Comfort Chair projectdesigning a communication and multimadia chair for the Catharina Hospital Children’s ward

student name: Tom Fejer M1.1S number: s101866t.i.fejer@student.tue.nl

Technical University of EindhovenIndustrial Design department2012

Table of contentIntroduction General context 6 Approach 7 Executive summary 8 Process 9Concept Design direction 12 Present functionality 15 Usage 18 Physical prototypes 20 Color themes 22Process Context investigation 26 Trend research 29 Design language 31 Frankenstein proto 33 Shape exploration 34 Ergonomics 36

Concept generation 38 Making of design 40 Concept creation 42 Concept elaboration 44

Interview with myself 46

The CC1 communication and multimedia chair is designed for an isolation room in the children’s ward in Eindhoven in collaboration with several experts from the different stakeholders.

In this report I introduce the CC1 chair concept and show how I analyzed the users, the context of usage and the current design trends. During the design process I used several prototyping techniques and based on numerous experts meetings I made a de-sign proposal of a piece of furniture which fulfill the requirements of different parties of the project.

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IntroductionIn 2012 the Marathoon foundation, Catharina Hospital, Van Berlo Design Agency, Web Chair Communication System and the Technical Uni-versity of Eindhoven started a project to design a piece of furniture and technological support for the children’s ward in Eindhoven to enable them to keep in touch and stay connected with their friends, family and follow classes remotely.

My first approach was to understand the different situations and user cases in order to design a piece of furniture which seamlessly transforms to the specific usage where the sitting position is as natural as the location of the interface or display. Next to its usability I aligned the design to the target group to make a chair which is not only comfortable, natural to use, but also looks and feels appealing for the target group.

General context problem statement

Thousands of kids are diagnosed with cancer 1,2 every year and numerous facilities provide environments and support for them. During chemotherapy treatment these kids should stay in these wards to get the proper treatment and medications. In very extreme cases the patients are isolated in an ‘isolation room’ which is a sterile environment in order to avoid any infections. These times are not only difficult for the child because of the side effects of the treatment but it is also chal-lenging emotionally because they are separated by their friends, relatives and hard to attend school. The emotional well-being strongly relates to the phys-ical well-being 3 therefore hospitals try their best to provide entertainment and social activities for the kids inside the ward.

There are several services and products trying to help the kids to feel more connected to the outside world, stay in touch with their family, friends and even follow classes remotely from the hospital. One of this is a vi-sual presence service provider called the Web Chair4. Their communication system is currently using an advanced video chat system and a presence device in school. Via an internet connection it can be controlled by the children on a laptop in the hospital.

1 “Facts - People Against Childhood Cancer.” 2011. 10 Jun. 2012 <http://curechildhood-cancer.ning.com/page/facts-1>2 “Childhood Cancers - National Cancer Institute.” 2005. 10 Jun. 2012 <http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/childhood>3 Based on the expert meeting with Graham Smith (Chief Technical Officer - Webchair)4 “WEBCHAIR.” 10 Jun. 2012 <http://www.webchair.com/>

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ApproachMethod

The project had three main phase. First the preparation with experts, than a personal design investigation with different prototyping techniques and finally the concept generation where the results of the first two phases were the inputs in the creative ideation. 1 Preparationgather more information about the users, the context in order to define an initial design DNA5 and user cases in collaboration with the stake-holders

2 Design Investigationdevelop further the form language and the usabil-ity by making and drawing

3 Concept Generationfinalize the design, define features and details by make experienceable prototypes

5 expression used in VanBerlo design agency (Zuzanna Skalska)

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Executive summaryConcept description

The CC1 is a furniture concept which integrates a video chat and entertainment system into a modern, adapt-able design structure. By understanding the different user cases and current design trends, the chair concept offers an interesting design proposal to the market - it looks fresh, innovative, clean and soft in shape. It uses a touch-screen all-in-one computer which is connected to the CC1 with a two section articulated arm support. Furthermore, it allows the user to align the screen into the right distance and angle. The rotational seating af-fords a playful possibility to adapt the position how one wants to use the screen.

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Process1 Preparation

1.1 Context Investigation gather information about the isolation room and the target group (cancer patient childrens) and find deep user insights 1.2 Trend Research gather information (prod-ucts, brands, services, graphics, environments, activities) categorized by gender and age group in order to define rele-vant trends, principles in design what kids like and desire nowadays

1.3 Design Languagebased on the trend re-search and the purpose of the product I created a ‘design DNA’ where I selected inspirational ma-terials to define the ‘look and feel’ of the design concept

2 Design Investigation

2.1 Frankenstein Prototypingbefore the concept gen-eration I started with an existing chair and upgraded it with materials I found to create functional surfaces (e.g: tabletop or footrest) in order to experience different structures, user cases, level of comfort in first hand

2.2 Shape ExplorationThree concept shapes designed for different usage (communication, entertain-ment, education) to exper-iment with extremes to see which direction (or directions) has more opportunity to develop further

2.3 Ergonomics and Chair AssessmentIn order to be able to devel-op a shape direction further I had to define functional properties, features which will guide me what mechan-ical or structural elements will be necessary. Therefore I analysed several chairs by trying them out in person.

3 Concept Generation

3.1 Making of DesignMake different sur-faces and trying them out with different pro-totyping techniques (using ‘chicken-wire’, cardboard and foam)

3.2 Concept CreationDefine features and details of the concept

3.3 Concept Elabo-rationWork out the main parts in CAD, spec-ify the components, interaction and usage

CC1 communication and multimedia chair concept

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Design directionAs an initial step of the concept develop-ment, I created a design DNA ‘mood board’ based on a trend research with was sup-ported by Suzanna Skalska, trend-research-er in VanBerlo design agency. The board contains keywords, images of products, environments, graphics, colors which I found interesting and inspiring and most important-ly relevant in this project. I used this material specially in the concept creation phase for finding shapes, materials, colors, details which fits in the trends I recognized and vision I have.

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Present functionalityThe CC1 is a high-tech chair which modestly inte-grates numerous features in a clean and friendly design to provide a smart and practical piece of furniture in the childrens ward.

One of the main feature of the chair is the two section articulated arm which allows the user to adjust the distance and angle between them and the 22 inch HP Touchsmart all-in-one PC. The chair segmented into two part, a rotating top part with a sophisticated back- and armrest and a symmetrical base part which includes a game console. The fully rotating seat over the base allow flexibility and freedom to the user to align themselves to the screen.

Between the two parts there is a characteristic lighting line going around with a playful tangi-ble control which works with capacitive sensors implemented under the top shell. By touching and moving your hand around different areas of the surface, the user can adjust the temperature and the brightness of the LED light sources.

When I designed the CC1, portability was an important requirement which I had to take it into account because in the hospital the nurses needs to move the chair in different rooms therefore I added wheels under the base and a handle which allows to move the chair with one hand.

The replaceable cushion insert in different colors is a reaction both to the hospital hygiene require-ments and the kids need to have a choice in what color they would like to have. The cushions are connected to the chair via magnetic connection for the easy replacing and cleaning.

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UsageWhen I defined the surface of the back- and armrest I focused on three different user scenarios: education, entertainment and communication. All three requires different body support, distance and angle of the screen.

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1. EducationOne of the main focus of the project was creating a natural surface for the WebChair communica-tion system and help the children in the hospital to attend to school remotely. In this case the screen is functioning as a ‘window’ or ‘gate’ to the classroom and the computer should be in front of the child in a comfortable distance. In this situation the touch interface is not playing any role and a normal sitting required for note taking and reading.

2. CommunicationNext to the academic development the patients’ social life is important as well. The kids nowadays are using online platforms to communicate, share images, links, music and play together. For this rich online interaction next to the video chat the touch interface plays an import-ant role as well therefore the computer screen should be close enough for the comfortable control and the seating can be very free, leaning back, even the feets on the seat.

3. EntertainmentDuring the period when the kids are getting their chemotherapy, they are experiencing different kind of side effects (nausea, vomiting, tiredness). By providing them possi-bilities to distract their attention on the treatment can help them dealing with the side effects. For that reason, I wanted the arm to be able to bend out to have a comfortable viewing angle for watch-ing tv or movies.

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Physical prototypesDuring the design project I made quick, real size, experienceable prototypes to be able to define, volumes, shapes or features. I experimented with several techniques to build different quality of proto-types for different purposes as quick and efficient as possible.

1. Frankenstein prototype

Frankenstein prototyp-ing is a technique when you do not make parts of the prototype but collect existing products, parts, and attach them together for a different purpose. I started with a regular chair and started adding different surfaces to it. The technique let me ex-perience how does it feel to be wired and sitting in a chair where I would like to follow a class, chat with friends or watch a movie.

2. Chicken wire prototype

Chicken wire, or poultry netting, is a mesh of wire commonly used to fence poultry livestock and a very handy prototyping material to experiment with surfaces in bigger scale. With this wire I could try out different surface transitions and see and modify different volumes.

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3. Cardboard prototype

After I created a 3D model in CAD I wanted to see it in real life as quick as possible therefore I cut out a few sections of the body model from card-board and compile them. The big advantage of the cardboard model is that you can sit on it, easily add or remove parts and get an overall feeling about the shape and vol-ume of the design.

4. Foam prototype

The foam model is the prototype level where you can see surfaces, surface transitions, details. Also the foam allows to inte-grate components what is not that easy with other materials that is why I could insert wheels, mov-ing parts and lights into this model to try them out with the shape I defined.

Color themescushion color proposals

Process In this part of the documentation I would like to share an overview of the results of the different steps of the design process with my personal reflections.

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Context Investigation gather information about the isolation room and the tar-get group (cancer patient childrens) and find deep user insights

In the beginning of the project I had to collect information about this specific target group to know more about their condition and limitations. I also had interviews with pediatricians and specialists in the Catharina hospital to discuss further about the hos-pital environment, the special requirements for designing for the isolation room.

key investigation results:- electric safety of the isolation room: any device can be used with CE (Conformité Européenne) mark 6

- mechanical safety: the dedicated depart-ment of the hospital should test and verify certain parts and mechanisms

- the fabrics should be daily washable with a washing-machine

- the patients should be easily reachable for the medication and the monitoring

- the piece of furniture should be portable, they would like to use in several isolation rooms

6“CE mark - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.” 2005. 10 Jun. 2012 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_mark>7“General information about chemotherapy - Macmillan Cancer Support.” 2009. 10 Jun. 2012 <http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertreatment/Treatment-types/Chemotherapy/Generalinformation/Whatitis.aspx>

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About the chemotherapyChemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells (including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma). There are different groups of anti-cancer drugs that can be used.There are over 50 different cytotoxic che-motherapy drugs. Some are given on their own, but often two or more drugs are given together. This is known as combination chemotherapy.7

side effects· Increased chance of infection· Increased bleeding and bruising· Hair loss· Nausea and vomiting· Dry mouth; changes to the sense of taste· Tiredness· Skin and Nail changes· Effects on the nerves· Effects on the nervous system

//reflectionTogether with the other project members we requested several times to meet with kids in the hospital in person but our contacts could not manage personal meetings for some reason. When I design for such a specific target group, a intense series of personal interviews would be necessary to get decent amount of information and feel-ing about the target group. I tried to find as many documentaries and forums online to gather insights from the internet.In s more ideal set-up a few session would be scheduled in different phases of the project to test ideas, concepts and prototypes.

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Trend research gather information (products, brands, ser-vices, graphics, environments, idols, activities) categorized by gender and age group in order to define relevant trends, principles in design what kids like and desire nowadays. by rec-ognizing and understanding these trends I can create a concept which fits to the current market.I bought several children and teen magazines, I watched cartoons, went to toy stores and clothes shops to discover the variety of prod-ucts which are currently on the market.Together with a trend researcher from VanBerlo design agency (Suzanna Skalska) we identify 3 age group and I analyzed them by gender which resulted 6 moodboards which shows the difference and overlaps in the interests of the different age and gender groups.

//reflectionin the preparation phase this trend research was a very new tool for me to organize and understand the users / customers and put it into a format which I can use it further in the concept generation by categorize the visuals. With this exercise I also get closer to the target group, and made me easier to adapt to their mindset later on in the ide-ation.

simpleclearorganicsofttangibleplayfulcontrastintegratedconnectedlifecolorfuljoyfulintelligentnaturalinvitingsafebright

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Design languagebased on the trend research and the purpose of the product I created a ‘design DNA’ where I selected inspirational materials to define the ‘look and feel’ of the design concept

// reflectionthis was the first time I made such a mood-board which tend to define a design direction. I always used inspirational materials but never cap-tured them in such an organized way where I can actually describe why I choose these items

simpleclearorganicsofttangibleplayfulcontrastintegratedconnectedlifecolorfuljoyfulintelligentnaturalinvitingsafebright

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Frankenstein prototypingbefore I started the concept generation I started working with an existing chair and upgraded it with material I found to create functional surfaces (e.g: tabletop or footrest) in order to expe-rience different structures, user cases, level of comfort in first hand

//reflectionthis technique was really effective and quick but the difficulty was to properly document and assess the results to use it further into concept creation. by involving other people into this prototyping session (even targeted users) would generate better results and easier to capture the findings

Shape ExplorationThree concept shapes designed for different us-age (communication, entertainment, education) to experiment with extremes to see which direction (or directions) has more opportunity to develop further

After some very intense drawing session I selected three shape directions for the three usage I defined. With this I wanted to create expressive shapes and structures where the functionality naturally comes from the way how the user will sit on it.

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Communication concept

A strong, geometric struc-ture holds a soft organic cushion. The chair allows a little bit of flexibility in movement and with the closed, soft seating it gives a feeling of a cradle. A tabletop can be applied both from the hard outer frame and the soft insert.

Entertainment concept

Playful, uncontrolled, super-organic shape which let the user sit and lie in several different positions.

Education concept

Geometric shape supports regular sitting for writing and typing. A small stand (workspace) can be placed and attached to different parts of the seat.

//reflectionIn retrospect, all three concepts had potential but none of the communicates the idea of a ‘furniture which supports video communication to kids in the hospital’. It happened because of the lack of clear insights, technical and usability requirements what the previous interview and research did not gave me clearly. Therefore I made a decision this point, and started a different approach, with experimenting with exist-ing products and try to clarify the functionalities, requirements before generating the concepts.

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Ergonomics and Chair Assessment

In order to be able to develop a shape direction further I had to define functional properties, features which will guide me what mechanical or structural elements will be necessary. Therefore I analysed several chairs by trying them out in person.

For my personal usability test I visited the IKEA# (international home products compa-ny ) to try out different types of furniture by myself. This test gave me a better overview what is currently on the market in terms of functionality, materials, structure and overall impression.

For further assessment, I choose the ARVIKA chair#

Key features of the ARVIKA

- Adjustable tilt tension. Increase or decrease the resis-tance to suit your movements and weight. Lever located under the seat.

-Molded high-resilient polyurethane foam gives rounded shapes and great, durable seating comfort.

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Next to this features I saw possibility to add an adjust-able tabletop, footrest, additional back support and built in speakers and lights to the head part.

// reflectionI believe the decision to step back and gather more inputs from existing chairs was reasonable and a level of documentation should have happened with the Frankenstein prototype as well in order to clarify the findings. The challenge with this phase was I started to redesign an existing chair and in the concept generation I should use the results of the research in a more abstract and pragmatic way.

Concept GenerationThe key learnings from the design and usability investigation:

- support the following user cases: education, communication, entertainment

- multiple sitting position support regarding to user cases

- multiple screen orientation and position regarding to user cases

- fresh, playful, comfortable look and usage

- easy to clean

- easy to transport

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Making of Design(*see it in detail in pg. 20)

Make different surfaces and trying them out with different prototyping techniques (using ‘chicken-wire’, cardboard and foam)

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//reflectionOne of my main personal achievement in this project was to be able to force myself and try out different prototyping techniques from the beginning of the design process. I learnt the level of details I can reach from different prototyping methods, and ‘as detailed is the prototype as detailed the feedback I can get’. The different materials required different time and effort as well e.g. a Frankenstein prototype can be made in an hour, a big cardboard model in half a day and a foam volume-model takes days or even weeks depending on the level of details and complexity of the shape. Overall, I can say, now I have a better understanding in quick prototyping and in the future I can make decisions which material or technique fits better into my purposes.

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Concept CreationDefine features and details of the concept

Based on the inputs of my personal explorations and interviews with experts from different stakeholders of the project I created a general concept which includes details in design direction such as components, fea-tures and the ‘look and feel’ of the proposal.

Later on, based on the experts comments, I had to change the tablet into a 22” touch screen computer, remove the gateway solution, the external accessories and make the overall shape circular to communicate the rotational feature in the design.

What I could keep was the contrast in materials and shape between the seat and the base part, the interest-ing seating surface, the light line and rotation.

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//reflectionI had sometimes hard times working with the clients (but I assume it will not be easier in the future) to align their inputs with my design. After working on a concept which based on a interaction with a 9,7” tablet it was not easy to align the design to a giant touch screen computer and accept of changing my concept I forced the screen into a even smaller chair. Now I know I should have create a new concept based on the updated inputs or align their input into my initial vision and try to propose technical alternatives. I did not do it because of the time pressure and the lack of experience. In the future I should handle clients a little bit different, not rely on one experts input but initiate detailed discussions from the beginning to clarify the technical possibilities, limitations in time.

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Concept Elaboration(*see it in detail in pg. 17)

Work out the main parts in CAD, specify the compo-nents, interaction and usage

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//reflectionThe first challenge of this phase was the surface modelling in CAD (I used Solidworks for that) because the seating surface is quite complex, than in the same time I made the foam model based on my small hand drawn sketches and some measurements of my previous prototypes. This intense parallel workflow somehow resulted the shrink-ing of the overall volume in CAD and in the prototype as well. To prevent that in my upcoming works I need create size and ratio variations, using references in CAD (e.g. a regular chair next to my model). I wanted to create the foam model for presentation purposes to show my design but after the big design change I should have make a quick cardboard model again and when I am satisfied (and maybe tested) the size than I should have started making the foam model.

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Interview with myselfCan I explain the project?In 2012 the Marathoon foundation, the Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven, the Technical University of Eindhoven started a project in collaboration with the VanBerlo design Agency and the Webchair video communication system to design a piece of furniture which can be used in childrens hospital to use the ‘Webchair’ system which allows kids in the isolation room to follow classes and attend to school via a visual presence device.

Why did I choose this project?I was always triggered by the idea of embedded, integrated technology and furniture design as well. I thought this project is a good opportunity to com-bine interactive systems in a classic design project.

Am I satisfied with my project? Why?I learnt a lot about users, working with multiple clients, I tried out prototyping techniques myself but I have a feeling this project had much more poten-tial than the concept I made. I could capture some important aspects of the usage and create an interesting design proposal.

Why the client did not choose my concept?The clients wanted to create a quick and attractive working prototype in the upcoming few months and they found my concept less feasible and attractive than the other concepts.

Does my work has any additional message?This project was aiming a hospital environment but I think the time of smart-furniture will come soon into our homes as well. More and more of our everyday products and tools will include advanced technology for enhance the functionality, experience or add extra values. Sooner or later these products hopefully will work to-gether as a system and helps us to live a smarter, healthier and sustainable lifestyle.

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Where did the idea came from?I had several shape ideas but I choose this because of its simplicity and the interesting contrast of the clean, perfect, geometric base and the almost mid-century classic organic shape like the La Chaise chair from Eames.

How did I accomplish my goal?I was lucky to work with several clients and who are provided their expertise in the project. After several interviews with them I created numerous pro-totypes using different techniques in order to develop the shape and func-tionality further.

What would I do differently if I would have a chance to start the project over again?Involve more technical experts and organize few usability and user experi-ence tests with the target group.