I believe that emotional attachment and design for happiness lies in the core of sustainable product and the design of this sofa will be the result of this statement.

“Product experience is a multi-faceted phenomenon that involves manifestations such as subjective feelings, behavioral reactions, expressive reactions, and physiological reactions” Pieter Desmet and Paul Hekkert

In order to understand how to control emotional responses to a product which in this case nomadic sofa, I will use Donald A. Normans theory “Three levels of design”. This theory divides design and response to visceral, behavioral and reflective.

On the visceral level of design which is attended to the surface features I will use aesthetic principals.

“Following thinking in evolutionary psychology, it is argued that we aesthetically prefer environmental patterns and features that are beneficial for the development of the senses' functioning and our survival in general” Paul Hekkert

I believe that following these strategies will result an ultimate design which means sustainable design, design for attachment and happiness. 

Donald A. Normans' video about “Three levels of design”

Pieter Desmets' video about design for happiness

Who is the new nomad?

Here I can see for sure that it is going to be very simple. We can be anywhere we want!
http://www.doublerobotics.com/
We don't have to BE where we work. We don't have to BE where we study or maybe even party...
How this kind of freedom experience can affect design of other items? How our sofas will look like in the world of freedom?

You are welcomed to share your opinion!

Master project idea

Nomadic sofa based on emotional design principals

I believe that in the nearer future we will move around even more because many works will be done on line from distance and because more professionals will work on freelance basis. I think that this flexibility in working places will create the new nomads.

I imagine these people moving from town to town, from country to country living in small apartments or even trailers. Very often they will rent a totally empty apartments which are very anonymous.

I think that a home feeling is necessary especially for nomadic lifestyle and can be achieved through furniture that makes its way with the users.

Why sofa?

I would like to focus on a sofa design since I think that this particular furniture item is the most responsible for a home feeling because of its comfort and multi functionality (sitting, laying, sleeping, and social interaction)

During my master project I would like to explore:

How our sofas will look like if we are moving from place to place and have a space limitations but still want to have a home feeling?

How our sofas will look like if we no longer watch TV or watch it rarely but want to interact with each other?

Can our sofas look like decorative objects that transform to functional furniture?

My design will be based on emotional design principals. Every detail will be designed to create certain emotions in the user.