Introducing The Problem
Designing furniture for living room dining to accommodate contemporary lifestyles
Our lives are ever changing, and for most, a constant throughout that change is living with others whether it is family or friends and roommates. Inevitably, people have different daily schedules, so it can be difficult to make time for others. One way people solve that is by dining together. This usually looks like gathering in a dining room and discussing your day over a meal. However, there are many people who resort to other areas of their home for meal-time, because they do not have a dedicated space for formal dining. In this case, the next best option is usually the living room. With their multifaceted and recreational qualities, it is fair to say living rooms are the heart of a home. But, they are not optimized for group dining, let alone intimate dining. So, what can be done? What choices are available? How do people utilize and/or adjust their homes in order to accommodate their circumstances?
Market Research
Taking a look at what currently exists
Current Trends
User Research
Summarizing data collected from 30 survey respondents and 5 interviewees.
2 : 3 people
dine in their living rooms
74%
do not eat meals in a dining room
73%
use digital devices during meal time
66%
dine in their living room
Thoughts on current living room dining
Benefits
Comfortable
Convenient
Entertainment
Accessible
Facilitators
Feels improper/barbaric
Social & emotional disconnect
Limited space for group dining
It can get messy
Memorable interview comments
“We would just sit on the couch around the ottoman using tv trays. It was messy for the kids, and it felt kind of gross, because we weren’t ever really talking.”
- Claude, 37
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“I feel bad about it, because the people I look up to don’t practice the same ritual.”
- P, 23
User Archetype
Identifying the target user.
Heading 5
Location
Dwelling
Occupants
Age Demographic
Income
Urban Neighborhoods
Apartment, Condominium, or Small Home
Family Members and/or Housemates
20 - 40
Low - Middle Income
Whether it is for the sake of comfort and convenience or just a lack of afforded space for formal dining, these users primarily dine in their living room. This means that their coffee table doubles as their dining table, and while living with others, the coffee table is always in use to some capacity. It becomes more complicated when several people are sharing the same space during mealtime. These users enjoy the coziness of living room dining, but it comes with more nuanced issues that need to be addressed.
Pains
Goals
Limited space
Not optimal for socializing while dining
Being able to accommodate all
occasions
Simple and quick mechanisms
Promoting intimate social interactions
The User Journey
Documenting user routines and establishing research takeaways.
Behavior
Preparing dinner for the household and gathering in the living room
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Turning on the television and choosing entertainment to watch
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Everyone quietly watches the television while eating
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Finishing the meal and returning dishes to the kitchen
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Going to the bedroom to unwind from the day
Emotions
Excited to eat and get cozy on the couch
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Attentive and thoughtful while making the collective choice of what to watch
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Relieved to eat and immersed in the television
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Curious to know how everyone’s day was
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Feeling bothered and emotionally distant from others
Pain Points
Chances of spilling and/or staining furniture
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Lack of enjoyment and appreciation for the food because of distractions
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Absent-mindedness leads to eating too quickly
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Unintentionally detaching from those around you
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Fewer meaningful connections amongst household members
Key Findings
1. Who you eat with matters.
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2. People who eat together while entertainment is playing often experience a social and emotional disconnect between one another.
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3. In many cases, the decision to eat in a living room is circumstantial.
How might we curate a more intimate group dining experience for users who don’t have a formal dining space?
Moodboard
Constructing a stylized vision for the coffee table.
Wood is incredibly ubiquitous, and its organic composition and cosmetic versatility makes it perfect for a variety of mutual spaces. The aesthetic takes inspiration from contemporary design, and the goal is to utilize simple modern manufacturing techniques to embellish a streamlined form.
Ideation
Exploring forms and solutions.
Goals for ideation
1. Versatile form with visual interest
2. Extendable feature for extra table surface
3. Minimal corners/edges
Exploration
1. Ambiance
2. Curvy shapes
3. Storage distribution
4. Features that promote togetherness
User Testing
Seeing how users respond.
What Users Liked
1. The effortless application of the sliding door storage
2. Imagining themselves using the lazy susan for family-style dining
3. The option of utilizing extendable table space
What They Would Change
1. Add shelving to interior storage
2. Explore table leg iterations
3. Create visual relationship between the short table legs and the extending table top leg
Iteration Focuses
1. Redesigning table legs for cohesion and structural integrity
2. Adding interior shelving
Storyboard
Demonstrating modularity and application.
Accommodates for foot/leg space and floor sitting during family-style dining. In addition, the lazy susan makes it easy to pass items across the table.
Unobtrusive occupancy makes it great for idol or group use.
Circular shape and modular form promotes a more dynamic social setting.
Different orientations can optimize a space for several types of tasks and occasions.