After a successful exhibition of the lamp it’s time to reflect.
First of all, the lamp was really well received. Most people found it fun and liked the looks. We got a look of surprise and joy from most people who tried it and got it to work.
When you observed people using the lamp, it became very clear that to blow into the hole, you have to hunch over a lot in an awkward manner, the lamp pretty much demanded that you humbled yourself before it to turn it on. Afterwards when the lamp lit up, it felt powerful, to have achieved something after exposing yourself.
Many people complimented the looks and the finish of the lamp. Some commended the details with the combination of wood, leather string and plastic, and told us that they liked how the leather string connected the plastic part of the lamp to the wooden base. They found that it fit well with the organic materials, in regards to the idea of the lamp being inspired by a bonfire.
It took a bit of skill to use the lamp. Some people immediately figured out how to blow the right way to make it light up, while others struggled to get the sensor to register the blowing. Once people got the hang of it, they could make it light up consistently. We liked this part, in that it actually takes a bit of practice to use it, just light turning on a real bonfire.
A small issue we discovered with our design, was that people thought they had to blow in the small gaps of the plastic. If we were to do another iteration, we would have to look into closing these holes.
Otherwise the exhibition was a very positive experience, and we’re all happy and satisfied with how the lamp turned out.
Jeppe Kjøller - A reflective journal 