Design research
Interaction design
Creating an interactive wall-system to facilitate an open or closed work environment.
Project info
Individual project
BSc Industrial Design Engineering
Technical University of Delft
Assigned by Verwol
Individual project
BSc Industrial Design Engineering
Technical University of Delft
Assigned by Verwol
Skills
In-depth interviews
Generative sessions
Design sketching
Conceptualisation
Prototyping
Materialisation
In-depth interviews
Generative sessions
Design sketching
Conceptualisation
Prototyping
Materialisation
Date
2014
2014
Challenge
For my bachelor-end project of the study Industrial Design Engineering, I have designed a concept for a wall system, as assigned by the company Verwol. Verwol is a interior system construction company, specialised in designing the interior of offices. The assignment was to design a new wall system for in an office. The focus of my project was on the specific interaction stimulated by the wall-system. But first, based on trends and developments and observations of several existing office spaces, I set my personal design challenge:
To design a interactive environment leading to a more open or closed feeling applicable for different work activities.
To design a interactive environment leading to a more open or closed feeling applicable for different work activities.
Approach
User research
To gain more insights regarding the perception of open and closed, I have set up a design research. The respondents had to allocate sets of images over a scale from closed to open. Different sets of images are selected, from abstract to more detailed images. By using the 5 why’s technique, valuable insights regarding open and closed are gathered during this research as inspiration for the concept development.
To gain more insights regarding the perception of open and closed, I have set up a design research. The respondents had to allocate sets of images over a scale from closed to open. Different sets of images are selected, from abstract to more detailed images. By using the 5 why’s technique, valuable insights regarding open and closed are gathered during this research as inspiration for the concept development.
Sketching & prototyping
During the conceptualisation phase, I explored different forms of interaction trough design sketching and low fidelity prototypes, a few of the showed below. Based on the prototypes and in collaboration with Verwol, the concept with the different panels is chosen. This concept is further detailed with a material study and construction analysis.
Result
The final concept is a three-layer wall system for in a corridor, a closure for several offices at the same time. The offices can be made open or closed depending on the preference of the employee by placing the three different kind of panels in the right way. A sense of freedom is created by eliminating doors in a corridor, the employee can go wherever he or she wants. The panels are coated with 3D woven cotton, glass and cardboard, chosen for the good acoustic characteristics and the look. A prototype is made of the placement of the wall-system in a corridor. The project is graded with a 8/10.
