Getting a brand new office chair is great. Sure, there are some duds out there, but if you have a good guide to help you pick your new ergonomic office chair, you'll likely be sitting pretty in no time.
But if you're not splashing out on a high-end Herman Miller chair, which comes pre-assembled, you'll have to put the thing together yourself. Generally, it's a drag.
Secret Labs knows this, so they've treated the assembling stage of their best-selling Titan Evo chair not as a boring thing you have to slog through, but as an enjoyable process. The result should be studied in textbooks as a perfect example of positive brand engagement.
So what did they do?
As soon as you cut the tape and open the box, there's a message: 'Your unboxing experience starts here'. Of course I rolled my eyes when I read this, but I'm a jaded git. I soon warmed...
Open it and you're greeted with a saucy bit of graphic design – a beautiful infographic on 'what's new in the Titan Evo'. Usually you've got 12 annoying bits of paper to pick from, so getting key information presented beautifully straight away is great. It's a point of difference, and before I've even seen an arm rest, I'm feeling my purchase is justified; I'm in safe hands, and this is a quality brand.
Every component within the box is treated like it's special, from the main chair parts to the magnetic screw/Allen key device. Everything is individually bagged or in its own foam house. Terrible for the environment, for sure, but I immediately bought into this chair being special, superior even.
'OK,' I hear you say, 'so there's extra plastic and a bit of information on the box flaps? Chill your bean, my bro!'
But then there's the mother of all instruction sheets. Usually hidden on page 6 of an unpleasantly limp pamphlet, this is yet another micro event in the often overlooked building process. And because it's all exactly what you need, it's another win.
This is one massive page, perfectly balanced with boxes of instructive photos and text steps. It actually all make sense and is 100% relevant. It takes you through 15 intuitive steps, and then 8 notes on key functions. It's the perfect instruction manual and I want to marry it.
The cherry on the top sums up how spot on Secret Labs has been with their approach to aiding the user. The armrests are usually attached to the main seat with screws and a sliding metal receiver. This receiver allows you to screw the arm rests closer or further away from the chair seat, which means when you're sitting on the chair, you'll either have more or less room for your elbows.
It's a pretty major adjustment that nearly all manufacturers offer, yet forget to tell you about. Secret Labs makes a feature of it with clear instructions on the actual underside of the chair. 'Tighten screws here for more elbow room, here for less'.
It's not revolutionary, just another minor touch that's super helpful. The end result is I was already happy with the chair before I even sat on it.
Other chair brands – take note!
