Convergence research and participatory design of a study furniture system for small living environments

With limited space, lack of natural lighting and restrictive internal layout, children living in subdivided units and other similar small living spaces are often left with no choice but to study, play and sleep on the bed for a prolonged period. Such environmental conditions often damage children’s development, particularly their eyesight, muscles, and bones, and harm their concentration, self-worth, and, thus, academic attainment. Early interventions are of the utmost urgency. This project adopted continued convergence research collaboration and participatory design to understand critical issues and develop and test interventions to improve the studying environment of children living in subdivided units in Hong Kong. A pre-intervention study was conducted to create a baseline for further usability studies, and a post-intervention study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions and point to further research directions. The design interventions have shown the potential for enhancing posture adoption and the children's well-being in various scenarios.