Casala, known worldwide for its innovative chairs, faced a challenge that their clients experienced when setting up chairs for events: how do you effectively number them? Current solutions in the market were far from convenient as they were time consuming, clumpsy or technological incapable of doing the job.
Me and my team were asked to research and design an effective, efficient and satisfactory chair numeration system. We did user tests, market research, brainstorms and lots of design work up to a visual prototype of the device. To be sure that the envisioned design would be feasible, we involved an expert of MPicoSys in the used technology (rfid & e-ink) directly after we choose our concept.
The proposed design was a device which could be strapped around a wrist to number chairs while they are being placed, saving up to 3 hours of time. Because the solution combines rfid and e-ink technology, the chair element (displaying the number) does not contain a battery. This would save a year-by-year battery-changing activity of at least 10 minutes per chair compared to a competing product, not to mention the cost and environmental impact of the batteries.
The success of the project was rewarded with the “Design Challenge” 2010 Award. After completion of the project, Casala and MPicoSys further refined the design and optimized the technology for the product that was launched in 2012 and rewarded with a Red Dot Design Award.
Zifra CNS product page at Casala
This project was a team effort with Jill Roelofs & Moniek Zweers