Design for All
19 December 2016
IKEA Shopping Kart by ADN DESIGN
It all started in Älmhult, a small Swedish town located 140 kilometers north of Malmö in the Småland region, a high wooded plain where the soil is a mixture of sand and small rocks that requires great efforts to make it arable. In this difficult and humble region, young Ingvar Kamprad founded a small company in 1943 with the money he had received as a gift from his father for his success in studies. That's how IKEA was born, the Nordic design giant with affordable prices, which has achieved enormous global relevance.
IKEA strongly supported its philosophy in the Scandinavian artisan tradition and in ideas such as that of Ellen Key, a feminist and theoretical author of Swedish family life, who in 1899 published Skönhet för alla (Beauty for All), based on the principles of the Society of Arts and Crafts to bring art to the home and make good design accessible to all.
In 2017, it's catalog titled "We Design for People Like You," IKEA insisted on the attributes of this design philosophy that has demonstrated extraordinary vitality: democratic design.
Democratic design helps us raise the bar to make better products for more people. They are better because we have designed them with the certainty that people want objects that work and make life easier (functionality), beautiful (form), excellent value for money (quality), more sustainable with the planet (sustainability) and affordable (low price).
ADN DESIGN has always been in tune with IKEA's central aim: "to create a better day-to-day life for most people". Constantly looking for a balance between aesthetics, usability, quality, sustainability and price, ADN DESIGN has created everyday products capable of making the people's experiences meaningful. Therefore, it has been a nice surprise and a great pleasure to know that IKEA has selected the Shopping Kart created by ADN DESIGN, in collaboration with the company Glhoe, to improve the shopping experience in its store in Barakaldo (Bizkaia).
Our research into the way people build affective relationships with objects over time has been the guiding thread that has guided the decisions of the Shopping Kart design process. We were looking for a sturdy and simple element, without extensible handles or moving parts that could make manipulations more expensive and difficult. We select a configuration in a single piece, with an ergonomics adapted to all types of people at any time of its journey through the mall. The study of maneuverability and the possibility of moving the carriage both by pushing it forward and pulling it involved the creation of several prototypes of work to determine the height and configuration of the handle, the position of the wheels and the distribution of the weights, both when the Shopping Kart is empty as full of products.
The incorporation of perforations that take their inspiration from the complex geometries of natural elements, has allowed the creation of a surprising and innovative image. The design of these cellular perforations, which promote a deep emotional connection with the people, has facilitated that these remember as more pleasant and nice their experience of use, at the same time that it has made visible the respect to the nature and the attention with the environment of the Shopping Kart.
At ADN DESIGN we work continuously to minimize the environmental impact of the products we design in collaboration with our customers. Aware of our responsibility, we have shown over the years a strong will to strengthen our environmental perspective, developing and integrating new tools and new processes.
Shopping Kart, made by Glhoe in polypropylene copolymer, incorporates the additive d2w, a tested compound of Symphony Environmental that has been awarded with recognized international eco-labels. In the presence of oxygen, this additive alters the molecular structure of the plastic. At the end of its useful life and in case it is abandoned in the environment, the material of Shopping Kart ceases to be a plastic and biodegrades in the environment in the same way as the leaves of the trees, transforming themselves into carbon dioxide, water and biomass.
Likewise, special attention has been paid to the stackability of the element, seeking to transport as little air as possible, as well as the proper management of the flows of cars inside the shopping center. In short, a proposal that seeks a positive impact on people and the planet.
Like IKEA, ADN DESIGN constantly researchs the most intelligent and affordable ways of doing things. A good proof of this is the creation of this Shopping Kart capable of improving people's lives and making their shopping experience more pleasant.
Labels: Products
