Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair

Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair
Proposal of an improved end-user experience
Lorena Ballmer, Johannes Diboky, Séverine Steiner
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Art
Design Management International
Product Design
Lecturer
Daniel Aeschbacher
1
Table of Contents
Project Plan 3
Research Plan 4
Executive Summary 5
Product Architecture 6
Expectancy Profile 7
Interview Outcome 8
Persona 9
Contextual Moodboard10
Typological Mapping11
Product Evaluation 12
Product Property Profile
13
Problem Definition
14
Idea Generation15
Concept 1-416
Concept Evaluation 18
Final Concept 19
2
Appendix22
Detailed Timeline23
Responsibilities of each team member 23
Time sheet23
Post action review26
Lesson learned26
References44
Project Plan
This project plan briefly describes the overall scope,
time and cost baseline of the project.
Project Stokke
Project Owner D. Aeschbacher
D. Steffen
Project Manager
Lorena Ballmer
Project Members
Séverine Steiner
Johannes Diboky
General Information
Start Date:
3.10.2012
End Date:
2. 11.2012
Background
Stokke is a Norwegian company founded in
Ålesund, in the northwestern part of Norway. They
provide worldwide distribution of children products such as highchairs or buggies through selected
retailers represented in around fifty countries. The
Stokke Tripp Trapp is a classic piece that has been
around for 40 years. Although, it is a simple, classic
design, there are various possibilities to improve the
product that can increase the customer satisfaction
and the user experience.
3
Objectives
Our task is to improve the user-friendliness of the
classic Stokke Tripp Trapp. Therefore, we will apply different research methodologies to analyse the
high chair. Our goal is to optimize the chair without
taking its uniqueness away. The quality of the work
is going to be checked continuously in several milestone meetings.
Our proposition is expected to
• Improve the end-user experience
• Show a short-, mid- and longterm product strategy
• Be in line with the brand identity
Scope
The aim of this project is to create proposal for a
conceptual design with improved ‘end-user experience’ in regard to usage (utility) of the product.
Cost
The estimated costs of the project are calculated as
fallows:
32 working hours per person of Team
Total: 96 h
The cost per hour for the work adds up
to 100 CHF.
96h X CHF 100.- = CHF 9’600.Project Organization
Project Manager:
Responsible for:
Lorena Ballmer
- Quality assurance
- Research
- Writing
Team member:
Responsible for:
Johannes Diboky
- Visualization
- Layout
- Writing
Team member:
Responsible for:
- Séverine Steiner - Proposal
- Implementation
- Writing
• generate and evaluate ideas
• define final idea
• finalise idea
CONCEPTUALISING PHASE
• finalise documentation
• prototyping
FINALISING PHASE
• prepare presentation
PRESENTATION PHASE
Detailed Timeline in the
Appendix p. 22
4
02.11.12 Final Presentation
ANALYSIS PHASE
31.10 Upload Documentation
• Analysis of findings
• Idea generation
• Define criteria
26.10.12 Coaching
RESEARCH PHASE
19.10.12 Coaching
• Stokke History and Brand Idenity
• Design methodology
• Benchmarking
12.10.12 Coaching
PLANNING PHASE
05.10.12 Kick off
• familiarise with project /
task / company
• project outlines
26.10.12 Review of
Concept ideation
Research plan
Executive Summary
The main objective of this paper is to create a proposal for an improved end-user experience in regard to the usage of Tripp Trapp
chair from Stokke. Our proposal will effectively assist the top management in their decision-making process and provide some front-end
information to the designers.
After a clear understanding of the task, we started to gather as much
information about the chair as possible. Interviewing people, observing users of the high chair in the shop, in their homes and online as
well as benchmarking competitive products has revealed the strong
and weak properties of the existing product and has provided us with
some valuable insights. We have realized that even though the chair is
highly appreciated among its owners, it faces some major problems.
These issues are the lack of tools to assemble the chair, the need for
the purchase of additional accessories with the associated problem to
adjust the accessories and a major issue in the usage of the baby seat.
Especially the expectancy profile we have created in the beginning
has helped us to analyze the chair from different points of view.
Furthermore, it has enabled us to compare these expectations directly
with the product property profile. This comparison clearly highlights
the opportunity areas of the Tripp Trapp chair. Further research and an
analysis of these opportunities have revealed the biggest opportunities of improvement; the adjustability of the accessories to the chair,
the difficulty to assemble the chair, the discomfort of the usage of
the chair and the need for the purchase of additional accessories in
general. Since the design of the chair is highly appreciated for over 40
years and therefore very elaborated, we decided to focus our attention
on the design, adjustability and comfort of the accessories.
5
Since the baby seat faces various issues in the usage, adjustability and
comfort for the end-user, it poses the biggest opportunity for improvement. This is the reason why we have decided to create a proposal for
the design of an improved baby seat.
Our proposal suggests producing the baby seat in the same wood as
the baby chair, in contrast to the prior one, which was produced in
plastic. For the users of this high chair, natural materials and sustainable products are crucial and they wish for a baby seat in wood. The
adjustability of the chair is simplified; hooks on the back of the baby
chair facilitate the adjustability of the seat on the chair and enable to
adjust the seat without any extra tools. Automatically inflatable laterals on both sides of the seat increase the safety of the baby since the
intensity of the inflation can be adjusted to the baby individually. The
problem of the child that could not be seated in the chair without pain
before no longer exists with the improved design; a thinner wooden
harness enables the baby to be seated in the chair easily and the inflation of the laterals ensures perfect adaption to the baby’s body shape.
A long-term strategy for Tripp Trapp chair would be to look at future
trends in society and the design of furniture. Opportunities for Stokke
are for example to produce accessories with multiple usages; a baby
seat that can be adjusted at the seat, used as a rucksack and later on
easily attached at a buggy.
Product Architecture
Adjustability: The chair can be adjusted from a baby up to adulthood. The
footrest gives the child security and enables them to climb on the chair by
themselves. The sitting height and footrest are adjustable. The fact that the
chair has no tabletop allows the child to sit directly with the parents on the
table. It feels therefore more integrated on the table and has more possibilities
to move.
History:
In 1972, the designer Peter Obsvik has created the high chair called ‘Tripp
Trapp’ after he has unsuccessfully tried to place his son comfortably on the
dining table. At this time high chair for children did not exist. His invention
was revolutionary; a chair that fits to the users body shape at every age. The
tripp trap chair is not just a chair it is a piece of a family for now and the next
generations.
Price:
199 Euro
Material:
Ecological and long-lasting domestic beechwood
New collection is available with Scandinavian wood, European oak, or
American walnut.
Product Lifespan:
From 6 monts to adult age
With the use of the newborn set, a baby can be seated in the chair from the
first day of life
6
How to assemble the Stokke Tripp Trapp
Product Range:
The Tripp Trapp highchair is available in various colors. Customization enables customers to choose their preferred color or their preferred wood.
For the Stokke Tripp Trapp many different, pricy accessories can be purchased additionally, such as: Extended Glider, New Born Set, Harness and
Baby set.1
More information in the
Appendix p. 30
Expectancy Profile
Adjustability
t
fo
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2
1
Easy Usability
for Children
Safety
Easy usability for children:
Children should be able to sit on the chair
by themselves.
Need for accessories:
Additional accessories should not have to
be purchased
ty
ili
7
3
ab
ur
Durability:
The construction and the material of
the Tripp Trapp chair have to support
4
D
Safety:
Little children need to be seated on the
chair safely; no danger of the child to
fall down. Furthermore, the construction of the chair has to remain stable
during jerky movements of energetic
children.
Appealing design:
The design of the chair should be suitable
for every age and at the same time fit into
various kitchens.
5
Eco-friendliness
Comfort:
Since the chair can be used from birthto adult age, every age group should
be able to sit comfortably on the chair.
The ergonomic form of the chair should
adapt to the different body shapes and
–sizes.
Eco-friendliness:
The high chair as well as the accessory products should be designed within
Stokke’s sustainable principles, which
support the use of natural, durable materials and long-term use.
r es
fo ri
d so
ee s
N cce
A
Adjustability:
Customers expect that the Tripp Trapp
chair can be adjusted easily; no additional tools are needed and the assembling should be straightforward.
long-term use. Warranty for at least a year
should be guaranteed.
A
D pp
es ea
ig li
n ng
The expectancy profile shows that customers have high expectations on the
quality and performance of the chair.
Expected performance
Interviews in the
Appendix p. 35-42
Interview Outcome
We conducted three interviews with people who use the Stokke high chair in their
daily lifes. Analyzing these interviews
has revealed some consistent positive and
negative feedback.
positive
negative
good quality
long lasting
usable for all
generations
assembling the
chair
additional
baby seat
design
Extra assecories
“We did not have the right tools to assemble the
chair.”
”The accessories are very expensive and the purchase of the baby seat a waste of money.”
additional
accessories
timeless
Assembling the chair
“No, we didn’t face problems when assembling the chair.”
8
Analysis of interviews
in the Appendix p. 42
“Adjusting the seat and the footrest takes us generally
30 min, which I think is quite long.”
Baby seat
“The problem is that the baby seat can’t be assembled without taking the whole chair apart. My child
always starts to cry when we put her in the baby
seat.”
“To assemble the baby seat was really hard. I think
the baby seat doesn’t look nice because it’s only
available in plastic and not in wood.”
After a broad research including interviews
we were able to come up with a persona that
represents the typical user of the Tripp Trapp.
Occupation:
Full-time mother
Motto:
„I want my child to grow up with
natural materials“
Person:
Jennifer Miller has a 3 year old son. She is a passionate
mother and only wants the best for her child. Before
becoming a mother, Jennifer studied renewable resources at a well-known university in England. That‘s
where her conviction stems from using natural materials.
Not only the little boys toys are made out of wood but
also a lot of furniture in the house hold. Jennifer has
a passion for natural porducts with a timless design.
A limited budget means for her to invest in durable,
qualitative high products that can be used for a long
time.
Goals:
9
•
•
natural materials
acquisition of long.lasting products
Persona 2 in the
Appendix p. 29
Jennifer Miller, 29
Persona
Contextual Moodboard
The contextual moodboard
illustrates the feeling of the
Stokke chairs’s surroundings.
We devided it into two main
areas which are the kitchen
and the livingroom.
10
Kitchen
Also they are places where
the family gets together to eat
or just spend time. It is a very
warm and inviting atmosphere that creates a feeling of
security.
Living Room
Both areas are predominated
by natural materials such as
wood and stone.
Typological Mapping
We have compared the aesthetics of the Tripp Trapp chair
with competitor‘s products.
The horizontal axis is devided
into three design epoches, from
timeless to progressive design,
while the vertical axis displays
the price of each chair in Euro.
The graphic reveals that the
Trip Trapp chair has a timeless
design, similar to other wooden
competitor‘s products. However, it is positioned in a higher
price range.
The innovative competitor’s
products are in general in the
same price range as the Tripp
Trapp chair, but they are more
colorful and mainly produced
in plastic.
Price +
280 Euro
200 Euro
150 Euro
100 Euro
Price -
40 Euro
11
Timeless
Contemporary
Innovative
Progressive
Product Evaluation
In order to assess the quality
of competitor’s products, we
have used the same criteria for
the competitor’s products, as
we have used to rate the Tripp
Trapp chair.
Brand
Brevi
Roba
I’coo
Herlag
Hauck
All of these models are designed for babies from six
months up to adult age.
Adjustability
4
2
3
4
4
Each criteria has been rated
from 1-5.
1= bad
5= very good
Comfort
5
4
3
4
4
Durability
5
5
5
5
5
Eco-
friendliness
1
5
5
5
5
Appealing Design
2
3
4
4
4
Easy
Usability
for children
5
4
4
4
4
Need for
Accessories
3
3
3
3
3
Total
25
26
27
29
29
The wooden chairs are quite
similar to the Tripp Trapp chair,
but when purchasing a competitor’s product, accessories,
such as cushions and often also
a baby seat, are included. 2
More information about
benchmarking in the
Appendix p. 32
12
Adjustability
Insights from observation and
the interview outcome have
enabled us to rate the high
chair with the same criteria as
in the expectancy profile.
3
2
1
Easy Usability
for Children
Safety
Eco-friendliness
ty
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ab
ur
13
D
Detailed explanation of
PPP in Appendix p. 33
m
4
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5
A
D pp
es ea
ig li
n ng
As the graphic clearly shows,
not all criterias are fullfilled as
we have expected.
r es
fo ri
d so
ee s
N cce
A
In order to assess the quality
of the Tripp Trapp chair, we
have analysed our research and
interview outcome.
Co
Product Property Profile
Expected performance
Actual performance
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t
5
3
2
1
Easy Usability
for Children
A
D pp
es ea
ig li
n ng
Safety
ur
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ab
Eco-friendliness
ty
14
Opportunitiy area
D
Adjustability
Tools to assemble the chair are not integrated, additionally to adjust the newborn-, or the baby set, the whole chair has to be taken
apart
Need for accessories
Even though the chair is suitable for children from birth- to adult
age, accessories have to be bought additionally
(0-6 months the newborn set, 6 months - 3 years baby set,
< 3 years harness)
Comfort
Only the purchase of accessories, such as the newborn set, the
baby seat or cushions allows children to sit comfortably. The design of the baby seat has a major issue; children cannot be put in
the seat without pain. It is not possible to open the harness, so that
the legs have to be pushed through the holes with force, which
hurts the baby.
Safety
Safety is for customers crucial. Even tough the safety is pretty
high, there is still the ability of imporvement.
r es
fo ri
d so
ee s
N cce
A
Especially, the insights we gained from interviewing and observing people with a high chair, have helped us to identify the main
problems the Tripp Trapp Chair faces:
Adjustability
Problem Definition
Expected performance
Actual performance
Idea Generation
The design of the Tripp Trapp chair is very elaborated and has
not much changed over the last 40 years. Overall, we perceive the
assembling and the functionality of the chair very straightforward
which therefore does not provide many opportunities for improvement. This is the reason why we have decided to focus on the
design and functionality of the accessories for our proposal.
Criteria:
Very important: easy adustability, imporved comfort, improved
safety, easy usability
Important: eco-friendly material, appealing design, easy to clean,
As a group we then have started to generate ideas
- How can we improve the adjustability of accessories?
- How can we improve the comfort and design of the accessories?
Having evaluated our ideas, we decided to focus on the design
of the baby seat, because it provides the most opportunities of
improvement.
Our second idea generation had to solve the following problems:
- How can we imporve the design of the baby seat?
- How can we imporve the comfort of the baby seat?
- How can we imporve the adjustability of the baby seat?
- How can we improve the safety of the baby seat?
Thinking out of the box has enbaled us to create multiple ideas
how to improve the design of the baby seat. Before starting to create concepts, we evaluated our ideas and defined the criteria our
final proposal has to have.
Brainstorm session
15
Concept 1 & 2
Concept 1
Concept 2
Fabric
Wood simple
What?
Our second proposal is the fabric seat. This baby seat features a special belt with a
wide fabric area over the baby’s belly. Stability is guaranteed from the back and both
sides with a seat. Another speciality of this seat is its portable belt system that can be
transformed into a baby rucksack:
- Easier and safer attachment to the chair
- Change of material from plastic to wood/fabric
- Better adaptation to the child’s body / ergonomic, especially the
space for the legs and the fastening
What?
Our second proposal is an optimized version of the additional Stokke Baby chair for children from
6 months until 1 year. We took a new approach to hook the seat in. No additional tools are required
because the safety bar can be secured by only one turn by hand of the large screw at the back.
The adjustments that have been made are:
- Easier and safer attachment to the chair
- Change of material from plastic to wood
- Better adaptation to the child’s body / ergonomic, especially the
space for the legs and the fastening
- Cushion has been added to make it more comfortable
Why?
Several people have complained about the baby seat. One reason was that it was really complex to attach the baby seat to the chair. Another customer complained about
the chair being made out of plastic instead of wood as the rest of the chair and that
it wouldn’t match. The last complaint was about the child not fitting into it because
the leg holes were too narrow. That’s why we decided to concentrate on the facts as
mentioned before.
16
Why?
Several people have complained about the baby seat. One reason was that it was really complex to
attach the baby seat to the chair. Another customer complained about the chair being made out of
plastic instead of wood as the rest of the chair and that it wouldn’t match. The last complaint was
about the child not fitting into it because the leg holes were too narrow. That’s why we decided to
concentrate on the facts as mentioned before.
Concept 3 & 4
Concept 3
Concept 4
Wood whole
Inflatible laterals
What?
Our first Proposal is an optimized version of the additional Stokke Baby
chair for children from 6 months until 1 year. It is very similar to its original
from the basic form.
The adjustments that have been made are:
- Easier and safer attachment to the chair
- Change of material from plastic to wood
- Better adaptation to the child’s body / ergonomic, especially the
space for the legs and the fastening
What?
Our proposal suggests producing the baby seat in the same wood as the baby chair, in
contrast to the prior one, which was produced in plastic. The adjustability of the chair is
simplified; hooks on the back of the baby chair facilitate the adjustability of the seat on the
chair and enable to adjust the seat without any extra tools. Automatically inflatable laterals
on both sides of the seat increase the safety of the baby since the intensity of the inflation
can be adjusted to the baby individually.
Why?
Several people have complained about the baby seat. One reason was that
it was really complex to attach the baby seat to the chair. Another customer
complained about the chair being made out of plastic instead of wood as the
rest of the chair and that it wouldn’t match. The last complaint was about the
child not fitting into it because the leg holes were too narrow. That’s why we
decided to concentrate on the facts as mentioned before.
17
Why?
The problem of the child that could not be seated in the chair without pain before no longer
exists with the improved design; a thinner wooden harness enables the baby to be seated in
the chair easily and the inflation of the laterals ensures perfect adaption to the baby’s body
shape
Concept Evaluation
Evaluating our ideas has helped us
to create different concepts. In order to select the best concept, we
have later evaluated the concepts
according to our defined criteria.
Criteria
importance
High***
Medium**
Low*
Concept 1,
Fabric
Concept 2, Concept 3,
Wood simple Wood whole
Concept 4,
Inflatable
laterals
Easy
adjustability**
*
15
15
15
15
Comfort***
15
9
12
15
Safety***
15
6
15
15
Easy
Usability***
9
15
15
9
6
10
10
6
Appealing
design**
6
8
10
8
Easy to clean** 4
10
8
8
Total
70
73
75
76
Ecofriendliness**
18
Final Concept
Design Objective:
The improved design of the baby seat offers the highest possible
amount of safety for the child. The comfort of the chair supports
safety and invites babies to sit in it. Getting the baby in and out of the
chair is easy for parents and will under no circumstances be painful
for the child. To adjust the chair at the baby seat, no extra tools are
needed. Furthermore, within less than a minute it can be adjusted and
removed.
Proposal:
Appropriate use of materials
Our proposal suggests producing the baby seat in the same wood
as the baby chair. This is contrary to the prior baby seat, which is
produced in plastic. Since natural and sustainable products are crucial
for Stokke’s customers, our proposal to use wood will definitively be
appreciated.
Simplified adjustability
The adjustability of the chair is simplified; hooks on the back of the
baby chair facilitate the adjustability of the seat on the chair and allow
adjusting the seat without any extra tools. An additional screw thread
in the middle of the back rest that can be turned reasures that the seat
can not move.
Increased Safety
Automatically inflatable laterals on both sides of the seat increase
the safety of the baby seat. These inflatable laterals are on both sides
adjusted at the wooden harness.
19
After seating the baby in the seat, a button can be pressed, which
automatically inflates the laterals. The intensity of the inflation can be
adjusted individually, depending on how long the button is pressed.
Before taking the baby out of the chair, the button is pressed another
time, which then immediately removes the air and enables to take the
child out of the seat without any difficulties.
A cushion, that goes automatically with the purchase of the baby seat,
is designed with the same material as the inflatable laterals. It increases comfort and makes the appearance of the seat more attractive
for children.
Quality of User interface and emotional appeal
The problem of the child that could not be seated in the chair without
pain in the current baby seat, is going to be erased with the improved
design; a thinner wooden harness enables the baby to be seated in the
chair easily and the inflation of the laterals ensures perfect adaption
to the baby’s body shape. Furthermore, a cushion in the same fabric
as the inflatable laterals increases safety as well as comfort and makes
the overall aesthetics of the seat more attractive.
Benefits of the improved enduser-experience are that the baby seat is:
- simple to use, since the child can be seated in the chair easily
- simple to adjust at the chair due to hooks
- easy to clean, due to water repellent and washable materials
- higher safety due to cushions and laterals
- more comfortable due to cushions and laterals
- attractive design, due to colorful cushions and inviting appearance
to sit down
Final Concept
Design
Our porposed design of the
baby seat is built on a past
design of the Stokke baby seat,
which was successful, but is not
producted anymore. We have
used the simple form of the harness, since it allows to sit in the
chair easily.
20
Old version
Current version
Proposed new version
- wood
- enough space for legs
- difficult to adjust
- poor safety
- uncomfortable
- plastic
- not enough space for legs
- difficult to adjust
- good safety
- uncomfortable
- wood
- enough space for legs
- easy to adjust
- increased safety
- individual adjustability of chair
to user’s body shape due to
inflatible laterals
- increased comfort
Final Concept
Back View
Front View
Estimated Budget Concept development
Concept testing
Product development & testing
Commercialication
Total estimated costs
21
CHF 9’600.CHF 6’000.CHF 15’000.CHF 10’000.CHF 40’600.-
Future scenario
Our proposal increases safety, comfort and adjustability of the seat, but we won’t
be able to eliminate the purchase of other accessories for the chair. This is why
we strongly recommend Stokke to adapt their corporate strategy towards a more
futuristic concept that builds on their current strategy. One idea could be to design
accessories so that they can be used for different products, such as the design of
the baby seat which can be adjusted at the chair, a buggy and carried as a rucksackc. We are convinced that the multiple usage of accessories would be highly
appreaciated among Stokke’s customers, since it helps them to save time, money
and space.
Appendix
22
23
2.5h/
2.5h
1h /
1h
Estimated time: 85h
Real time: 87h + 15h meetings = 92h
Milestone Meeting
2.5h/
2.5h
1.5h/
1.5
Milestone Meeting
0.5h/
1.5h
Milestone Meeting
1h/
1.5h
Milestone Meeting
3h/
3h
2h/
2.5h
1h/
1h
4h/
4h
2.5h/
2.5h
Milestone Meeting
Detailed Timeline & Tasks of each team member & Time sheet
1h/
1h
2h/
2.5h
3.5h/
3.5h
2h/
2h
1h/
1h
24
0.5h/
0.5h
0.5h/
1h
1.5h/
1.5h
5h/
8h
1h/
1.5h
2h/
3h
1h/
1h
2.5h/
2.5h
Estimated time: 85h
Real time: 87h + 15h meetings = 92h
2h/
2.5h
3h/
4h
1h/
1h
3.5/
3.5h
1h/
1h
3h/
3h
2h/
3h
3h/
3h
1.5h/
1h
2h /
2.5
2h/
3h
1.5h/
2h
4h/
6h
0.5h/
0.5
25
Estimated time: 85h
Real time: 87h + 15h meetings = 92h
Post action review & lesson learned
From the first day we heard about the project we were very enthusiastic
about it. Having never worked together before, we did not have difficulties to divide responsibilities and tasks. After the kick-off we immediately
started to prepare a timeline and assigned different responsibilities and tasks.
We started with general desk research on the product, right after we had
received the assignment. This was the reason why we recognized the problem of finding the ‘Pinolino high chair’ in a shop in a shop close to Zürich
or Luzern, immediately. Moreover, it has enabled us to change the product
and we then all agreed to examine the ‘Tripp Trapp’ high chair from Stokke,
which has a similar design and is widely available in Switzerland.
A visit in a children shop in Zürich has brought all of us on the same level,
since we could observe people and babies sitting in the chair and also try it
ourselves. The fact that we clearly defined the tasks for each team member
and set a date when it has to be finished in an excel document called ‘work
to do’, laid the foundation for efficient working.
During the milestone meetings we discussed the finished documents. We
presented each other what we have been working on, discussed whether anything was missing or not, suggested possible improvements and reassured
consistent quality on the individual tasks. In the group we always discussed
important decisions such as the EP, the PPP, the interview outcome and how
to visualize these information.
Even though each team member has a different personality we managed
to work together very successfully. To assign different role to each person
simplified the collaboration as a group. It was the first time we completed a
project with a clear decision of the responsibilities of each person, especially
the use of a project manager facilitated the communication; we all knew
who had the overview of all tasks, the time, budget and even the quality of
the work.
26
In order to stay motivated we did not only work together, but also reassured
that we had enough time for fun activities; we cooked and ate together several times and watched funny videos of children using the Tripp Trapp chair
on Youtube. We all agree that such moments are crucial to get to know each
other better, identify the strengths and weaknesses and better understand the
individual personalities and ways of working.
We don’t want to deny that the whole collaboration did not evoke differences of opinion, but we want to highlight that during every meeting we did
let everyone speak about problems, challenges or fears. The fact that we all
stick to the agreement we set in advance to meet on time and to participate
actively during the meeting, was the baseline for efficient collaboration.
We describe the collaboration of each tem member as following:
Lesson learned
Lorena
About myself: Having worked in groups before, I often have had a leading role, but never officially had the role of the
project manager. I knew this position will challenge me, but at the same time looked forward to do it. I have to admit
that giving responsibilities to each team member was one of the major challenges since I did not knew their strengths
yet. Another challenge was to get to an agreement on the quality our work has to perform. My high expectation on the
quality of our work was often a point of discussion. I admit that it might have been sometimes challenging, but in the
end reassured consistent and professional work.
Séverine: Lorena is a very straightforward person. She knows what she wants and communicates it in an understandable yet likable way. She is a person that likes to eliminate problems or tensions within a group in a very professional,
elaborated way. Knowing exactly what she wants, sometimes challenges the other group members to get their opinions/
ideas across.
Johannes: Lorena did a really good job in being the project manager. She was reflecting a lot on our work what we have
been doing and contributed a lot of written text.
We all agree that we have learned in this project to apply basic research methodologies,
to use an expectancy profile that helped us to
understand the user, and which has enabled
us to compare it with the product property
profile later on. Furthermore, we learned to
use benchmarking and aesthetical mapping in
order to compare our product with competitive ones. We developed a team structure that
supported collaborative and coherent group
work and a detailed timeline that revealed
exactly if we stick to the time or not. At this
point we have to say that we DID stick to the
timeline!
All of us acknowledge that this project has
enabled to improve the end-user experience
of a given product and has taught us the process of creating a proposal for a design product. Looking back, we are very satisfied with
the result and have to point out that we think
that our decision to go for a little change
with the final proposal is because we know
that something little sometimes can change
huge things. Even though we still think that
multiple usages of the accessories especially
the newborn set and the baby set, has high
potential, but calls for a whole product revision and a new, more futuristic.
Séverine
About myself: Working in this group with this special constellation was a real pleasure. Not only did our strengths complement each other well but also we rarely fought about important topics. Having a team leader, Lorena, was a good experience. Because I know I can trust her I could concentrate on my tasks knowing that someone has the total overview.
Lorena: Séverine is a very committed person of whom I knew that I could build on immediately. She communicates
very clearly and professional, this is why it is easy to work with her in a team. She is open to constructive criticism and
has no problem to adapt to different circumstances.
Johannes: Séverine is a reliable person that puts a lot of work into our group work. It was very pleasant to work with
her. Sometimes she is quite impatient but after slowing her down she’s perfectly fine again.
Johannes
About myself: At the beginning I was a bit concerned that we could face great difficulties because two of the three team
members live in Zurich which could have lead to difficulties when arranging a meeting. All in all this was the most
successful and fulfilling group work we have done so far in DMI studies regarding group dynamics. I believe that I
contributed with valuable and critical inputs to the group.
Lorena: Johannes is a very calm person. First I interpreted his serenity as passiveness during the meetings, but I then
realized that he needs sometimes encouragement to bring his point of view across. Hearing his opinion always helped
me to see the problem from a different point of view, since Séverine and me think very straightforward. Having worked
with him before, I knew his strength in sketching, but when assigning him the responsibility to create the documentation, I was astonished about his enthusiasm and motivation to do the work!
Séverine: Johannes is a very patient and calm person who knows how to get his point of view across. It is really pleasant to work with him even though he is a busy man and it sometimes is hard to find a date to meet to work on projects.
27
Story
After observing children using the
high chair we came up with a story
that conveys the feelings of a small
child when getting in contact with the
stokke chair.
Eating at home
I am hungry! I’m sure it has been more than 2 hours, since mama fed me the last time.
As I crawl towards the kitchen I realize that giant teddy lies on my way, I have to make a
detour.... bhuuu... I have to pause for a second but continue my journey right away.
Finally I arrived in the kitchen and I can already see my chair. My beautiful blue chair. I
know it’s mine because only I sit in there and mama then always gives me something to
eat. So I have to manage to get in this chair. I know I won’t make it, I tried it yesterday
and it didn’t work.
Mama suddenly stands behind me, smiles: “Oh princess are you hungry, again? Come to
me I’ll put you into the chair.
Yeeeessss! Mama puts me into the chair, I know what’s coming now... outch it hurts...
aw mammy my legs! I start to cry because mama has to stretch my legs in such a strange
manner that it hurts me. It’s always the same but I know once I’m in I’ll get something to
eat. I guess that’s just the way it is, isn’t it?
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Observations in Store
1: A black Stokke Tripp Trapp showing some screws
and the handbook, that come with the chair. The picture down in the middle shows the way the screws are
processed and the colour palette in which the chair is
available.
2: The classic natural wood Stokke Tripp Trapp with an
elderly woman sitting on it.
“It is very comfortable to sit on this chair on which my
niece is sitting too.”
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Law Student
Motto:
„I like timeless pieces that have proofed to be a good
investment“
Person:
Robert is a Law student in his final year. He is more of
a conservative person and therefore not that experimental. He has a sense for simplicity
in design and likes to invest in Objects that are known
to have excellent quality. He has been in a relationship
with Carla for over 5 years and they
plan to have children as soon as Robert has found a job
after hisgraduation.
Robert grew up with a Stokke chair and thinks that
the style of this chair is timeless. Therefore he already
knows that he will buy his kids exactly this chair when
the day arrives.
Goals:
- Buy pieces that are of high quality
- Buy pieces that look simple but nice
Love
Security
Occupation:
Robert Pattinshon, 26
Persona 2
Kids
30
Design
Product Analysis
26.-
Harness
For added safety, a harness is available,
which is constructed in a way that offers
your child their full freedom to move in
the chair. Various colors are available for
the harness.
92.-
Newborn Set
The Newborn Set allows your baby to
sit with you at the family table from
birth age.
62.-
Baby Set
With around 6 months, the baby’s back
is developed enough, so that it can start
to sit upright in a baby seat. The baby
set is available in various colors.
15.31
Warranty: 7 years warranty on all
wooden pieces
When registering in the online database
of Stokke, owners can extend the warranty for another 7 years.
Awards received for chair
Extended Glider
To further increase the backward stability
of the highchair, extended glider can be
attached. Stokke always recommends the
use of the extended glider while the chair
is used with a harness or the baby set.
Table Top
The Table Top is the place for your
child to play, to draw or to eat. Different designs are available.
Product Architecture
Sketch of product architecture
32
Benchmarking
A comparison of the material,
price, measurements, weight
and usage/age has revealed
the similarities and differences from the Tripp Trapp chair
to compettor’s products.
As the table shows, the chair
is a little bit higher prized
than the one’s of competitors and it is one of the havier
products, which increases the
safety of the chair.
33
Product
Brand
Material
Price
Strokke
Solid Wood
199 Euro
Brevi
Plastic
Roba
Measurements
Features
Weight
Usage/ Age
Height 78 cm x
Depth 49 cm x
Width 48 cm
Adjustable sitting
height and
footrest
6.8 kg
6 months up to
adulthood
134 Euro
Height 103 cm x
Depth 55,5 cm x
Width 44,5 cm
Sitting height: 72 cm
Adjustable
backrest, sitting
height, tabletop,
safety belt and
footrest
8 kg
6 months up to
adulthood
Solid Wood
69 Euro
Height 86 cm x
Depth 58 cm x
Width 50 cm
Sitting height: Min. 42
Max. 56
Adjustable sitting
height and
footrest
6.75 kg
6 months up to
adulthood
I’coo
Solid Wood
98 Euro
Height 79 cm x
Depth 56 cm x
Width 48 cm
Adjustable sitting
height and
footrest
6.8 kg
6 months until 10
years/ 40kg
Herlag
Solid Wood
90 Euro
Adjustable sitting
height and
footrest
5,5 kg
6 months up to
adulthood
Hauck
Solid Wood
58 Euro
Height 80 cm x
Depth 56cm x Width
48cm
Sitting height: Min. 52
Max. 55
Height 80 cm x
Depth 56 cm x
Width 48 cm
Sitting height: 70 cm
Adjustable sitting
height and
footrest
5.5 kg
6 months up to
adulthood
Product Property Profile, detailed
Criteria
In this table we have compared
the expectancy profile with
the Product Property profile.
This comparison highlights
very clear the differences, what
people expect from the chair
and how it actually is. The
third column ‘opportunities’
describes the potential areas of
improvement.
Adjustability
Comfort
Safety
Durability
34
Expectancy Profile
Product Property Profile
Opportunity
Customers expect that the Tripp
Trapp chair can be adjusted easily;
no additional tools are needed and
the assembling should be
straightforward. As research has shown, the
adjustability of the Stokke high
chair, is not as easy as promoted.
The tools to assemble the chair are
missing and to adjust a baby seat
the whole chair has to be taken
apart. Not every age group can sit
comfortably on the chair. Only the
purchase of additional accessories,
such as a baby seat or cushions,
enable babies or little children to sit
comfortably. Additionally, the major
issue with the baby seat is that
children cannot be put in the seat
without pain; it is not possible to
open the harness, so that the legs
have to be pushed through the
wholes with force. Only the purchase of a baby seat or
harnesses that can be applied at the
high chair allows children to be
seated safely. Improve adjustability of baby seat
Since the chair can be used from
birth- to adult age, every age group
should be able to sit comfortably on
the chair. The ergonomic form of
the chair should adapt to the
different body shapes and –sizes. Little children need to be seated on
the chair safely; no danger of the
child to fall down. Furthermore, the
construction of the chair has to
remain stable during jerky
movements of energetic children. The construction and the material of
the Tripp Trapp chair have to
support long-term use. Warranty for
at least a year should be guaranteed. The construction of the chair and
the material does support a longtem use. Warranty for at least seven
year should is guaranteed; an online
registration enables customers to
extend the warranty to 14 years
without additional costs.
Improve access to accessories
Improve design from baby seat
Criteria
Eco-friendlyness
Appealing design
(It has to be considered that an
appealing design for every age group
cannot be designed.) 35
Expectancy Profile
Product Property Profile
Opportunity
The high chair as well as the
accessory products should be
designed within Stokke’s
sustainable principles, which
support the use of natural, durable
materials and long-term use. The design of the chair should be
suitable for every age and at the
same time fit into various kitchens. The high chair is constructed within
Stokke’s sustainable principles.
Although, the accessory products,
such as the newborn-, the baby set,
table tops and cushions are not.
Improve eco-friendliness of
accessories
Easy usability for
children
Children should be able to sit on the
chair by themselves. Need for accessories
When buying the chair, tools to
assemble the chair and a baby seat
and harnesses should be included,
since they promote the chair to be
suitable for every age group. The design is timeless and fits into
every kitchen. For every age group
the chair is suitable, even though it
won’t perfectly match to children’s
admire for color- and playful
furniture. Children are able to sit on the chair
by themselves, due to the footrest
that can be used as a stair. Tools to assemble the chair, a baby
seat and harnesses are not included.
The purchase of these items is quite
expensive and a major issue why
customers would buy a different
chair. Integration of tools and accessories
when buying chair
Interview 1
Interviewee: Occupation: Age: Interviewer: (R) Rahel Maurer
Housewife
35
(L) Lorena Ballmer
L: Hi, I’m working on a project to improve a high chair for children.
Since you have 2 kids yourself, I figured, you might posses a high chair as well…
R: Yes, we have a high chair. It’s called Tripp Trapp, a wooden high chair...you might know it! I think we bought it about 3 years ago.
L: Yes I know it! It is actually the one we are examining for the project!!
Do you still remember where you bought the chair 3 years ago?
R: Yes, we bought it online. We went to different stores that sell children furniture, but the new high chairs are quite expensive.
L: So, what were your criteria when buying a high chair for your child?
R: We compared different chars in the department stores and I also asked some of my friends if they could recommend me a model. We actually knew that we want one made
out of wood. We don’t like the plastic stuff…
The design of the Tripp Trapp is very simple and timeless so that also adults would sit on it. I think that cannot be said about the colourful plastic chairs!!
L: So you also considered ecological factors?
R: Yes, we do put emphasis on ecological factors, but the reason why we finally bough this particular chair, was that there was an affordable, less used chair available on Ricardo. So we decided to give it a try!
L: Do you find your high chair attractive, exciting?
R: It is not one of these colourful plastic chairs, children like for the first couple of years and then think they are too old to sit in such a childish chair! So I think it’s design is
not very different from normal chairs...that is what I like about it.
L: Does the product express quality for you?
R: Yes it looks very robust and I have to say it’s a used chair already but it is still very stable and we have no problems with adjusting the pieces.
L: Did you assemble the chair yourself?
R: No my husband did it! Id did not take more than 1 hour I think…
36
L: Do you know if he faced problems when assembling the chair?
R: No, I think it is obvious there are not many pieces…The only problem we had was that we did not have the right tool to assemble it. The people that sold us the chair said
that no tools to assemble the chair were included when they have bought it.
L: Is it easy to adjust the seat and the footrest? How does it take you?
R: It takes us generally 30 min to assemble which I think is quite long.
L: Is it important for you that you can use the chair as long as possible?
R: Yes we don’t want to buy new furniture for our children too often. They grow so fast…
L: Do you consider the chair to be comfortable for different age groups?
R: There is a possibility to buy a newborn set for babies so that they can be seated at the table. It’s quite expensive so we don’t have that one, but we have bought the baby
seat, which was about 60 CHF. As expensive as some high chairs with integrated baby seats!!
L: Do you use the chair only for your children or yourself too?
R: No right now we only use it for the children…
L: Did you buy other additional items for the chair? You mentioned the baby seat…
R: No the accessories are very expensive and the baby seat was just a waste of money!!
L: Why?
R: The problem is that the baby seat can’t be assembled without taking the whole chair apart! When we finally assembled the seat we realized that there is no possibility to
open the baby seat. If there were enough space to put the child into the chair, it would not be a problem, but it’s just too narrow. My child always starts to cry when we put her
in the baby seat. It really hurts because it is nearly impossible to put her legs trough down in there.
L: Yes, that is a problem...thanks for the input, I think we can definitively work on that!!
37
Insights
Problems
Interview 2
Interviewee:
Occupation:
Age:
Interviewer: Séverine Steiner
Where do/did you buy a chair for your child? (Brand?)
We got two Stokke chairs as a present from my sisters for the birth of two of our children. We bought a third one ourselves in
“Baby shop” in Altendorf SZ.
Why do/did you buy it there?
In 1990 this chair was not available everywhere in Switzerland and belonged to rather sophisticated, modern equipment for Babys.
We knew it was originally from Sweden. That’s why we decided to go to a shop specialized in Baby items.
What were your criteria when buying a high chair for your child?
Good, natural,warm material (wood vs. plastic)
Good design/sophisticated/the chair which grows with the children
Longlasting
Robust/secure
Good Price/quality investment
Modern
(What are compulsory features? (material, comfort, safety, look,...)
Wood, ergonomic, safety, good design,easy
How comfortable has the chair to be?
Comfortable enough for children to sit as long as possible while parents eating for instance. It has to be easy for the child to eat at
the same table as the parents do. His feet can rest on a footrest
How safe has the chair to be?
The child schouldn’t be able to get out of the chair alone or shouldn’t slip under the restraining bar.
38
Is ecology a factor to consider?
Absolutely. An important factor.
How much would/did you pay for it?)
I think we paid about CHF 140.00 without accessories in ‘90.
Any other concerns?
Easy to take apart when no more need, easy to put away somewhere.
Do you find your high chair attractive, exciting?
Yes, we do.
Does the product express quality?
High quality
How long do you have your high chair already?
About 24 years
Did you assemble the chair yourself?
Yes, we did.
Did you face problems when assembling the chair?
No, we didn’t.
Is it easy to adjust the seat and the footrest? How long does it take you?
Yes, it is. It takes about 10 min
Does the chair look good in your kitchen?
Yes. Allthough the kitchen is small, it fits. Even 3 of them.
Is it important for you that you can use the chair as long as possible?
Yes of course. We have never renewed our kitchen until now and the chairs are still there. Since a child decided to study in Zürich
we sold one chair, thus having more space around the table for 4 adults.
Do you consider the chair to be comfortable for different age groups?
Yes, this is the amazing point of this product
Do you use the chair only for your children or yourself too?
At the moment these chairs are being used by everyone in the family
Did you buy additional items for the chair (special baby seat etc..)?
For our third child we received an extra comfortable cushion (?)
39
Insights
Problems
Interview 3
Interviewee: Occupation:
Age: 38
Interviewer: (R) Peter Brunhofer
(Q) Johannes Diboky
Q: Where do you buy a chair for your child?
R: Usually I go to a children’s shop in the city.
Q: Why do you buy it there?
R: Because for me it’s important to test it out before I buy it. Prices are quite high for such a chair therefor I don’t want to regret my buying decision.
Q:What were your criteria when buying a high chair for your child?
(What are compulsory features? (material, comfort, safety, look,...)
R: I do prefer to buy plain and natural furniture in general because of that the Stokke chair fitted perfectly into my apartment.
Q: How comfortable has the chair to be?
R: The chair should be comfortable but it doesn’t necessarily need a cushion because it’s not a living room piece. I only use it when my child sits in the kitchen and it’s easier
to clean if there are no fabrics.
Q: How safe has the chair to be?
R: For my child safety is the most important. Imagine if your child would fall on the head because the chair didn’t prevent it from with a strap.
Q: Is ecology a factor to consider?
R: Ecology doesn’t really influence my decision.
Q:How much would you pay for it?)
R: For a long lasting chair with natural materials I’d pay max. 200.Q: Do you find your high chair attractive, exciting?
R: Yes absolutely. It is as well a piece of memory for me because already my family used to have one of these and it’s a great pleasure to see your own child growing on that
very same chair.
40
Q: Does the product express quality?
R: When you see and touch this massiv wodden chair I think it’s obvious that it expresses quality.
Q: How long do you have your high chair already?
R: For 2 years now.
Q: Did you assemble the chair yourself?
R: Yes
Q: Did you face problems when assembling the chair?
R: For the chair itself not but to assemble the baby seat was really hard. And I think it doesn’t look nice because its not only wood anymore.
Q: Is it important for you that you can use the chair as long as possible?
R: Absolutely, this makes this chair special. And if I have to spend so much money on that I want to use it for generations.
Q: Do you consider the chair to be comfortable for different age groups?
R: Yes it is great for all age groups and it looks very pretty in the kitchen.
Q: Do you use the chair only for your children or yourself too?
R: Mostly my children sit on it but sometimes I use it myself when no other chair is around but it doesn’t really make a difference.
Q: Did you buy additional items for the chair (kinder sitz etc..)?
R: Yes as mentioned before the baby seat which isn’t that of a pleasure to assemble.
Insights
Problems
41
Analysis Interviews
Interview 1
Lorena’s Interviewee is very eco driven. It is really important to her that the chair is not made out of plastic and has a nice design. It looks like a normal chair so the kid and
the parents like it.
Critical points:
- It takes too long to adjust the levels
- Extra tools to buy to assemble chair
- Accessories are too expensive
- Especially the baby seat, which was a waste of money
Positive points:
- Simple and Timeless
- Very stable and robust
Interview 2
Séverine’s interviewees are eco-driven, and design-conscious people that put a great emphasis on safety.
Critical points:
- No critical points
Positive points:
- Timeless
- Robust/good quality
- Long lasting ‘The chair that grows with the children’
- Easy to take apart and assemble
- Easy to adjust levels
42
Interview 3
Johannes’s interviewee is more of a practical person. It is important that a chair is safe and fits his other furniture. He is not an eco-thinker at all. The decision to buy this chair
is influenced by his childhood where he had the same one.
Critical points:
- To plug in the baby seat, taking the whole chair apart
Positive points:
- Piece of memory, timelessness
- Good quality
- Long lasting
Conclusion
All interviewees agree on the fact that this chair is of good quality, long lasting, timeless and totally usable for all generations.
In contrast the interviewees opinion on assembling the chair split. While one has no problem putting it together and taking it apart, another one complains that it htakes them
forever.
Two interviewees complained about the purchase of an baby seat. Not only is it expensive, the design has also some disadvantages. One problem is that the seat is very narrow, the baby has to put into the chair with force. Another problem is the complexity of fixing the baby seat onto the chair for which one has to take the chair apart and the fact
that this seat is made out of plastic different to the chair which is out of wood.
Additionally, one interviewee’s complained about the toolset that doesn’t come with the chair to assemble it.
43
References
1 http://www.stokke.com/highchair.aspx
2 http://www.roba-kinderwelt.de/index.php?&no-cache=1&category=21&id=234
http://www.kidscomfort.eu/HERLAG_High_chair_TIPP-TOPP_III_different_colors_selectable_Spanisch.html
http://www.hauck.de/collection2013/highchairs-and-seat-pads/highchairs-and-seat-pads.14.1.2_cat2.html
http://babies1st.com/p-146008-icoo-pharo-wooden-highchair.aspx
http://www.brevi.eu/en/prodotti-prima-infanzia/la-pappa/slex-evo.html
Glossary
http://www.stokke.com/highchair.aspx
44