élan: Tangible Interaction Exploration

Project Description

The project brief was open-ended: design a table lamp in our Product Design 2 studio class that challenges the traditional expectations of a table lamp.

Problem

At the time of the project, I lived in a tiny studio apartment with a tiny desk. I aimed to find a small lamp for my workspace, but even the smallest table lamps I looked at had a footprint. It still needs a place among the pencil holder, computer, and keyboard. This led me to the question: does a lamp really deserve real estate on your desk?

Insights

Chema Madoz’s surrealist photography inspired me to imagine interactions as visual metaphors. Along this line of thinking, I encouraged myself to let imagination and play lead the way for this exploration.

Solutions

Élan is a soft, e-textile lamp. When the user pulls the LED-embedded fabric up from the center, magnets from either side meet to complete the circuit and turn on the light. Flattened out, the light turns off and “disappears,” leaving precious room for other things on even the tiniest desk.