Design of a cozy and ergonomic workplace

Abstract: The aim of this project is to develop an armchair for work, in collaboration with the furniture company Jooy. A background study was first performed to define the mission statement and to set the requirements. The background study includes a market research to know who the customers and the potential clients can be, a study of the Scandinavian design style and gathering data from customers to define the users’ needs. After the background study, potential users were delivered a questionnaire to clarify the objectives. The next step has been to set the specifications. At this point, the idea generation stage was carried out using creative and rational design methods, such as the Morphological Chart, until the final concept was chosen. Using the specifications and creative methods such as Brain drawing, different possible solutions were generated. When the product was defined, a study in materials and ergonomics was performed. In addition, a prototype was built to test by users at University of Skövde. Finally, 3D CAD model was implemented in PTC Creo Parametric. The design process followed is inspired by the front-end concept development process.   During the development of the project the collaboration with the company has been crucial in order to learn about materials, ergonomics and how to make a prototype. Also feedback from the supervisor and the company has been continuously considered to improve the project.