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Steelcase and Lark

Finding a new dimension

This extensive analysis developed for Keiichi Sato of IIT Chicago involved studying the scenario in which the furniture company Steelcase acquired Lark under the strategy of moving into the wearable technology sector.

We concluded that Steelcase had reached saturation in North America. For the company to grow, it needed to diversify and enter new areas. On the other hand, Lark was not performing well in the wearable technology sector but had a solid technology base and well-recognized certifications. With the acquisition, Steelcase will absorb Lark as a company within the organization and use its technological strengths and user database to redefine design for environments.

The objective of the interaction design analysis was to identify the following needs in the LarkLife group:

1. Motivation/intention: what is the current practice, and what is the goal?
2. Problems: What are the undesired states in the current practice?
3. Functions: inspired by the current states/practices.
4. Performance/quality: what quality should the system achieve?
5. User profile: physical, cognitive, social/organizational, cultural.
6. Situation/context: what are the conditions of interaction?

Steelcase is an American furniture company founded in 1912 in Grand Rapids, Michigan[2] that manufactures office furniture, architectural, and technology products for office environments and the education, healthcare, and retail sectors. It is the largest office furniture manufacturer in the world.[3] The company has approximately 80 locations and 11,000 employees worldwide.[4][5] Its areas include Global Business Centers in Mexico, Malaysia, and Romania that provide support to Steelcase dealers and local offices; showrooms called WorkLife Centers throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, and in Toronto, Mexico City, Sydney, Melbourne, and Dubai; and manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. [5][6] In 2017, Steelcase opened a 14,400 square meter space to promote learning and spark innovation at its newest Learning + Innovation Center (LINC)[7] in Munich, Germany.

Larklife is an activity-tracking wristband that links to an iOS app via Bluetooth. It records the activity during the day and sleeps quality at night. Meals and mood can be noted, and you receive coaching to lead a healthier lifestyle. The wristband has no display. All data is viewed on the app. The monitor must be recharged every day, and the daytime wristband is recharged while wearing the nighttime wristband and vice versa.

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