In conceptualizing the project, I first found it necessary to observe the subject in his
throughout his day. During this process of observation, I immediately noticed the congested, yet
meticulously organized state of his desk. I decided to use this as my starting point. The next
step was to interview the subject, probing for problems that he experiences while using the
workspace of his desk. The subject was quick to recognize the limiting factors of the workspace,
and this made the the context and necessity of my design easy to understand.
Through the interview process I established three needs that a new desk would have to
accommodate. The first need was the obvious problem of space. The subject clearly felt as
though the desk did not accommodate his daily use of objects and devices, and the small
workspace due to the small size of his dorm room was the desk’s biggest limiting factor. The
second need that seemed necessary to address was the ergonomics of the workspace; the
desk did not provide a comfortable and efficient working environment. The top of the desk was
small and inefficient, and cumbersome drawer sat at the right side of the bottom of the desk
limited leg room. The new desk would need to solve the problem of space in a way that would
make it easy for the user to make use of the desk in a fluid and comfortable manner. Lastly, the
desk lacked a satisfying aesthetic. With a minimalistic design, an unpolished bright brown wood,
and and black top, the desk failed to have any sort of aesthetic nuance. The old desk being an
eyesore in the room, the new desk would not only have to be comfortable to use, but
aesthetically appealing.
For the first need of more space, I decided to design the new desk with two separate
main layers, as seen in the preliminary sketch. This way, the user would have access to double
the desk room of the previous design. In addition to this, the upper shelf area of the desk would
also have a second compartment, as I saw this space of the previous desk not being utilized.
To make this design comfortable, I made the decision to have the top layer of the desk to
be glass, as to still be able to comfortably organize and see the second layer of the desk. In
doing so the work space would be come two-dimensional and easy use. For the annoying
drawer beneath the desk, I redesigned the storage space to accommodate leg room, going for a
floor cupboard with three compartments that open upward that would be topped with some sort
of carpet.
For the finish of the desk, I thought that a polished black wood would be fitting for the
design and would compliment the transparent glass area. The edges of each side of the top of
the new desk are rounded, and the general design, though complicated, looks simple.
For a final addition to the new desk, a conversation with the subject lead to the idea of a
oLED flexible screen being implemented to the top of the desk. The subject showed me a video
demonstration by LG of a flexible screen able to roll out as a mat. This would be situated at one
side of the desk, and would be able to roll out over the entirety of the main workspace, or just a
portion of it.
