The Role of Comfort in
Product Design – Page
2
Logitech’s Definition of the Role
of Comfort in Product Design (n.)
1. Comfort is a state of delightful
forgetfulness; a comfortable
product goes beyond its function
to add a quality of physical and
emotional pleasure to an
experience that would otherwise
be unpleasant.
John Fliss
1965 AC Cobra with bucket seats.
Though companies such as Logitech expend significant resources defining with great
precision those visual cues that immediately convey the promise of comfort – a balance
must be achieved so that the best innovations will be adopted, so that they will present
themselves close enough to what usability expert Donald Norman, in his book The
Design of Everyday Things, calls “mental models.” These are “our conceptual models
of the way objects work, events take place or people behave, [that] result from our
tendency to form explanations of things. We base our models on whatever knowledge
we have, real or imaginary, naïve or sophisticated.” In this explanation, Norman
illuminates the challenge companies face in overcoming traditions and expectations.
We tell ourselves that the keyboard should have a certain shape because that’s how it
has been for many years; we don’t question or challenge the old form. However,
companies hoping to introduce a product that delivers comfort in a new shape must
overcome resistance to the new form, the new story. They must strike the right balance
between tradition and innovation.
When Ford first began mass-producing the Model T in
the early 1900s, the seats hadn’t changed much.
However, soon thereafter, gradual changes began to
appear. While the ’28 Model A’s had the old fixed, non-
adjustable seats, the ’30 passenger models added
adjustability to the front seats with a “worm gear
controller,” a metal rod that ran beneath the front seat
to move the seat forward or back. In 1931, the most
common Ford Model A, a two-door sedan, had two
small stool-like front seats that people had to balance
on when driving.
Finally, with the introduction of sporty, compact
cars in the ’50s and ’60s, such as the 1965 AC
Cobra, the now ubiquitous bucket seat arrived to
save us from the balancing act. Unlike the flat
surfaces of previous seat designs, bucket seats
conform to fit the shape of our bodies, leading to a
more comfortable and enjoyable driving
experience.
More recently, car manufacturers have added
additional comfort features, such as lower back
supports, headrests and heated seats. Today,
instead of a worm controller, many cars have
electronic controls that adjust the seats. The 2007
Volkswagen Jetta can even remember up to three different car-seat settings, automatically
adjusting to a preset position with the push of a button.
Think of it. Just a few decades ago, people sat on bench seats – struggling to maintain good
posture – while maneuvering busy streets. Isn’t it unbearable to even imagine sitting on one of
the car seats of the past?
Remember the wooden bench seat the next time you’re faced with atrocious traffic. Try to keep in
mind how lucky we are that today, we can turn on the seat heater, electronically adjust the tilt of
the seat so that it’s just right, lean back against the headrest and forget for a moment that we’re
stuck in traffic.
The Backpack: The Instant Comfort of the Internal Frame
Outdoor enthusiasts use frame backpacks to transport equipment and supplies across remote
terrain, such as snow-covered mountain trails. There are two types of frame backpacks – those
with frames that are housed within the backpack fabric, or internal frames, and those with frames
that are fitted outside the fabric, or external frames.
Internal-frame backpacks, which have been around since about 1970, vastly outsell external
frames, which have been commercially produced since the late 1920s. Most major sporting goods
stores don’t even carry externals anymore.
