L-sie Velasco Fall 24’ SVA IDD- 2010 Design Studio III Professor Darrick Borowski

“Downward Spiral” is a chair designed to be a seat to combat doom scrolling. A lounge chair to remind users about the consequences of doom scrolling as spikes surround them. The longer a user sits in the chair the more uncomfortable they become in hopes that they don’t look at their phone for too long.

The average teenager spends 4.8 hours daily on social media, with overall screen time reaching 8 hours and 39 minutes. Since the quarantine, issues like negative news consumption and dopamine feedback loops have worsened, particularly affecting those around 17 years old. Many teens experience confirmation bias, exacerbating feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress as they scroll through content that reinforces their negative thoughts. This compulsive behavior often stems from boredom, leading to mindless habits, while checking social media before bed contributes to insomnia, as they seek to fill their free time during an otherwise chaotic day.

Manipulation Experiments & Failures

Slotting with triangular inserts proved difficult. It was clear it would be unable to support the average person’s weight. It was a struggle to discover new manipulations that would create this spiky look.

Initial Thought Process

Designing a seat that provides short-term comfort while allowing for movement and position adjustments. This seat accommodates brief periods of doom scrolling without encouraging extended use, incorporating features like folding, slotting, and scoring to enhance functionality.

A claw-like form that encapsulates the user. As the user sinks into the chair they get enveloped by the massive spikes that tower over. The seating offers initial comfort, but prolonged use causes the fins of the slots to dig into the user’s legs. It has an ideal tilt for leaning back, but the longer someone sits in it, the more fragile it becomes.

Process

Emphasizing the “doom” of doom scrolling, the seat features a deep blue color that evokes a void-like, infinite space, reminiscent of nighttime scrolling. Large spikes loom over the user, creating an overwhelming atmosphere, while strings give a sensation of being “tied up.” Although the seating is initially comfortable, prolonged sitting causes the fins of the slots to dig into the user’s legs. It has an ideal tilt for leaning back, but with extended use, it becomes increasingly fragile.

“Downward Spiral” Nine Inch Nails

“Everything’s blue
Everything’s blue in this world
The deepest shade of mushroom blue”

Colored a deep midnight blue since doomscrolling often happens late at night.  Void-like and seem infinitely large. String wraps around to create a seat and back support that makes you feel “tied up” whilst doom scrolling. Gives the user something to do for a few hours instead of going on their phone during the assembly process to wrap the string around the chair.

Production Costs 

9 pieces of 40” x 60” cardboard ($4.00 each)

4 cans of spray paint in black/prussian blue ($8.00 each)

3 rolls of cardboard twine ($7.00 each) 

time – 6 hours to recreate ($20.00 an hour)

total cost of production: $209.00

Potential Online Listing & Rendering