Oripura Laptop Stand | Design Story | Colebrook Bosson Saunders

DESIGN STORY

We’re leaders in workplace ergonomics. So we understand that the very definition of a workplace is evolving.

With offices taking a back seat to flexible, itinerant working, laptop use is on the rise. But our research showed that although using a laptop was convenient, it was anything but comfortable. Existing portable laptop stands on the market were complex to set up and didn’t encourage people to adjust their laptop to the right height. Often, they didn’t take into account that laptop screens have limited opening angles, and were impractical when used on a higher setting.
We wanted to design a stand that meant people could use their laptop in an ergonomic position no matter where they were working. We wanted to transform how people use their laptops.

The process
To address the fiddly set up issues that other laptop stands had, we investigated using living hinges in our design. These flexible hinges are made from the same material as the parts they connect. As well as making our new stand easy to assemble, they could also minimise part count.
Manufacturing a single component product that meant our stand could be set up in one single motion was going to be a huge challenge. Because living hinges typically get their strength and characteristics from the injection moulding process, it was hard to make protypes for our design.
To begin with, we made card models. Because we could make them easily, we could learn fast from every failure and design new concepts. The next stage was to make more refined prototypes with foam board, which gave us a clearer idea of how the final product would function. And, because we were designing with user experience in mind, we invited people to test our samples along the way to help us refine our ideas.
Once we’d settled on a design, it was time to explore different materials and processes to see how we could manufacture it. So we made even more prototypes, this time 3D-printed and machined.
Finally, we injection moulded small sections of the hinges which we used to build various test rigs that could tell us more accurately how our final stand would perform. But using injection moulding created its own challenges too. If the hinges were too thin, they could break. If they were too thick, they didn’t open as intended. It was all about finding the right balance with the right material.

The result

We tried. We tested. We engineered. And we finally created Oripura, the world’s first folding laptop stand that’s 100% recyclable.
Through all the protypes and testing for ergonomic benefits, we also focused on Oripura’s environmental benefits too. Our easy assemble design meant we could keep manufacturing in the UK, which reduces its transportation carbon footprint. To reduce Oripura’s environmental impact even more, we engineered for longevity. It comes with a five-year guarantee and has been tested to last for thousands of cycles. While Oripura is made from two different materials that are over-moulded, they’re both made of the same polyolefins, so it can be recycled without being disassembled when it does come to the end of its life. And the packaging is 100% recyclable too.
Crucially, we succeeded in making Oripura perform ergonomically as well as environmentally. Portable, easy to set up and at any affordable price, Oripura can be used for ergonomic laptop use by people anywhere and everywhere.

Oripura – Laptop Stand

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