unu – quanyiwang

UNU

UNU is a modular cat tree system that blends a cat’s wonderland within a piece of fine furniture. With UNU, we aim to promote a future of fun, sustainable, and interactive cat-to-owner experience.

Info

Team Project
2021 Summer, 14 Weeks

Team

George Weng, Quanyi Wang, Yanhui Ban

Skills

UX Research, Industrial Design, CMF Design, Furniture Design, Prototyping, Design for Sustainability

Tools

Rhino, KeyShot, Illustrator, Photoshop

Role

As a team, we collaborated on the research, ideation, and iteration phases. My responsibilities included interviewing, sketching, designing the structure, creating and testing physical mock-ups, CMF design, rendering, and storyboarding for video production.

Design Process

Background

We started UNU out of our love for cats and our frustration with the chaotic cat furniture market.

Expanding Cat Furniture Market

During the pandemic, cat adoption rates and demand for cat products surged. The US pet furniture market was valued at $776.5 million in 2020, with steady growth despite COVID. Over 47% of US cat owners have at least two cats, and the largest cat owner group is millennials.

Disappointing Status Quo

Unfortunately, a large portion of the market is filled with poor-quality products that look identical to the first “cat tree” made in 1968. Most cat trees on the market are made from composite materials that are glued together, without consideration for maintenance or afterlife.

User Research

Quantitative Online Survey

We designed a 10-minute online survey and collected 100 responses from cat owners. We asked them questions about their cats’ habits and their own preferences for cat furniture to gain an overall idea of the users’ needs.

Qualitative Interviews

We conducted three in-depth interviews with Millennial cat owners to understand their expectations for cat trees and the emotional connection they have with their cats. During the interviews, we used a “trade-off chart” exercise to learn the interviewees’ priorities for their expectations.

Insights

Competitive Matrix

Upon researching the market, we discovered that the intersection between premium and modular is the blue ocean in the large and growing cat furniture market. Therefore, we aim to design modular pieces with premium quality.

The bond between cats and their owners is mutual, so simply fulfilling the cats’ physical needs isn’t sufficient. Our goal is to design a cat tree that meets both the owner’s psychological needs in terms of style and mood, as well as the cat’s physical needs.

Key Opportunity Areas

Design and make with responsible materials; Make it easy to disassemble & recycle

Use configurable, replaceable, and low-maintenance design to serve the varying needs of different cats

Combine cats’ physical needs with owner’s psychological needs in style and mood

Concept Development

We developed our concept for cat furniture based on user research findings, observations of cats, and key opportunity areas identified through market research. We drew inspiration for form and structure from sculpture, human furniture, and architecture.

Exploration with Cats

We developed this product in collaboration with the cats around us. First, we used scale models to quickly explore creative modular structures. Next, we created physical mockups using wood and fabric, and let the cats play with them to test what would attract them and be safe for them to jump up and down on.

Final Design

A modular cat tree that blends in the contemporary interior and stands out as a piece of sculpture, adaptive to the ever-changing needs of our cats.

Creative Direction

Levitating & Flowing

Free-floating forms hide parts of structures and create a sense of mystery. The facade and shades trigger the viewer’s curiosity about the hidden details and negative spaces. Soft curves that flow and dance in the air render a sculptural aesthetic.

“We’re co-living with our fluffy ones, sharing space and moods.”

“It’s a process of understanding each other better, and I found it very interesting.”

Jump

Play

Scratch

Rest

easy to update

Toys can be updated without using any tools. Just turn the cap with a hand.

easy to maintain

All the carpets, scratchers, and cushions are removable, providing convenience for the owner and a healthier living space for their cats.

Intuitive Building Logic

We add a square metal tube and two rubber washers to stabilize the structure when cats jump around.

A “sandwich structure” is used to add the board to the wood frame. The user can easily take down the surface for cleaning and updating as well.

The user can freely add the felt ribbon through slots on the wood frame. There is a narrower space at the end of each slot to “lock” the felt ribbon in place.

Everything In One Flat Package

Parts are designed with the flat-pack in mind. Less packaging, less shipping; more sustainable.

The possibilities of customizations and upgrades are unlimited

With various modules offered, users can truly build this set of furniture exclusively for their cats’ needs in terms of function and the user’s needs of aesthetics.

CMF A

Lazy Gaffey

We’re inspired by the lazy personality of cats and the warm, terra-cotta, earthy tone in the home decoration. This set feels like a cozy afternoon, enjoying sunbath with our fluffy friends.