The Fidget Chair

During my senior year at NYU, I worked as a student teacher in a first-grade classroom at a local elementary school. I noticed after some time there that some of my students dealt with something I am very familiar with - constant fidgeting. One student had a particularly hard time keeping their body in control, especially during long periods of work. 

As someone who has grown up with ADHD, I have been told more than enough times to stop fidgeting. However, every time I stopped, it made it harder for me to concentrate. I knew that fidgeting helped me focus. However, the majority of fidget toys on the market today are just that - toys! They are a distraction to students and their classmates because of their novelty and easiness to share.

I wanted to create a tool for students that compelled them to fidget in natural, effective ways, was not visually distracting, and could not be passed around between classmates. And thus, the Fidget Chair was born.

I did research on the cause, common ways, and most effective ways of fidgeting. One article that was particularly helpful in my research was written by Thomas Dimino. 

I learned that fidgeting occurs when someone with ADHD is in an understimulating environment, as well as that fidgeting often helps people with ADHD focus better as long as the fidgeting does not require more concentration than the task at hand. 

Through observation of my students, I found that leg bouncing, chair rocking, and pencil tapping were the most common ways of fidgeting in our classroom (one foot movement, one whole body movement, and one hand movement). I wanted to hit all three of these components with my chair design. I also noticed that several of my students preferred to sit cowboy-style on their chairs (backwards from how one would normally sit) and wanted to keep that in mind when designing my chair. 

In terms of productive fidgeting, Dimino noted that visual and auditory concentration should not be required and that the fidget should not physically impede the student's ability to complete the task at hand. Dimino also suggested sitting on a balance ball as a simple way of releasing fidget energy.

With all of this information in mind, I implemented a wide variety of ways to fidget while using the fidget chair. Learn about all of the features below.

Goals

The goals of this user interview were to (1) ensure that none of the textures I chose were disliked by the students, (2) determine the most popular one, and (3) figure out which side of the stability disc (bumpy or smooth) the students preferred. I wanted a mix of textures so that the edges would be tactically interesting and so that if a student was comforted by a certain texture it would be represented. I chose felt bumpers for a soft texture, rubber bumpers for a flat, smooth texture, rhinestone bumpers for an elevated, smooth texture, flower-printed furniture nails for a bumpy, curved texture, plain furniture nails for a smooth, curved texture, and rick rack for a rough, wavy texture. I assumed at this point that the stability disc would eventually get glued to the seat, meaning that only one side could be facing up.

Test

I had each student come to a table outside of the classroom and touch each textured piece one at a time. For each piece, I asked whether or not the student liked the way that it felt on their finger and why. Then, I had them sit on both sides of the stability disc. I asked which side they preferred. 

Results

I found that all of the textures were enjoyed by a majority of students, and that the rick rack was the most popular texture. This information informed my decision to give the rick rack an entire edge on the front of the chair. I also put the soft felt bumpers on both the left and right side because it was described as comforting and relaxing by some of the students. I also found that a majority of students preferred the smooth side of the stability disc, which initially made me think to keep that side facing up. In the next user test, I had everybody start with the smooth side up, but almost all of the students who preferred the bumpy side (and some who had preferred the smooth side the day before) flipped it over without thinking twice. When I asked if they would like to sit on the smooth side, all of them declined and kept the bumpy side up. I knew that I needed to somehow secure the disc in place while also allowing the students to choose which side they wanted. My Professor, Alex Nathanson, helped come up with the idea for velcro sleeves that attached to the sides of the disc so that it could be stable and reversible.

Goals

The goals of this user test were to (1) see if the students were comfortable sitting in different positions in the chair, and (2) ensure that all students felt safe when tipping the chair back. I wanted students to be able to change positions in case they become uncomfortable from staying in one position for too long. It is also important that my students not only are safe, but feel safe when using the chair.

Test

I had each student come to a table outside of the classroom and sit both regular and cowboy-style (with the disc flipped to their preferred side). At this time, the back rest cushion was a small square in the middle of the back rest with wood around the border. I asked whether or not they felt comfortable sitting in both directions and why. Finally, I had them tip the chair back until they were balancing on the angled part of the chair legs. I asked if they felt safe or like they were going to fall.

Results

I found that some of my taller students were uncomfortable with the wood digging into their backs when sitting regularly. This prompted me to extend the back rest cushion over the entire back rest and wrap onto the top as well. This design was also beneficial to those who liked to lean forward while sitting cowboy style, as they too were uncomfortable because of the wood. I also had 2 students who felt the chair was too tall with the stability disc and preferred sitting without it. For those students, I made a foam seat cushion that could be swapped in instead of the disc. Finally, I found that my students all felt safe when tipping the chair back. A few felt like they were going to fall as they began to lean back, but said that once they reached the balance point, they felt safe again.

Goals

The goals of this user test were to (1) see if the chair promoted focused work, (2) see how the students use the chair when unprompted, and (3) find any final flaws to touch up. I needed to find out if ultimately the chair worked how it was intended to. I was also interested in seeing which ways of fidgeting my students used most often. Going in, I knew of one small flaw that I hadn't been able to fix, which was that the chair was ever-so-slightly wobbly due to the legs not being exactly even. I wanted to see if there were any similar issues that I could fix.

Test

I had each student use the chair for approximately 10 minutes during a work period. I did not suggest any particular way of using it, observed how they naturally interacted, and asked if they had any thoughts about the chair after their 10 minutes were up. 

Results

I found that 19/21 students were engaged in focused work while using the chair, which was a huge success. The most popular uses were balancing on the stability disc, kicking or bouncing a foot on the yoga band, and feeling the textures on the sides of the chair. Only one of my students seemed to notice the the chair legs being slightly off. However, I noticed that the chair was pretty loud when 2 students rocked forward after tipping back, so I added felt bumpers to the bottom of the feet to dampen the sound and prevent a disturbance. I also noticed that one student picked off some of the textured pieces, so I used a stronger adhesive to secure them to the side of the chair. After making these final touch-ups, my chair was officially completed.