0:00:00.089,0:00:04.340 If you’ve ever looked into buying an office[br]chair and have say looked up some options 0:00:04.340,0:00:08.840 online - you’ll find that it's possible[br]to buy one for about $50. 0:00:08.840,0:00:12.800 There are also ones for between a hundred[br]to a thousand. 0:00:12.800,0:00:15.720 And there are ones for over a thousand dollars. 0:00:15.720,0:00:19.360 You may think to yourself- aren't they all[br]just things we put our butts on? 0:00:19.360,0:00:21.360 What's with the big price range? 0:00:21.360,0:00:26.140 And what kind of crazy person would spend[br]over a thousand dollars on a chair? 0:00:28.380,0:00:29.580 Well let me tell you a story. 0:00:29.580,0:00:36.180 The first chair I ever bought for myself was[br]a chair from I think Walmart for like $39.99. 0:00:36.180,0:00:42.440 After about 18 months of use, an arm had broken[br]off, the adjustable seat had gotten stuck, 0:00:42.440,0:00:47.989 the vinyl had ripped in a bunch of places[br]and the seat cushion was as flat as pancake. 0:00:47.989,0:00:52.460 In fact, this chair wasn’t even frequently[br]used - I maybe sat in it for about 0:00:52.460,0:00:54.520 1-2 hours a day on average. 0:00:54.520,0:01:01.210 A good, durable office chair should last about[br]10-15 years while being used continuously 0:01:01.210,0:01:04.090 for an average of a 40 hour work week. 0:01:04.090,0:01:09.240 A cheap chair may cost you less initially,[br]but if you had to replace it every year or two 0:01:09.240,0:01:12.170 It may end up costing you more in the[br]end. 0:01:12.170,0:01:16.720 And that's not even mentioning that cheaper[br]chairs are often very uncomfortable 0:01:16.720,0:01:18.480 and not ergonomically designed. 0:01:18.490,0:01:23.530 This is not to say that every single person[br]needs to spend a thousand dollars on a chair. 0:01:23.530,0:01:28.439 For light residential use, you could probably[br]find a good quality chair for that purpose 0:01:28.439,0:01:30.310 for a few hundred dollars. 0:01:30.310,0:01:35.031 But if you're looking to buy a chair for business[br]use, or you work from home and you do 0:01:35.031,0:01:39.630 spend about 40 hours a week sitting it[br]in - you probably want to look into spending 0:01:39.630,0:01:43.450 a little bit more to get a good quality chair[br]for the long term. 0:01:43.450,0:01:46.680 Designing a quality commercial office chair[br]often takes years 0:01:46.680,0:01:48.840 and cost a lot of money to implement. 0:01:48.850,0:01:53.739 It involves a lot of research and development,[br]testing of materials, concepts iterations, 0:01:53.739,0:01:59.700 and involve the work and input of many scientists,[br]engineers, designers, technologists and even 0:01:59.700,0:02:01.149 healthcare professionals. 0:02:01.149,0:02:06.999 For instance - the Steelcase leap chair took[br]four years to develop, cost 35 million dollars, 0:02:06.999,0:02:09.340 and involved 11 academic studies. 0:02:09.340,0:02:13.000 But why do furniture manufacturers bother[br]with doing all of those things? 0:02:13.000,0:02:17.879 Well one, because it takes a lot of work to[br]develop something that's strong and durable. 0:02:17.879,0:02:22.209 Most commercial manufactures will put their[br]chair designs through vigorous testing methods 0:02:22.209,0:02:24.100 for function and durability. 0:02:24.100,0:02:28.890 An example of this is the ISO 21015 test for[br]office work chairs. 0:02:28.890,0:02:34.640 This test would determine the stability, strength[br]and durability of a chair by applying various 0:02:34.640,0:02:39.950 standardized simulations of functional use[br]as well as expected misuse. 0:02:39.950,0:02:46.450 Number two, most high quality chairs are extensively[br]ergonomically designed, since most of us expect 0:02:46.450,0:02:49.640 to sit in them for up to 40 hours a week. 0:02:49.640,0:02:55.579 Sitting for a long period of time in an uncomfortable[br]seat, a poorly supported cushion, or a strained 0:02:55.579,0:02:58.530 position - could lead to severe health conditions. 0:02:58.530,0:03:02.819 Thus a chair should not only be comfortable,[br]but also adjustable. 0:03:02.819,0:03:08.159 So most professional office chairs are designed[br]with mechanisms that allow a user to easily 0:03:08.159,0:03:14.930 adjust seat height, back angles, seat depth,[br]chair tilt, arm location, chair width, tension, 0:03:14.930,0:03:20.560 and sometimes even the locations of lumbar[br]support - allowing the chair to adapt to your 0:03:20.560,0:03:24.069 body type, work conditions and personal preference. 0:03:24.069,0:03:27.310 Many commercial office chairs are also customizable. 0:03:27.310,0:03:32.159 At a residential furniture store you generally[br]have a limited choice of design and fabric 0:03:32.159,0:03:38.189 options, because manufactures can keep costs[br]low by manufacturing a few standardized products 0:03:38.189,0:03:39.410 in mass quantity. 0:03:39.410,0:03:44.270 But commercial customers usually require a[br]wider selection of options, so commercial 0:03:44.270,0:03:47.469 suppliers generally have a higher per-item[br]cost. 0:03:47.469,0:03:52.379 A commercial chair supplier usually allows[br]you to choose from a greater selection of 0:03:52.379,0:03:54.439 designs, finishes, and fabric options. 0:03:54.439,0:04:00.180 You can even bring in your own fabric, or[br]have the option of printing a custom graphic 0:04:00.180,0:04:02.109 or pattern onto the fabric. 0:04:02.109,0:04:06.680 Many commercial businesses want to be able[br]to reflect their brand colour or image in 0:04:06.680,0:04:11.170 the design of their offices, especially if[br]it's for a customer facing environment. 0:04:11.170,0:04:15.410 But if you're just a person who's looking[br]for a simple functional chair for your 0:04:15.410,0:04:18.669 home office - you most likely don’t need[br]all of that. 0:04:18.669,0:04:23.080 But the option is there if you have a very[br]specific design in mind. 0:04:23.080,0:04:28.520 Ultimately - a great chair, like all great[br]designs, seamlessly ties together elegant 0:04:28.520,0:04:31.260 form, innovative technology and functional[br]excellence. 0:04:31.260,0:04:36.840 The Aeron chair, a Herman Miller product that[br]was designed by Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick 0:04:36.840,0:04:41.949 In 1994 - is actually a part of the collection[br]in the Museum of Modern Art. 0:04:41.949,0:04:47.020 An interesting and innovative part of their[br]design is that its seat as well as back are 0:04:47.020,0:04:50.060 actually not built out of traditional upholstery. 0:04:50.060,0:04:56.080 It's made out of an intricate network of polyester[br]mesh that’s stretched over an aluminum frame. 0:04:56.080,0:05:02.300 This make it light and flexible yet durable,[br]resilient, stain proof, splash proof and its 0:05:02.300,0:05:05.699 open mesh helps to keep your butt airy and[br]cool. 0:05:05.699,0:05:10.199 So if you’re looking to buy a chair - whether[br]you're looking for a classic work of of art 0:05:10.199,0:05:15.150 that's worth of a museum, or you're just looking[br]for a simple functional chair - hopefully 0:05:15.150,0:05:21.240 this gives you a little bit of an idea into[br]what to consider and what to look for. 0:05:21.240,0:05:25.500 Often I like to talk about how “everything[br]in this world is designed” - from the concrete 0:05:25.500,0:05:31.960 curbs on the side the road, to toilet partitions[br]in a public bathroom, to the plastic trims 0:05:31.960,0:05:33.639 on the edges of a chair. 0:05:33.639,0:05:38.160 Most people don’t even realize, or take[br]for granted just how much work and thought 0:05:38.160,0:05:42.639 has gone into designing some of the most ubiquitous[br]things in the world. 0:05:42.639,0:05:44.569 So I'd love to hear from you guys. 0:05:44.569,0:05:49.169 What are some of your curious questions about[br]the design world, or just what are some of 0:05:49.169,0:05:52.490 your questions about the everyday objects[br]around you. 0:05:52.490,0:05:54.620 Feel free to leave it in the comments below, 0:05:54.620,0:05:58.720 or suggest it to me via any of my social media accounts. 0:05:58.729,0:06:00.560 Thanks for watching and happy sitting!