Initial research focused on students that chose to work or study in semi-public locations like coffee shops and libraries. The intent was to understand why some are more productive (or feel more productive) within a location of public congregation.

Most of the interviewed individuals stated that it was easier to focus in a cafe because thy were easily distracted at home. While all interviewed individuals were able to "tune out" the noise and activities of strangers, many said the presence of roommates, family, neighbors, and personal paraphernalia like magazines and knick-knacks made it difficult to focus.

The cafe environment by contrast was largely filled with strangers attempting to be productive as well. The small size of the cafe table forced them to focus at the task at hand and limited the amount of materials they brought to the bare minimum.

Many felt that the sparse environment did not handicap their work. They would improvise as needed by using surplus chairs as small shelves and their bags as drawers. Most of the problems mentioned were social in nature and could not be addressed by a product with Danese Milano's specifications. Some even declared that they already carried too much.

Since many interviewees cited difficulty studying at home, the project focus was shifted towards distractions at home. Attempts were made to photograph people's home desks but it proved difficult to prevent people from tidying up prior to photography. This hindered the accurate assessment of a desk's natural state and the user's habits. Ethnography shifted towards Flickr where anonymous and decently honest desk photography could be found.

Continued dialogue and Flickr photo-analysis revealed that many found desk clutter inevitable. Although some people were able to manage or prevent messes quite easily, others were mired in it. Those that were successful were often skilled at purging anything unnnecessary. In contrast, those that were not succcessful were often habitual collectors and lacked storage. Regardless of a person's organizational skills, many people voiced a desire for an unobtrusive but easily accessed storage space. In short, they wanted a desk drawer.

A review of the interview data revealed that the individuals with cluttered desk spaces were not necessarily disorganized but lacked a location to store the items. Many worked on desks with no drawers or shelves, leaving their items to take up valuable desk space. Most interviewees were dissatisfied with existing desk organizers in office supply stores because they didn't solve the desk space situation.

Well organized individuals stated that they didn't like to keep objects on the desk because it contributed to visual clutter. Disorganized individuals cited difficulty in finding objects on a desk blanketed with papers and other larger items. Some used shelving as storage but that was often a waste of space and awkward location to repeatedly reach for. Those who had desk drawers stated that it was invaluable in helping them organize and find assorted small items such as USB thumb drives, pens, business cards, staples, and gum.

Conclusion

Based upon the interview data, it was concluded that people are looking for a convenient but unobrustive location to store small desk objects. While many organizational solutions already exist, many compromise desk space or convenience. Drawers are excellent solutions but are not always included on a desk. Thus the most logical solution would be to develop a portable drawer. Since simplicity and minimalism are two of Danese Milano's hallmarks, it was determined the product would consist of a simple shell and sliding tray that sat under a laptop.