Steelcase Personal Storage
Summer 2022
Steelcase SOTO Personal Console
Background
My team at Steelcase created multiple custom storage units for different clients, but they tasked me with creating a base model that can be easily adapted to meet new client needs. This base model would remove the need to start over if future clients aren’t satisfied with previous designs.
My Task
Design, engineer, manufacture, and test a storage unit that gives future clients a baseline for price, function, and form while also being aesthetic, manufacturable, and adaptable to meet the unique requirements of future clients.
Constraints
My team makes custom made products at low volume, so they don’t do any custom tooling. This means my project could only involve sheet metal and wood.
Ideation
How does it open?
What goes in it?
How does it attach?
Internal/External Features?
Process: Hinge Study
I conducted two stages of prototyping before creating my final design. The first stage involved studying the use of wall mounted hinges instead of pin hinges for the unit’s door. I wanted to see if these hinges would shrink the gap created between the door and side of the case, thus allowing the user to access to all the space they deserved. Wall mounted hinges also allow for a proud door design (like a refrigerator), which isn’t possible with pin hinges. To test this, I created two double doored storage units that visualized different combinations of hinge selection, door placement, and corner design.
Previous Design
Pin Hinges or Wall Mounted Hinges
Rounded Corners or Square Corners
Inset Door or Proud Door
One Extra Door for Proud Setting at Full Height
= 7 Unique Combinations
Double Doored Storage Units
Findings
Wall mounted hinges successfully shrink the gap between the door and outer shell since they move the door out and around the edge of the shell. With this said, the hinges themselves encroach on the opening of the storage unit. They are also more visually obtrusive compared to the pin hinges. Though wall mounted hinges are more expensive, they do provide the option of a proud door, which is impractical with pin hinges.
Process: Body Construction
From there I focused my attention on the body. Every previous design featured the same “U” shaped body made from one piece of sheet metal.
The Problem
Due to the height and width of this body design, it was very difficult to manufacture on a break press. While bending the second bottom corner, the part would be bent into the machine itself and cause a serious safety hazard.
How might we achieve the same form and function with a more manufacturable body design?
How many different ways can you make a box?
I began brainstorming different ways of achieving the same shape using multiple parts that offered greater manufacturability.
Refined Prototypes
With the help of some Steelcase manufacturing and tooling engineers, as well as my team, I narrowed it down to three designs.
Chosen for greatest manufacturability despite low visual appeal, greater number of parts, and low novelty
Chosen for novelty, aesthetic, and low number of parts despite higher complexity
Chosen for greatest balance of manufacturability, novelty, and aesthetic
Bringing it All Together
I took what I learned from my two hinge study and three body construction prototypes to inform my final design. My hinge study showed me that pin hinges offer greater versatility, affordability, and aesthetic. My case construction prototypes showed me that the design with four rounded corners offered the greatest manufacturability, visual appeal, and adaptability.
Hinge Study Prototypes
Body Construction Prototypes
Final Design
adaptable • manufacturable • cost effective • unobtrusive
Why It Works
Adaptable
Can fit any dimension without sacrificing manufacturability.
Can feature wall mounted hinges.
LH/RH adjustable in the field.
Simpler parts than the “U” shaped body.
Offset placements allow for easy spot welding.
Manufacturable
Understated design with seamless Steelcase integration.
Unobtrusive offsets.
Seamless bottom surface.
Offsets would be hidden when installed under a desk.
Visually Appealing
Fewer bends.
Fewer parts.
Affordable hardware.
Cost Effective
Takeaways
By the end of the summer, I was very happy to have walked away with two functional, full sized prototypes. These prototypes passed all BIFMA testing standards for undermounted storage units. They also achieve a design that has never been seen on the market.
Next Steps
There are some minor design changes that I’d like to implement such as shrinking the cable openings in the back of the unit and integrating a lock mechanism. I’d also like to investigate using a metal door instead of a wooden one for the sake of lowering cost. A more rigorous cost model as well as user testing must also be done before this prototype can be manufactured at scale.