Logitech Desktop Wave Role of Comfort in Product Design - Page 4

Products that have a high level of contact with our bodies often evolve into more comfortable versions due to people and companies who carefully consider the body's shape and its point of contact with the object. Trapper, Kelty and Lowe were all motivated by the pursuit of comfort. They understood that rather than force the body to conform to the backpack, the backpack needed to conform to the body. Their thoughtful redesign benefited us all. The Role of Comfort in Product Design - Page 4 Logitech's Definition of the Role of Comfort in Product Design (n.) 2. Comfort is a critical component of the design process; the value of comfort urges companies to create tailored products designed to fit the unique shape of the human body. The Vegetable Peeler: A Gripping Example of the Importance of Comfort Logitech's Definition of the Role The evolution of the vegetable peeler is an example of how of Comfort in Product Design one small change to a single product can affect the comfort (n.) 3. Comfort is a source of support, both physically and emotionally; comfortable products strengthen our lives of millions of people. For centuries people used a knife to take the skin off potatoes and other vegetables. Then Sam Farber came along. because we can rely on them to Having retired after decades running the Copco make our lives easier. kitchenware company, Farber must have felt pretty uncomfortable watching his wife peel apples. The strip of metal that served as a grip just wasn't acceptable. And, to make things worse, Betsey Farber suffered from arthritis, which gave her more and more pain. At some point, Mr. Farber's concern led to action - he knew there must be a better way. With the help of Smart Design design agency, Farber began creating models to test the motions - twisting, turning, pushing, pulling, squeezing - people use when peeling vegetables. As a result of this research, Farber concluded that an enlarged handle and a rubberized grip could dramatically improve comfort. He could never have predicted the response. Today, more than 20 years after its introduction, an OXO Good Grips peeler sits in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. And Mr. Farber's company, OXO International, produces an entire line of more than 500 products covering many areas of the home - each one featuring OXO's trademark plump, rubber grip. Which makes us wonder: Why did we put up with the old version in the first place? And why did it take so long for this simple concept to come to market? What is it that motivates an individual to research and explore the possibility of a more comfortable product design? A Shared Concern: Desire for Comfort Inspires Logitech Comfort Wave Design OXO OXO Good Grips Swivel Peeler. In the examples of the car seat, backpack and vegetable peeler, it's a genuine desire by an individual or a company to provide the best tools for accomplishing a task - whether it be driving to and from work, walking a couple of miles or peeling vegetables in preparation for a family dinner. Like those involved in the evolution of the car seat design, like Trapper and Kelty, like Sam Farber, it was a genuine desire to create a better, more comfortable typing experience that led Logitech's keyboard development team to create the Comfort Wave Design. Recognizing that fingers aren't all the same length, the team created a wave-shaped keyboard to mirror the varying height of your fingers. And like the redesigned car seat, backpack and vegetable peeler, once you try one of the new Wave keyboards, you'll realize that you could never go back to your old keyboard. You'll realize that you deserve to be comfortable. And you'll wonder why no one thought of the design sooner.