The outcome of Stumpf’s self-described “selfishness”? Empathic designs that can help everyone feel better as they work.

Stumpf and design partner Jeff Weber turned their own problems with the lack of physical harmony between themselves and their computers into a solution that benefits people who sit all day at a computer. The resulting designs—the Embody Chair and the Envelop Desk—work together to support the wrists, back, and eyes as the sitter moves through a range of postures. This concept, which we call concordance, helps people stay healthy and aligned as they work.

“Good design is a blend of art and science,” explains designer Jeff Weber. “Using that combination to positively impact how people live and work is really exciting.”

As a kid, Weber was fascinated by the way things worked. “I was always tinkering—either building things or tearing them apart,” he says. Following a suggestion from his grandfather, Weber became interested in industrial design. “I never really thought about doing anything else,” he recalls.

As co-creator of the Embody Chair, alongside Bill Stumpf, Weber worked closely with optometrists, neurologists, and other medical specialists to learn how to “support the body in a healthful way and enable motion.” The resulting design is pleasing to the eye and has been shown to lower the sitter’s heart rate and reduce stress—good for both mind and body.

For Weber, the hard work pays off when he sees someone sitting in a chair and appreciating it. “That’s the most satisfying part.”

Good design solves a problem. But how does a designer know which problem to solve? For Jeff Weber, a personal experience related to a foot injury made it clear there was a problem with standard-issue crutches.

After just two days of hobbling around, Weber was suffering from “an all-out assault” on his body. Sore armpits, irritated skin, and numb hands, stemming from nerve compression and restricting blood flow, were impeding his recovery. Clearly a problem to be solved.

Familiar with ergonomics, Weber set out to design a crutch with mobility in mind. Looking to reduce secondary injuries, conserve physical energy, and improve the overall recovery experience, the final design of Mobilegs looks more like a distant cousin of the Aeron chair than a traditional crutch. (Weber worked alongside Aeron designer Bill Stumpf and co-designed the Embody work chair.)

One of the most striking differences is the under-arm saddle. A pliable membrane sling provides suspended support, not unlike the suspension seat of Aeron, and articulates on two pivot points to keep the saddle in constant contact with the underarm. The single-component structure of the shaft “facilitates a better hip-to-hand clearance,” explains Weber, and “allows the walker to move through doorways and narrow passages more easily.”

Had designer Jeff Weber never hurt his foot, the plight of crutch users around the world may have gone unnoticed.

Where he’s all about moving on the set, Billy Wilder, a director from an earlier generation who did films such as Sunset Boulevard and Some Like It Hot, opted for catnaps on set. In 1955, while filming The Spirit of St. Louis, he started taking naps on a narrow plank held up by sawhorses. Wilder later told his friends Charles and Ray Eames he needed something similar—but a bit more comfortable—for his office.

They came up with a slender, armless chaise with a built-in wakeup call. It required Wilder to lie on his back with his arms folded over his chest. Once he dozed off, his arms relaxed, dropped to his side, and gently awakened him. We began making the chaise in 1968, and it’s been in the line ever since.

We’ve added other pieces in the ensuing years. And Sonnenfeld puts three of them through their paces in his search for the right furniture for working in the editing room: the Embody and Aeron chairs and the Envelop desk. Get his read on them, and then check them out for yourself.

Photo: Barry Sonnenfeld is an Emmy-winning television director and the director of Get Shorty and the upcoming Men in Black 3.

There’s an attitude at Herman Miller that’s been around for a long time: treating materials as something integral to the design process. Think of Charles and Ray Eames and their work with molding plywood for the origin. In this second in a series on materials at Herman Miller, Susan Lyons gives a recent example: the Embody chair.

Whatever the example, the point is the same: to achieve what Lyons calls “beautiful practicality.” “When we talk about material utility,” she says, “what we really mean is that we use materials to solve problems.” It’s a symbiotic relationship, with sometimes the material driving the form and other times the form driving the material.

Utility is one of five material design principles we live by: honesty, utility, economy, pleasure, and possibility.

Featured in the exhibition is Mobilegs, from Mobi, an innovative mobility device developer in Minneapolis. Mobilegs is a breakthrough in crutch design that makes it easier, safer, and more comfortable to get around. It’s designed by Jeff Weber of Studio Weber + Associates. He also designed Herman Miller’s Embody chairs, Caper chairs, and Envelop desk, which are among the products featured in the Smart House as well.

The exhibition is the “home” of fictional, 65-ish homeowners, Jim and Sarah, who have renovated their 1960s home so that they can continue to enjoy their active lifestyle. Visitors can sit in a power-lifted chair, handle easy-to-use-kitchen utensils, scoot around the kitchen on a wheeled chair to try out lower counters, operate an easy-open window, and observe wall colors and lighting that ameliorate the impact of changing vision. The bath features a walk-in shower and reinforced wall for grab bars.

Through notes between Jim and Sarah and brief videos, visitors will be privy to the challenging decision-making process that the couple went through during the renovation and what they especially appreciate about the design features of their transformed home.

With the “Smart House” exhibit, Herman Miller, Jeff Weber, and everyone else associated with it are helping us not only understand issues of aging, but also feel better about our future. And it’s never too early for that.

Image via: University of Minnesota’s Goldstein Museum of Design

Envelop, a desk that moves with the user as he or she reclines, was featured with the Embody chair. Envelop was well received by designers and users alike, drawing considerable media attention. Since its appearance at CES, Envelop has received excited reviews from multiple media sources, including the popular blogs Gizmodo, Uncrate, and PhotoInduced, for its ergonomic benefits and ability to comfortably cater to the user.

Envelop’s clever design ultimately has the user in mind. At CES 2010, they noticed.

The Embody chair and I have a history that goes back to its prototype days, when I was one of the first test “sitters.” As a 3D visualization designer, I spend all my working hours in front of an array of computers, always sitting yet constantly moving. In other words, I was a great candidate to test a chair designed to create harmony between people and computers.

I’m not the only fan of the Embody chair. Check out “Please Be Seated” from CBS News.

By Randall Braaksma

Related research:
Promoting Healthy Movement and Natural Alignment

Don Goeman, Senior VP of Design and Development, (shown in the photograph at left) says, “Bill had a huge impact on the company, its people, and our future.” Connie Garman, Corporate Workplace Strategist, (middle), oversaw the installation project. “We wanted to place this so that everyone could walk up and read Bill’s wonderful language—it’s really a way of having a conversation with customers about Bill’s design ideas.” Clark Malcolm (right), Writer and Editor, worked with Stumpf on many projects and was part of a team of employees who helped create the sculpture to honor one of Herman Miller’s most famous designers.

“Bill Stumpf was a genuine gift to the spirit,” recalls Clark. “His humor, his optimism, his deep concern for the human condition, his language, his childlike inquisitiveness, his impish delight in jokes and jazz, and the genius of his insights are all qualities that made him a first-rate designer and a fine human being.”

Here’s what this unassuming legend says about design:

Stumpf had become connected to Herman Miller when Bob Propst, inventor of Herman Miller’s innovative Action Office system and president of Herman Miller Research Corporation, visited a class he was teaching at the University of Wisconsin. Propst was impressed by the research Stumpf required of his students and by his sketches for a new kind of chair. Stumpf worked briefly for Propst and Herman Miller before setting up his own office. The connection to Herman Miller remained a central part of Stumpf’s life for the next 30 years. After Propst, Stumpf’s impact on the company was larger, in financial terms, than any other in the long list of famous designers to work with the company.

Born in St. Louis, Stumpf moved up river to Winona, Minnesota, as a teenager. He was Midwestern through and through, skeptical of the bi-coastal world of design that he moved in professionally. He loved the Minnesota Twins, Garrison Keillor, his family, his golden retrievers, and the fact that the titanium in his hip and his driver improved his performance walking and hitting a golf ball. In spite of his fame, he never lost his humility.

By Marcia Davis and Clark Malcolm

Herman Miller hit the mark in seating and lighting, reaping two Gold and two Silver Best of NeoCon Awards. See how these award winners are helping improve the human experience in the videos below.

Our drive at Herman Miller to make the human experience better has yielded many innovations. Over the last 30 years, each of our seating products has built the foundation of research and knowledge for the next. Setu and Embody once again extend Herman Miller’s legacy of leadership in design, innovation, and sustainability.

Setu Chairs
Our new family of multipurpose seating, Setu, won the Gold Award in the Conference Seating category and the Silver Award in the Sofas and Lounge Seating category. Setu—the chair for how you work and live now—was designed by the Berlin design group Studio 7.5, who also designed the Mirra chair, a NeoCon Gold Award winner in 2003.

Learn more about Setu and Studio 7.5.

Embody Chair
Designed by Jeff Weber and the late Bill Stumpf, the Embody chair—the first work chair to support both the mind and the body—won the Silver Award in the Ergonomic Task Seating category. Jeff Weber of Studio Weber + Associates is also the designer of our Caper seating, which won a NeoCon Gold Award in 1999. Bill Stumpf, in collaboration with Don Chadwick, designed the Equa and Aeron chairs.

Learn more about Embody and Jeff Weber.

Twist LED Task Light
Yves Béhar, founder of fuseproject, has once again partnered with Herman Miller to create an innovative lighting solution. The result is the Twist LED task light, winner of the Gold Award in the Specialty Lighting category. Twist, an energy-efficient, eco-friendly undershelf LED light for systems furniture, provides value, simplicity, and personal control for office workers. Béhar also designed the Leaf personal light, winner of the Gold Award in the Lighting category at NeoCon 2006, as well as the Ardea personal light.

Intent Furniture and Energy Manager
Our space featured two other new products: Intent Furniture and Energy Manager.

Intent furniture, designed by Joey Ruiter of JRuiter + Studio, offers a new furniture solution that extends from the private office to systems workstations in the open plan. Intent furniture has a crisp, clean appearance and was designed to integrate physically and aesthetically with Vivo interiors.

Learn more about Intent furniture and Joey Ruiter.

Energy Manager is an electrical circuit control system connected between building power and Herman Miller systems modular power. It can provide programmed or occupancy-based control of power delivery to two of the typical four circuits within a cluster of up to eight Herman Miller workstations. This allows individual worker or owner control of powered devices so they are on only when needed, and off when workstations aren’t occupied. That saves you energy and reduces costs.

Learn more about Energy Manager.

By Marcia Davis

To find out more about Embody, Marc Levin of OfficeDesigns.com interviewed Jeff Weber, designer of the Embody chair. Here are excerpts from that interview.

Marc Levin: How long was it from conception to production of the Embody chair?

Jeff Weber: We began midway through 2002 with a premise; we didn’t attempt to see around the broad shoulders of Aeron at that point in time, instead we researched the way people are working.

We did not begin by attempting to design a chair; instead we went back to school, to get a better understanding of how people were working. From that point of view, we established a number of fundamental constraints, one that the current work environment is primarily computer based.

Then we developed a number of hypotheses, which we would test with people from a diverse range of experts in critical fields. The most important hypothesis: Can we positively affect the health of the individual seated worker through the design of a chair? We began to test that hypothesis with various experts in the medical field and in ergonomics and the overwhelming answer was yes, you should pursue this, it’s possible. We began to generate a formula that would allow us to achieve health-positive effects through the design of the chair.

There were several months of research, then the concept-development phase. It took two years of pure research and exploration, then about four years of intensive product development.

ML: Word on the street and blogs that I’ve read are calling the Embody chair “the next Aeron.” Was it your idea that Embody would replace the highly successful Aeron chair?

JW: Our intent was not to replace the Aeron chair. If you look at the lineage of the work chair designs by Herman Miller—including Ergon, Equa, Aeron, and now Embody—all are designed to coexist and are credible alone. The advancements in the predecessors have allowed us to produce the successor. In terms of knowledge, I see Embody as the next evolution in that lineage.

ML: Tell me about your thought process: Aeron comes in three sizes; Embody is one-size-fits-all.

JW: In 1994 we didn’t communicate using a computer and we didn’t search the Web like we do today. So Aeron was a predictor of the future and people’s changing relationship with the computer. It introduced new technology—mesh suspension versus foam and fabric—which produced a very unique design problem: How do you accommodate the wide variety of users’ sizes? The solution was to produce three graded sizes of architecture.

Every other intimate relationship we have with our bodies—clothing, footwear, and so on—are tailored to fit very well. So we tried to accommodate the breadth of people in the best way we could with a single size chair platform, through a discreet series of adjustments and forms that would allow us to achieve that accommodation.

From our research, we knew that if we could produce one size platform, large corporate customers would embrace the idea, so they wouldn’t need a number of different size chairs, even from an ergonomic point of view. Embody allows even the smallest person to enter the chair and gain support. Embody fits the vast majority of the population extremely well. From a humanistic point of view, it’s wonderful to fit all sizes.

ML: With Embody, the design and technology of the woven plastic allows for support that mesh and fabric on foam can’t, correct?

JW: Yes, Embody is the re-materialization of the work chair. The primary premise of Embody is healthful support and movement and to introduce a greater level of movement into the equation whether it’s macro or micro movement. This forced us to produce a narrow back support shape, which allows full range of movement for your arms.

The theory of support logic had to be changed as well. For Celle, Mirra, and Aeron, the support comes from the perimeter of the chair, as compared to Embody where we’re attempting to support the trunk of the human body via the center line of the spine, so that forced us to develop what we call pixelation—a concept that enables the individual programmability of each one of those points that exist on the back and under the seat.

Characteristically, the Embody chair support produces the best attributes of foam, softness to the touch, and finite conformation coupled with the essence of Aeron’s Pellicle technology, which breathes and generally conforms very well. Embody is the synthesis of both technologies; it breathes, it is soft to the touch, it includes both micro and macro conformation without the use of any foam.

ML: The idea of exposing the support structure in back – was that basically for design reasons?

JW: We adhere to the principle that form and function are one. The goal is always to produce an honest expression of form and function. This chair is not a minimalist expression of design but a rich and soulful visual feast. The aesthetic makes you wonder; it’s provocative. This approach also optimizes the material use and is actually cost efficient, eliminating material redundancies. It also allows us to meet green design aspirations.

ML: Are you concerned that customers will say it “wiggles?”
JW: (Laughs) Motion is a key to good health. One of the ways to elevate a person’s health is through motion. If you look underneath, you’ll see a composite structure of coil springs and elastic bands. The black lateral band behaves like Pellicle and the coil springs behave like bed springs, which produce the softness associated with foam.

ML: We’ve had so many customers ask us why Aeron had no headrest. Why doesn’t Embody?

JW: Medical and ergonomic schools of thought vary significantly on that point; our camp doesn’t believe in supporting the head in work-related postures.

ML: But our customers want to recline, put their feet up and sleep at their desks. (Laughs)

JW: This is understandable. And recline postures are good. Embody encourages people to work and relax in reclined positions without the need of head support. It achieves this via the counteracting kinematics and the instinctive back. It’s difficult to support the head, so if we couldn’t do it properly, we decided not to do it at all. Embody provides a rich sitting experience and will surprise sitters with hidden goodness.

Did you notice the tilt function? As it moves the body through space it continually aligns the eyes to the horizon as your recline. It articulates the thoracic region, with your head in balance, without producing stress. Thus, no headrest is needed.

Then there’s the “kicker.” Are you near a chair, Marc? Put the chair upright. Now apply force to the upper part of the back and notice the articulation of the lumbar region. Even in the most static condition, there’s articulation and continued support. Put your hands behind your head in full recline and extend your spine. When you need to extend your spine (stretch), Embody allows you to do it while maintaining support. In the extended position, someone could use a headrest, but we’re not advocating staying in this position for an extended period of time.

The more you explore the forgiveness of the chair as a seated worker, the healthier you will be. I instruct people to exploit the forgiveness of the chair.

ML: Jeff, thank you for your time and for allowing us to have the inside story on the thought processes behind Embody. We’re fascinated by the chair.

The Herman Miller showroom in the Merchandise Mart (Booth 321) spotlights four distinct workplace scenarios, and each has its own tale to tell. They illustrate a range of real-life situations where Herman Miller has created cost-effective, customer-focused, eco-friendly solutions with a variety of integrated Herman Miller products, including their new Setu chairs, Embody chairs, and Intent furniture.

You’ll hear about real, relevant problem solving instead of just the (yawn) nuts, bolts, and benefits of products. It’s a great way to discover how Herman Miller makes a better world around you.

The Leaders
They have thrived for years in the big city. Portraying a solid, successful image is a given for this leadership team, but they also want to show that they’re forward-thinking, not stuck somewhere in the last century. They need private offices for client confidentiality, as well as workstations for staff. Plus, everyone relies on collaboration, so gathering places are critical.

How does Herman Miller provide an affordable, elegant solution? Tune in to the Herman Miller showroom for answers.

Go Team
You know how project teams are. People come together, then some move on to other projects, and others join as needed. You need to work alone and with others, and you need to react quickly to change, not to mention the dreaded unexpected. Things can get messy, in more ways than one. The project itself is temporary, too, and soon a new team will take over the space.

How does Herman Miller help keep the team moving forward? Find out at Booth 321.

Ghost Town
Where did everybody go? A tumbleweed could roll from one end of this field office to the next and not scratch anybody. But in this case, it’s good news, because the people who work here are out visiting customers, not lollygagging around the office. The bad news is there’s lots of wasted, costly space, and it’s not really equipped to support them when they are there.

Can Herman Miller bring this facility back to life? The answer (we bet it’s yes) is coming, June 15-17.

Coming to America
They’re young, sophisticated, and on the cutting edge in Europe. Now a global company wants to export its European planning standards to its U.S. facilities. They know that linear planning would leave more room to support their primary work style—collaboration—and let people more easily communicate and interact.

Can Herman Miller, from small, quiet Zeeland, Michigan, go international? Oui, si, and most definitely da.

By Bill Holm