“Now when I see the finished product, I can’t help but be proud to be a part of this.”
Earlier this year we payed Simon Fredriksson a visit, the industrial designer who played a part in bringing Kleeo desk manager to life. We sat down with him for a couple of hours to dive deeper into the design process behind Kleeo desk manager. There is so much more than meets the eye with solutions like these, so we’re thrilled to share his thoughts regarding desk booking in a modern world. Simon was a part of our project team and responsible for designing the physical appearance of the product, as well as ensuring that it was functional and easy to use.
When we arrived at Simon’s office, he had just lined up all the prototypes that had taken shape along the process. It was extensive, and testified to the complexity of developing a new product.
“We start with very simple means to see what kind of challenges come up”.
During our conversation, Simon emphasised that the key to success is starting with a deep understanding of the problem and then moving through an iterative process. It was clear that Simon’s attention to detail and dedication to functionality and ease of use played an important role during our work together. As we listened to Simon describe the process, we were reminded that no process is linear. The picture below tells a story; that our ideas change based on new insights.
”The first part was that we should try to do a single product, where the sensor part and the actual product was in one. Throughout the process, we realised that it wasn’t the right solution”
This realisation posed new challenges. We needed to find a way to create a product that could be used or installed in more than one scenario, be it on top or in front of a desk. This required a lot of brainstorming and prototyping, and the teams went through multiple iterations to arrive at a solution that was both functional and versatile. It says a lot about how we must take the market and its different needs into account when we create a new product, which in turn might prolong the process in order to achieve the best possible end result.
”We don’t have just one primary user. We have the everyday user who’s going to use it to book desks and check in. But we had to look at the first stage, how we actually install it.”
What it initially boiled down to for everyone involved was to look at the time and cost for the installation process. We wanted to end up with a product that could be installed in an easy and smooth way, leading to less time and money spent on actually installing it. The way to achieve that was to design it in a way that made it easy to align and stick to any preferable surface, together with templates in the packaging and installation videos that could be found trough a QR-code.
We came around to asking Simon how he sees the installation process aligning with the usage on an employee level.
”When it comes down to the actual user, who interacts with this product on a daily basis, we wanted to make sure that the product offers a very non-intrusive experience”.
He continues and states that one key factor in the design process was to make sure that the interaction with the end-user is minimal. Kleeo desk manager should be there for you and not disturb you in your everyday life. That is why we ended up with different modes of check-ins to make it as easy as possible for the end-user, such as booking through your phone, using a tag or employee card and a presence sensor for self check-in.
This also suggested another key objective; to ensure that the final product was user-friendly, without compromising on the design aesthetic. To this end, our teams conducted research to identify the optimal balance between form and function. Through iterative design cycles and thorough testing, we were able to refine the installation process with the design in mind. We then ended up with a solution that maintained the Evoko form language – a minimalistic design with geometric shapes that blends in nicely in any environment.
”Kleeo desk manager is a companion, not a desk police. So we wanted to make a less techy and a more humane product”.
For us at Evoko, this really captures our core values. Our products are there for you. They may look cool, but that is just a plus. Our goal is for you to have as seamless a work day as possible. That’s why we are very proud to have the chance to work with talented people like Simon and his team. Collaborations like these make for end results that last forever.
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