IH02-Hong How Quek
From IEOR 170 Spring 2007
Contents |
[edit] “CLASSROOM FRIENDLY” CHAIR
[edit] Target User Group
The user group I am targeting is college students who have to come together to learn in a classroom environment on a regular basis (such as IEOR170 students gathering in 3106 Etcheverry). Unlike high school students who use the same classroom everyday, these students move from one classroom to another. They want to have a seamless, comfortable learning experience without physical inconveniences such as the lack of a tablet desk to take notes on, or having their view of the blackboard obscured when they enter class late and have to sit in the back rows.
[edit] Problem Description
The goal of the project is to create a multi-purpose classroom chair that helps to mitigate the limitations of a classroom environment and improves a student’s learning experience. Some common problems cited by students are listed below, broadly categorized under Learning Impediments and User Inconveniences:
Learning Impediments
• In large classrooms at full capacity, students seated in the back rows are unable to see the blackboard clearly as their view is obscured by students in the preceding rows
• As the design of most chairs orientates the student to face forward only, he has to twist his body in an awkward, tiring position if he had to turn backwards to face another student who is speaking. This also the reason why teachers limit their movements and teaching at the front end of the class (when they could have encouraged more dynamic interaction by weaving in and out of students).
• Students have trouble reassembling to form groups and take a long time do so, because the chairs are bulky and it is difficult to lift and move them.
• The tablet arm desk is often permanently attached to the right side of the chair, and this may present writing problems for left-handers (vice-versa for right-handers)
User Inconveniences
• College students have a tendency to bring cup beverages to class and place them precariously on the tablet desk or on the floor, causing spillage
• The tablet desk area may be too small for the bigger laptops to rest on, and cause laptops to fall over easily
• Jackets, coats and bags often have to be placed on dirty floors
• Some chairs may be difficult, or impossible to stack, presenting storage problems
[edit] Problem Context and Forces
Not all classrooms are designed similarly, and its structure and layout will affect the final design of the classroom friendly chair. For example, some classrooms have permanent table fixtures that remove the need for a tablet desk. The size of the classroom also directly affects students’ viewing experience, so small conference-size rooms pose few viewing problems, and may not require height-adjustable chairs. Some classrooms also restrict the consumption of beverages, so altering the chair design to make the beverages more “spill-proof” becomes redundant.
In addition, some classes may rely on the traditional lecture format and require little group interaction. The benefits of having chairs that are more mobile to facilitate the forming of groups are less compelling in this case. Not all students bring their laptops to class and may not require a large tablet desk, and may even find large tablet desks annoying as it restricts their body movement.
A web search revealed that there has been little design advancement when it comes to classroom chairs. A typical classroom chair often has additional features such as a tablet desk and a rack at the bottom for storing bags, such as the chair shown in the figure below that is sold by www.classroomfurniture.com :
[edit] Proposed Solution and Sketch
Some key features of the proposed classroom friendly chair are described below:
• Roller legs with lock function to allow students to swivel the chair to face the back of the classroom more easily, as well as facilitate the moving of chairs when forming groups
• Height-adjustable legs so that students in the back row can have a better viewing experience
• Detachable tablet desks that can be fixed on to either the left or right hand side of the chair, depending on whether the user is a left or right hander
• Expandable tablet desk that can be unfolded to accommodate large laptops
• Coffee/Soda Cup Holder to prevent spillage of beverages
• Coat/Bag Hanger at the back of the chair for added user convenience
• Absence of Storage Rack at the bottom of the chair to ensure that chairs remain stackable
