Research · Ambient Computing · 008

Which label makes a shelf findable?

2026-10-03 · Question

Addresses only help if they’re on the furniture. I compared five label systems:

1. One label per slot, with a small diagram of the unit and the slot filled in.
2. One tall directory per bay on the upright, with colored dots on the shelf edges.
3. Labels that lead with what lives there, colored by kind of thing.
4. Rulers along each shelf edge, with Gridfinity coordinates inside drawers.
5. A 50 cm floor grid taken from the 3D model, plus a height band.

Whatever wins needs white labels, room colors, real coordinates instead of “13 of 25” style counts, a small diagram, and a date, all printable on an inkjet. The leading combination so far: per-slot labels for fixed places, Gridfinity coordinates inside the cart drawers, and a handwritten “checked” date on box labels. Printing is on hold until I decide.

• Referenced by Labels can double as Home Assistant tags 009