The Herman Miller Aeron chair is probably a very familiar sight to most Harvard students because this chair is literally all over campus, especially at Harvard libraries. Yet, most students never give this chair a second look, and I didn’t for a while either. This chair, however, is a best-selling chair in America and also happens to be featured in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection. It was introduced in 1994 and now more than a million of these chairs are produced every year. Additionally, the Aeron chair is produced with an awareness for the environment, so it is made out of recycled materials and is 94% recyclable. The chair itself is a masterpiece of human-centered design. Herman Miller actually created a new material for the Aeron’s seating upholstery: a web-like weave that facilitates airflow and provides flexible support. The adjustability of the chair is probably the most notable feature, though. With adjustable armrests and back tilt, the sitter is able to change seating positions intermittently, preventing nagging pressure points and muscle fatigue. In short, the Aeron chair has been designed so the sitter forgets that it he is sitting in it, allowing the user to concentrate on more important tasks at hand.
