Ever wonder what designer task chairs are like for people who don’t wander the hallways of trade shows, sitting on hundreds of them while hearing every last feature and detail? The people who actually work in these chairs? When invited to test Generation by Knoll, Knoll’s newest task chair, otto passed the buck to my little brother, Jasper Lin, a computer animator who works from home. How would the Generation fare in a real home office with a non-industry user with little-to-no clue about what the chair is supposed to be, while unveiling what the chair really is?
What were your general impressions of the chair?
It’s a very comfortable and versatile chair. The various adjustable features of the chair work well together to tailor to my specific needs at any given time. My average day of work includes anything from very active tasks such as drawing or animating, to more stationary, keyboard-oriented jobs like programming. The chair is very accommodating to my wide array of postures and motions.
What do you see as the strongest points of Generation?
The adjustable settings of the arm rests are better than any other chair I’ve used. The ability to slide them up and down, side to side, and forward to back is extremely useful. I am constantly switching between input devices to my computer, as I often work in different mediums from day to day. From the keyboard/mouse and a wacom drawing tablet, to regular pencil and paper, or even a guitar and midi controller for composing music. I was always able to adjust the chair to properly support my arms without being intrusive to my work.
Any weak points?
With only 3 basic settings, the adjustability of the reclining motion left a little to be desired. It also would have been nice to be able to adjust the flexibility or range of motion of the upper half of the backrest, which seemed like the only part of the chair without some sort of control.
Was there anything unexpected about the chair that surprised you while working in it?
I was surprised at how soft and comfortable the cushions on the seat and arm rests were, considering how visually sleek and low profile the chair is. The rubber webbing of the back rest is also very soft and easy on the body. Besides all the versatility of the different functions, the chair is very comfortable to sit in on its own.
