Story

Inspiring Natural Movement - Vidget Story

As part of my MFA Industrial Design at Rochester Institute of Technology, I had to decide on a thesis topic. This was not an easy task given all the possibilities. After much exploration (and my thesis advisor telling me to "land the plane"), I decided to focus on inspiring a natural system of movement in the classroom. So what does this mean? Read on below and to learn more and/or download.

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Vidget Invention Timeline

Vidget form comes alive

Sandra Turner designed the form of the Vidget (then called "Fidget")as part of her Industrial Design MFA Thesis Research at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. Her Thesis, Classroom Habitat, Inspiring Natural Movement, was centered around finding the balance between control and human nature needs in learning spaces and inspiring the body to move naturally for improved attention, focus and academic performance.

Transforming space and proving flexibility to change space based on the changing classroom needs inspired her to "play" with the form leading to the
3-in-1 features of "fidget" seat, stool and desk - all in one form!

Ideation Sketches

Clay 3D models allowed Sandra to work out design elements before creating a working prototype.

Thesis Show prototypes - adult size to demonstrate fidgeting and modular 3-in-1 concept. Made of blue foam and glue with many hours of carving and sanding - handcrafted by Sandra Turner

Core77 Product Design Winner

Core77 awards Sandra Turner with Furniture Design Award.

Sandra submitted the Vidget concept to the Core77 Student Product Design Contest. Jurors shared that "Instead of a more traditional table or chair, I like the idea of using this in different ways, especially for children of kindergarten age." – Defne Koz

This award fueled Sandra to keep going and refine the design more. Shown in image below are 2 foam prototypes created to do live testing with students and teachers to work through the ergonomics of the dimensions and rocking motion.

Added Sensory Bumps

During one of Sandra's meetings with a Special Education Teacher, she learned that many teachers put velcro underneath tables and chairs and she thought ... mmmmm ... how can we add this tactile input into the Vidget? Sandra decided to cut in side handles and add the bumps up on top of the cutout so that it was intuitive and discreet for students who need the sensory input the most. Shown below is foam prototype with photoshop rendering of bumps to show the concept (before making molds).

Early Prototypes - Marketing & Testing in childcare setting

First Vidget is born!

We met our co-founder and first investor, Dick Kaplan, at an RIT Board of Trustees Meeting. After learning about what we were trying to accomplish with the Vidget, especially the non-stigmatizing of special education students, Dick decided to invest and help Viggi to manufacturer the Vidget.

RCSD buys 436 Vidgets and 166 Digit Widgit Kits

Rochester City School District's Early Childhood Executive Director, Robin Hooper, purchased more than 400 Vidgets for pre-k classrooms. Robin shared with the Rochester Business Journal:

“We have to start thinking more about the kinds of things we create for children and their uses, and are we really catering to their needs,” Hooper said. “With these products that is what they did; they put the focus on children and their needs and tried to create products that really cater to those needs.” Robin Hooper