indoors / outdoors
indoors / outdoors, 2015, laser cut wood, dimensions variable.
indoors / outdoors is a chair that reimagines how we view and use outdoor spaces. We aimed to transform the outdoor working experience, and designed a chair that allows users to be productive outdoors. We performed contextual inquiries to understand productivity and creativity, work seating preferences, outdoor productivity, and the pros and cons of indoor and outdoor seating. This feedback informed the design of indoors / outdoors. Our chair can configure to any outdoor environment for the optimal outdoor experience. It can shape into a table, a lounge chair, a napping bed, and sun shade, just to name a few. In addition, the portable design makes the chair easy to carry. Our design is comprised of a wooden frame with four rotatable panels. Initially, we designed the chair with circular gears and nuts and bolts, with a knob to rotate the chair into different positions. To minimize user effort in changing the form of the chair, we switched to using springs and quick releases. We redesigned the gears and wooden frame to make the chair more structurally sound. Our next steps would be to make the chair more comfortable, fully collapsible, and find a better solution for the cushion. indoors / outdoors was made in collaboration with Elly Lin, Pablo Paredes, and Mark Lam.