There was a time before the world changed when most people who are in the corporate world were stuck to their desks for most of their 8 hours every day. But when COVID came and we were “forced” to work remotely, people finally discovered what digital nomads have been saying for years: you can actually work everywhere. Even now when some have gone back to their buildings and cubicles, people have learned to be more mobile so product designers have been coming up with various products to suit this new work lifestyle.
Designers: Nankyung Han and Jimin Seol
First Layer is a concept for a mobile desk that users can use for telecommuting and working from anywhere, without having to bring an actual desk with all the things you need. It’s basically something that can hold your monitor and can serve as a desk divider, and even as a trolley to bring your things around. When folded, it looks like a portfolio (a pretty big one) or a suitcase (a small one). When you unfold it, you get a pretty functional desk divider that can hold your devices and other work accessories.
As a desk divider, you can use it as a partition and a holder for your monitor. You can attach the monitor through a magnet and then if you need to move your work station to another place in the office (or even outside), you can carry your monitor with you within the “case”. The device also powers the monitor through the pogo pin when you attach it through the rear circular panel. The side panels lets you attach mobile devices including your smartphone, smartwatch, earbuds, and even analog things like sticky notes, pens, etc.
The trolley function not only lets you move the stuff around but can also serve as a stand for when you want to use your monitor as a vertical stand, in case that’s possible for your device. The renders show soft colors that should match your aesthetic, if you’re into that thing. On paper, the concept for First Layer seems to be an interesting one that can be useful, if it will function as advertised. It won’t be useful for people like me who rely on our laptops or MacBooks but if you’re using a monitor for your work process, then it may be something you’ll want.
