During my fourth year as an Industrial Design student at Syracuse University, I designed a lactation chair for a university-funded research project. Lactation chairs are often unregulated and fail to meet the needs of women in the workplace. I took it upon myself to reach out to those who could help me understand how to design a better chair.
As someone who has never had to pump in the workplace, I understood that before I made any sketches I needed to reach out to people with experience. First, I spoke to Dorothy, a leader of the La Leche League, an international nonprofit organization that educates and advocates for women who breastfeed. I compiled a list of questions about lactation, breastfeeding, and more specifically, the pumping chair. Dorothy helped me understand the difficulties women constantly face while pumping during the workday.
After speaking with Dorothy, I sought another voice to educate me on pumping in the workplace. That is when I found Julia Beck, the founder of the “It’s Working Project”. Beck is a major advocate for the improvement of lactation rooms around the country and has interviewed numerous women about their troubling experiences while pumping in the workplace. After in-depth conversations with both of them, I felt like I could finally start ideating and sketching.
During my first round of sketches, I prioritized the wide armrests and space for cupholders and supply space. My conversations with Dorothy and Julia Beck influenced this decision, as they both noted that the lack of room in the armrests was a big problem. As my sketches progressed, the overall aesthetic became a larger concern. As Dorothy noted in my interview, large cushions ran the risk of hiding spills and resulting in spoiled milk smells. One of my primary goals was to eliminate this issue without hindering the comfort of the chair.
This pumping chair is a product of 8 months of intensive research, using the insights of workplace breastfeeding and lactation advocates, interior design professionals, as well as employees and employers across the country. This pumping chair includes many exciting features, including removable and easy-to-clean armrest cupholders, storage space for pumps, milk bottles, and miscellaneous items. The armrests have been designed to have a wider surface area for a laptop and notebook to do work. Wheels have been added to the chair legs for mobility purposes. The upholstery fabric is made of medical-grade silicone and the wood is made of maple hardwood.
I felt heavily inspired by my experience studying design in Japan during the summer of 2023. I loved the organic curves in Japanese design, so I incorporated much of this influence into the armrests.
I wanted to create the feeling that the back of the chair was floating in space. To do so, I made sure no screws or nails are visible on the exterior of the design. This was also inspired by traditional Japanese wood joinery.
The plastic supply holder and cupholder are removable, so the user can choose which side they prefer. This can be especially useful if the person needs to use a laptop. They may like a specific side to put their computer as they work.
