When design meets material to transform public transport into a status symbol. Experimental study on bus seat design

To create sustainable solutions, we should combine the expertise of different disciplines. In our experimental case study, a materials scientist and an industrial designer collaborated to design a bus seat contributing to transform public transport into a status symbol.To overcome the complex challenges of our time and prepare for a sustainable future, we must break new ground and find strategies for collaboration. In this experimental case study, we demonstrate how industrial design and materials science worked together on an equal footing to design a public status symbol. Since both disciplines are practice-oriented, the focus was on creating a specific object: a seat for a public bus as a pars pro toto for enhancing the value of public mobility. The design object was at the same time the object around which interdisciplinary collaboration evolved. In spite of differences in thinking between the two disciplines, the approaches finally enriched each other. The most important findings include the identification of mesh structures as a common denominator for the interdisciplinary co-design. The mesh structures’ flexibility fulfilled ergonomic requirements and, at the same time, their aesthetic and haptic qualities inspired the development process. Working together between disciplines from the outset can help transform industrial design in a way that addresses the fundamental environmental challenges of our time.