Although most of our design work is created in the digital realm, pen and paper remain crucial tools. Therefore our desks are often a jumbled zone of various manual and digital devices. In an effort to bring some order and serenity to our work-spaces, we’ve been tinkering with a device we call the Desk Rail. While very simple at first look, the Desk Rail’s attributes are numerous.
EVERYTHING IN IT'S PLACE
The main function of the Desk Rail is to organize and centralize the tools on your desk. Inspired by the magnetic knife strip, found in most professional kitchens, the Desk Rail allows users to access their tools efficiently. A relative newcomer to the desk is the now ubiquitous smart phone. The Desk Rail positions the phone so you can quickly check alerts and charge it with an added cable.
Tucked behind the user’s keyboard, the Desk Rail allows users to quickly switch from one tool to the next with an efficient, natural movement, especially helpful for Wacom tablet users. The size, angle, and padding material in the channel have all been carefully designed and tested to provide a soft landing and make it easy to secure your tools in the Desk Rail without looking down.
SWITCH IT UP
Trying to reference physical notes and sketches while working on a computer can become a real pain in the neck, literally. Looking down, to the side, and then back up is neither intuitive nor comfortable. The Desk Rail props printed material so that users can keep their eyes focused forward.
CROWD FUNDED
We originally shared the Desk Rail concept with blogosphere in 2012 and got such a great response that we knew we needed to take it further. After some additional refinement and prototyping we launched on Kickstarter in early 2013. The campaign was a great success, raising nearly double our funding goal.
Ultimately the goal of any design project is to serve the end user, so we are very happy that after shipping the first run of Desk Rails to our backers, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Looking to the future, we created an online store and are exploring several resale opportunities.
