OOMANI is a brick and mortar business created by my partner Cara Murray and I. This project was undertaken over a 10 week capstone senior studio course at the University of Oregon. OOMANI's goal is to be a resource for therapists seeking to enhance their waiting room environments. At OOMANI, we know that the moments leading up to a therapeutic appointment can be uncomfortable and vulnerable. We want to alleviate that pain point by providing simplistic furniture designed with care. We aimed to consider the needs of our users by looking at research to inform the design qualities of our furniture. With this guidance, we made decisions on form, construction, material, and color.
Secondary research conducted to understand the validity and scope of our project. We concluded that patients opinions will sway depending on the interior of the space. The image on the left is a top rated therapists office, and the right is a low rated office. There is heavy emphasis on privacy, soothing colors, and order.
After gathering primary research from Dr. Saedi via interview, we found that therapists often seek outsourced designers to furnish their waiting rooms. Dr. Saedi has worked for more corporate style practices as well as private practice. She expressed a need for a company to fill the gap between industrial and specialized seating. Some of her other key insights highlighted behavior in the waiting room environment.
Hand woven samples to demonstrate color palette and material choice. Focusing on soothing blues and quiet greens to mitigate any overwhelming feelings. For material choice, we looked into bamboo tencel as a sustainable and hygienic upholstery concept.
1/8th scale model on final concept. This refined concept takes into consideration all that we learned through ideation, research, and feedback.
Some key design take aways:
-Solid and luxurious maple frame
-Consistent design affordances (angles, pitch, corners, etc.)
-Movable bulster to accommodate people and groups of all sizes
-Table space for waiting room and personal items
-Removable cushions with washable upholstery
In the market gap analysis, OOMANI places itself as a high end furniture brand. OOMANI caters to private practices that want specialized furniture with attention to detail when considering client needs.
In this business model canvas, OOMANI's value proposition and flow are explained. On the left, the raw materials are gathered, processed, and shipped to our brick and mortar store. From the top right, our customer (the therapist) is learning about OOMANI through various journals, the web, and word of mouth. From there, the therapist orders the furniture online, or at our store. In the center, you find a stressed out patient engaging with the furniture. The patient is able to collect their thoughts and retain a calm mind before stepping into the office.
Lastly, this is an example of what the OOMANI website would look like.
