How do you design a highend economy desk?

The prospective consumer I was designing for was a college student or young professional who needs an inexpensive desk to get work done at home. This desk directly competes with consumer products from Ikea, Target, and Office Depot so it needs to stand out from the crowd. To set it apart I focused on maximizing build quality while striving for a modern aesthetic. I explored various minimal designs until honing in on one that features a single large compartment. The compartment allows for the same storage capacity as sliding drawers but without the added cost of complex hardware. Because this design uses very few materials, the materials can be much higher quality than the competition.

Fewer but higher quality materials.

I used 3/4" hardwood plywood for this project. While typical economy desks use MDF to save on cost, I opted for the more expensive material because it is sturdier and can be stained to a beautiful natural finish. In order to offset the higher cost of the plywood, I chose to use pre-fabricated legs and mounting hardware from Lowe's. This saved enough money to keep the overall bill of materials in line with the competition. As for the finish, I stained, painted, and applied a clear coat to every surface. This ensured that the entire desk was visually cohesive, robust, and waterproof.

Optimization is key for a successful product.

My design had to be optimized for mass production in order to be competitive in the economy desk market. The minimal design made this optimization quite easy. Because the desk was just constructed from a uniform sheet of plywood, the key to optimization was minimizing the number of cuts and creating as little waste as possible. Through strategic planning two full desks are cut from one sheet of plywood with very little waste. Manufacturing costs are further reduced by painting the plywood edges white instead of applying edge banding.

The minimal design also made for efficient packaging. Tucking the four legs inside the main compartment saves considerable space and allows the desk to be safely packed flat within a 7.5" x 2.5" x 51" box. Not only does this efficient packaging make shipping easier, but it also presents the consumer an opportunity to install the legs and gain an appreciation for the build quality. This is in stark contrast to the frustrating build experience of typical economy desks.

The best desk in its class.

How does the Aero desk stack up against its competition in the economy desk market? Quite well. A few key comparisons are illustrated in the graphic below. It's important to note that it cost me $60 to construct one Aero desk and I suspect that after working with a wholesaler and manufacturer this can be driven down to around $30. After accounting for the added cost of packaging and shipping to retailers, I believe a realistic MSRP for the Aero desk is $120 which is right in line with the market average.