Charrete ONE

Today's Charette...the IKEA Chair

Today we were challenged in our small groups to construct an IKEA Chair. Already familiar with assembling IKEA furniture i could see this was going to be an easy task. But as it turned out, it was just the calm before the storm! Our groups changed throughout the design session as we were asked to think of reasons why people would disgard the IKEA chair we had created. This too wasn't so difficult as the chair was very stereotypical, lacking charater, originality and structural integrity! It was the cheap of the cheap chairs and I felt like I was in a lower finacial bracket for sitting in it. But while the thought of getting ones tax back wasnt too bad, I'd rather have a sore wallet than a broken coccyx.

Our challeged progressed further as the storm brewed, and we had just 15min to create 3 concepts of how we could improve the chair by redesigning it. Then if that wasn't enough brain tackling again 15min was bestowed upon us to generate 3 aftersale concepts that could make people want to keep this chair longer than their first hospital visit! And finally the design beasts that we were were challenged a 3rd time only this time an aftersale attachment to better enhance the product. And amongst the fishtanks, and the padded backs, through the table extensions and backrest adapters we were to choose just ONE of these 40 ideas to create as we lined up for the final group sprint to the finish line. And we came up with The Stable - its sweet as!

The Stable is a slide out table that retract under the seat and can be pulled out from a rotating hinge to provide a stable surface of nutritional support. The user can rest their drink, their plate, their dessert bowl...or even the remote control! With the Stable, there'll always be a table. 'Cause its sweet as!

And it came first too! Well done group, because you're sweet as too! :-D