Frame
A measuring tool for visualising, arranging, and choosing furniture with ease.
Year
Client
2024
Frame
Brief
Conceive a product that allows people to measure and plan for new furniture in their home. The solution needs to:
Cover a broad range of furniture sizes
Allow accurate measuring of items
Be suitable for single person use
Allow for visualisation of 3D and 2D objects
Take up minimal space when not in use
Outcome
Supported in the creation of Frame, a modular expanding cube that can be manipulated to visualise the volume of any item of furniture. Prototypes and marketing imagery were produced to test key functionality, and support with a preliminary crowdfunded launch.
Supply networks were established for tube manufacturing and custom measuring tapes, to ensure feasibility and maintain maximum control over the full production process.
Key Design Features
Expands from 30cm to 3m cubed
Ability to measure 2D and 3D objects
Secure and effective magnetic bracket assembly
In-built measuring device for precise adjustment
Generating Marketing Media
To support with the product launch, we produced a suite of marketing media demonstrating the full functionality of Frame. This included still renders, short versatile animations, and a full length product showreel filmed in a virtual furnished home.
The end result is a photoreal product showcase that engages consumers and communicates the range of product benefits at a glance. Delivering a cohesive set of media is vital to ensuring the brand message is consistent and consumer outreach is effective.
Designing Mechanisms to Enhance the User Experience
We conceived a novel magnetic corner bracket to connect the four sides of Frame to one another. This feature offers customers a tool for measuring both 2D and 3D object, while taking up less space when being stored. Frame are also able to offer single frames alongside selling the complete cube, strengthening the business case though a wider product range.
This solution went through several rounds of prototyping to arrive at a design that is both satisfying to use and strong enough for a reliable connection. We used our in-house rapid prototyping equipment to quickly test and improve the design.
Conceiving Value Added Features
It’s vital that this product caters to the end user by allowing them to accurately plan the space in their home. We included X and Y measuring tapes in each Frame, giving users the freedom to be as accurate as they wish when using the product. With each side having these tapes, people can precisely measure 2D and 3D objects.
We worked with our supply network to create a custom tape measure that extends through the telescoping tubing, providing an accurate and responsive real time measurement of the Frame perimeter. The inclusion of these value added features are what elevates the product offering and maximises the consumer benefit.
Using In-House Prototyping to Attract Outside Investment
To be a success, Frame needed to combine a number of nuanced features and mechanisms. Utilising our in-house prototyping facilities allowed us to validate ideas at varying levels quickly and within budget. This was vital to ensuring long term product reliability and part strength.
Where necessary, we took advantage of our skilled supplier network to produce high quality, production level components. We produced a fully integrated product sample that increased confidence in the overall concept. This also unlocked the potential for Frame to be tested in real world scenarios, and shared with investors.
