Taking a quick refreshing nap during working hours is slowly becoming more accepted, as it can increase the productivity and well-being of employees. To respond to this trend, a series of power nap products was designed for Oniix, including a head mask and a luxurious power nap chair. The design process was very collaborative, and there was a quick back and forth exchange of sketches and ideas.
These really early sketches where made to find out what the amount of immersion vs. practicality was that the client was looking for. Initially, the brief was to design an entire fabric cocoon with (semi) rigid components, however in this exploratory phase we soon came to the mutual conclusion that starting out with a less cumbersome face mounted device was a much better option, both in terms of customer demands as well as for production requirements and possibilities.
Some slightly later concepts included a sleeping mask, ear covers and a small cushion on the back to rest your head on.
This accumulated in a simple design with three bands: one for eye cover and two for head support, which were to be stuffed. This configuration allowed for a wide variety of positions, allowing for a range of preferences of the user and use in locations where sleeping pose options are limited, such as in public transit.
In parallel to these sketches, quick mock-ups where made to work towards a comfortable product
This is another sketch in order to crystallise the details. At this point we had a slightly more ornate look in mind, which later made place for a plainer, more straight forward look.
The end result was a simple head mask with three bands of cushioning, which could in a later version be fitted with a formed soft foam core for the eye band, in which LED lights are placed to guide the user through a natural sleep cycle.
While this was going on, the client also requested a concept design for a power nap chair, which after some initial sketches found its way into a basic form, which was materialised in two concepts
The first concept features an articulated steel frame which holds a rotation moulded tub that supports the cushioning and creates a somewhat private space for sleeping
The second concept is based on the same structure, however here the seat is supported by steam formed oak wood beams or laminated sheets of wood and a canvas hull. The benefits would be that it looks slightly more premium and is easier to do on a small batch basis, which makes it interesting as a first version as it requires less set up cost and can be sold at a higher price tag.
After these two versions were created, a foam scale model was built to get a better feeling of the shape in 3 dimensions and as an easy to transport display, especially in the time until a first full scale product is built.
