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Critique Stül
Role
Co-designer
Duration
6 weeks
Design Objective
To create an easy-to-manufacture stool for College of Design students to use while ongoing critique sessions.
Stool Competition Winner
01 Understand
The College of Design wanted to create a stool for critiquing sessions that was cheap, easy to manufacture, and fit into the design language of the building.
The students want a stool that is easy to carry and doesn't need to be dragged to the critique area. They also prefer a separate stool for this area in case they want to continue working in the studio area on their chair.
Critique Stool Design Requirements
Sitting Height
Easy to Store
Sturdy / Lightweight
Easy Mobility
Designed for Manufacturing
College of Design Aesthetic
College of Design Aesthetic Research
Industrial
Natural wood
Exposed
The College of Design uses a lot of repeating geometrical patterns and exposed wood throughout the building.
02 Develop
We realized we needed a stool that was easy to store and quick to access. While conducting visual research of the space we realized that the railings were underutilized yet easy to access. We wanted to try to use them to store our stools.
We tested out various rail hanging mechanisms and compared them against 4 criteria:
1. How easy it was to remove and put back on the railing
2. How much space it took up
3. How stable it was once hanging from the railing
4. How complicated it was to manufacture
One design clearly stood out!
But we needed to refine this concept in a few areas
Handle Placement
The handle needed to be positioned in a natural and intuitive place for students to access.
Ergonomics of Seat
The seat itself needed to be comfortable as students would sit on it for long periods of time.
Weight of Solid Chair
If students were expected to carry this stool, it needed to be extremely lightweight to use.
03 Deliver
Based on the feedback we created our final stool
Used minimal material of a 4x4 sheet of wood cut with a CNC machine
Very easy to assemble without using screws or other fasteners.
Very easy to store and fit into COD aesthetic
Natural handle placement makes the stool easy to pick up
The dipped seat follows natural contours to add comfort
The negative space reduces the weight of the chair while still feeling comfortable to sit on
The chair cut out makes it fit on the railing snuggly without fear of falling over
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