Goldilocks Bench
The Goldilocks Bench is built using the exact sitting dimensions of three friends of different heights to challenge the idea that “one size fits all” and demonstrate how design can be adapted to fit the people that use it.
Goldilocks Bench
by Annie Dong
2023
How I started:
I wanted to explore inclusivity in design and challenge the rigidity of what is expected to "fit." People don’t need to change to fit, design needs to change to fit people. Part of what makes us human is how we use design to express ourselves and the beauty in our differences. Design needs to reflect that.
Rules:
My bench needed to have reproducible rules.
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Find 3 friends of varying heights
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Measure their sitting dimensions
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Build 3 parts of the bench based off of each friend’s measurements
Process:
This was my first time completing a large woodworking project. It was difficult, but incredibly rewarding. Here are some of my original ideas for my bench:
My limitations were that I didn't have enough wood - and that sometimes simplicity is the most effective message
I measured two friends and my sitting dimensions. I designed my chair primarily in Fusion 360 and on paper.
For the next few weeks, I familiarized myself with the woodshop and learned the best techniques to achieve my desired bench.
I also learned the value of user testing - i received valuable feedback from my friends about the comfort and look of the chair that was built for them to sit in.
My favorite (and most challenging) part of the bench was the continuous mortises. We were taught as a class how to make standard mortises and tenons, but I had to learn a new technique specific to my bench, where the mortise runs all the way across the beam so multiple planks with half tenons can slot in. I also did not start with intuition about how to make the bench stable - I had to later add a beam running across the length of the bench that the other beams could rest on, otherwise the bench would collapse in the middle with nothing supporting it across.
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Standard mortise and tenon
Tenons in the legs
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Continuous mortise
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Holding it in place as the wood glue dries
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She stands!
I learned valuable lessons in not just woodworking, but also working with people - designing for people rather than in spite of them, and listening to the important voices that will eventually interact with what you create.
