Scale project updates & progress

As I continue to develop my scale concept, I've started to make some progress in the way of finding a technology that is low profile and will provide the desired response. Check out the latest and greatest little load sensor!

Now that the technical part is resolved, I can focus on making it something you could comfortably live with in your home. I did a quick comparison study between the wheelchair 'footprint' and the natural stance (feet shoulder width apart). See results below...

(top left: wheel chair point of contact // top right: feet in natural stance within the footprint left from the wheelchair // bottom left: wheelchair footprint // bottom right: anatomical vs. natural stance)

 Its seems like a low profile platform of ample dimensions could be a comfortable solution for everyone given that not many of us stand "at attention" in anatomical position, especially not as we age and often require a larger base of support to maintain our balance.

Earlier today, I can across a scale that was featured on the website Spinalistips. I was in awe of the work that went into crafting this adapted model, but also felt that it illustrates quite strongly the relevance of my project, as there are not many options for consumers in wheelchairs.

Home Ergonomics

Read a recent piece I'm quoted in discussing ergonomics for the home. Most of us don't realize just how much of an impact simple adjustments can make.
http://gettysburgtimes.ctwfeatures.com/home/home_20111012_ergonomics.html

To read the rest click the url above!

Evening at NYC Resistor

Tonight I went to Craft Night at NYC resistor to get some technical advice for the scale I've been developing as part of thesis. I've designed a scale that is extremely flat, almost level with the floor, to be effortlessly accessed by stepping or rolling onto. The design considers that not everyone weighs themselves standing, and that most bathroom scales are not useful to those using a wheelchair. Also, since not everyone is able view the floor display, a wireless display is visible from the wall or counter.

So after studying varied user needs, the next step was to hack a scale I bought on Amazon...

The very helpful group at NYC resistor offered some suggestions for making a working prototype.

      

So the next step is finding either a solution with piezo conductive fabric, or flat load cells, or both?

More to come...

Asking the people

People have different ideas about what constitutes universal design (as demonstrated Left).


Since perception plays a powerful role in shaping both understanding and acceptance (or rejection) of ideas, I frequently ask people what their thoughts are on universal design, including whether they can think of any universally designed products they own.


The responses are varied, and sometimes entertaining. As Arnold pointed out upon explaining the "universal design" behind his monster lighter pictured Left, "this design will allow all people to smoke easier even in old age."


What more could you ask for?

Pratt Thesis Projects

http://prattmid.blogspot.com/2011/10/carla-jaspers.html
Learn about the initiatives of current Pratt students with future goals!
Presentations are December 9, 2011 in Pratt Studios Rm 43.

Design fail!

Ugh! The dreaded tennis ball on the legs of a walker. Words cannot describe how unhappy this makes me. Its the quintessential example of a design fail, but ask anyone who's suffered through dragging the standard rubber walker feet around and they'll tell you what a great little trick the tennis ball idea is.

What's worse is that now manufacturers have made this phenomenon commonplace by making actual tennis ball attachments instead of improving the design of the initial object. This, to me = lame. At least cutting a tennis ball open with a utility knife and jamming it on the leg of a walker demonstrates that someone was resourceful enough at some point to fix a problem with a familiar household object, like sitting a kid on a phone book so they can reach the table at dinner when a booster seat isn't available...but "designing" and manufacturing and selling a product that is no more evolved and adds a bunch of unnecessary plastic is a step in the wrong direction. Not to mention that the design language continues to communicate that industry really isn't interested in providing the population who uses this product with a more sophisticated design solution.


When I came across this work, featured at the Conner Contemporary Gallery in Washington DC and posted on the BYT website, I had to smile. The statement is probably made better with this one image than with anything else I could write.

Spotted this yesterday at Borough Hall train station. I wish I could have got a photo from the front to accurately show just how many shopping bags he was toting along. It was an interesting scene to see the rollator put to such practical use. Clearly I have no idea what the back story here is, but I was intrigued to see how the rollator was adapted to serve a practical need for someone who wasn't using it strictly for mobility.

A thought crossed my mind

Why was this the only table in the entire place that could offer comfortable and accessible seating to someone using a wheelchair?

Fusing Style & Necessity

Design is so much more intriguing when it solves some sort of problem,

don't you agree? Especially when the problem involves figuring out a way

to make a medically necessary device fit a bit more harmoniously into

everyday life. + Hanky Pancreas™ is a great example of design

that changes perception by morphing an insulin pump into an

accessory, or perhaps even a conversation piece.

Good design leads to better patient experiences

Check out my contribution to a recent article from Medical Office Today, discussing design interventions
to reduce patient anxiety levels. Definitely a worthwhile and necessary venture

Walking the walk

When attempting to design for functionally diverse populations, there are many different approaches you can take. You can, one, assert your ego above all else, ignoring your target consumer demographic and unleashing slightly more colorful versions of the same old stuff that already exists: two, meet directly with the consumer demographic, performing thorough ethnographic research to gain insights into areas of opportunity: or three, you can put on the Koken Aged Simulator Set! (or AGNES, the MIT version). The set, "intended to demonstrate the inconveniences felt by the aged due to musculoskeletal, visual and auditory aging", allows you develop a new level of empathy as you literally disable yourself.

The suit limits range of motion at the knees, back, elbows & digits, while applying weight to the wrists and ankles to simulate weakness. Gloves mute sensation in the hands, goggles occlude vision, and ear plugs block high frequency sounds.

This was undoubtedly inspired by the work of Pattie Moore (pictured below in disguise) during the late 1970's and early 80's in which she imposed similar restrictions on her then twenty something old body. By totally immersing herself in the population she was focusing on, she truly came to understand the physical, psychological and social implications.

In undergrad, I recall an assignment where I was required to rely on a manual wheelchair as my only means of mobility for 4 days. After 45 minutes, I started to get the picture. Nothing on campus was remotely convenient, with stairs in every direction (the entire campus is on a giant hill), poor access routes, limited or often barely functional elevators, library books on shelves too high to reach, cafe counters too high to view the food options, and so on. Plus, the muscles in my shoulders and upper back were on fire after getting to two classes on opposite ends of campus.


The understanding gained from this type of experiential research is imperative if you really want your design interventions to impact how people live. 


I'm beginning to increase my focus on the consumer experiences of those outside the "average" spectrum. From what I've learned through documented research, while the internet has made goods and services more accessible, the market remains predominantly exclusive. Through directly engaging the consumer demographic of interest, I'd like to begin testing some of my ideas on the public in the upcoming months.

IHCD Newsletter

In an effort to expand dialogue about this thesis, I had the recent opportunity to correspond with the Institute for Human Centered Design which is based in Boston, MA and supports the mission of "advancing the role of design in expanding opportunity and experience for people of all ages through excellence in design." Organizations like IHCD pave the way for designers who want to work in a climate where the principles of 'design for all' are the basis for design guidelines of any project.

I was fortunate to be featured in their April newsletter, which you can read about here: http://www.adaptenv.org/index.php?option=News&articleid=1096

(click on "view the newsletter" and then scroll down to find me)

 

Old Ladies Rebellion

One final observation of Multi Contextual Fashion, however

a bit late to the party as the most recent collection launched last year:

OldLadiesRebellion, created by Fanny Karst, a young French designer with talent and skill in creating beautiful proportions that would flatter a woman of any age.

Despite my late discovery, the design is so noteworthy & brilliant, I simply had to buy the 2010 line for my 93 year old grandmother, and then also for myself.

Google Images: An Experiment

I started researching options currently available on the market for moisture wicking fabrics incorporated in underwear, after discussing the applications of materials like Coolmax the other day.

One need not look further than Google Images to see the blatant change in

design language upon adding '-for the elderly' to the end of any search query.

If you're ever curious, try it sometime. It does not fail, as evidenced by the following images...

Ah ha! So there clearly IS a way to make moisture wicking underwear somewhat appealing.

I'm not devaluing the necessity of the product shown on the right, I'm simply proposing that wicking undergarments for the aging need not look like bloomers or worse, reference diapers.

But seriously, try another query on Google Images, adding 'for the elderly' to the

end. See what happens...I could use this alone to validate my entire thesis.

More support for 'Design for All'

Remodeling Now to Avoid Accessibility Problems Later

By ELIZABETH POPE

Published: March 2, 2011

Even more validation! In planning for the future, people are
starting to become a lot more proactive in terms of home design. A great
write up about this was featured in the Times this week.

So good to read this...

In January, the National Association of Home Builders’ International Builders’ Show devoted a day to universal design. “The buzz was just amazing,” said Jeffrey S. Jenkins, director of the trade association’s 50-plus Housing Council. “The word is U.D. is the ‘new green.’ ”

Finding inspiration

A few images to inspire the design of the Bath Bench project currently underway.
Referencing natural materials and interesting shapes, I've started sketching...

I'm in the early phases, mostly thinking about shapes as well as functionality. The transfer from wheelchair to bath bench, or from standing to bath bench requires a lot of consideration, and a well designed bath bench can increase safety tremendously.

Above are a few shots of an early sketch model referencing a few different concepts from my sketches. I made a very rough buck and put it in the tub for scale and was pleased with how it was complimentary to the curve of the basin.

5 Ways to Feel Better at Work

5 Ways to Feel Better at Work -- Literally: SELF.com

Click on the link above to read my input on SELF magazine online! A few ergonomic tips for your office can go a long way

A Day in the Life

I have over 8 years of clinical experience, working with people to gain independence in the face of some very difficult physical barriers. A concept occurred to me while relaying a story about pleading with patients to get a shower chair after orthopedic surgery, stroke or amputation to reduce falls in the bathroom:
if people are resisting the use of certain products, clearly there is a design opportunity here. 


I cannot tell you how many times this option is suggested by a patient....
(the classic lawn chair used as a substitute for an actual bath chair)

Its not a terrible idea in theory, its light, less expensive, and easy to procure since its pretty much sold in every home goods store in the US. The problem is, it simply isn't designed with the safety features in mind, such as non-skid feet, bariatric weight tolerance, & a wide base of support to reduce tipping, among others. 

However to be honest, its hard to make an argument when you're trying to convince someone that this will fit better in their home environment....

We all know that a lot of the bath chairs out there are fairly mechanistic in their appearance, and could benefit from better design, more interesting materials, colors, and perhaps even more opportunity for versatility. But what if on top of this, there was a sense of prideful ownership? What if the design was so well executed that people brought their bath chairs onto the patio in the summer because the style was versatile enough to allow the product to exist in either area beautifully?

Haptica

 A nice example of design that attends to an underserved market with

outcomes that are alluring to the masses...

Watch the video!

Design that matters

I've recently had the fortunate opportunity to correspond with James J. Pirkl, FIDSA
who is the Founding Director of Transgenerational Design Matters, a private
educational, research, and advocacy organization. I respect the mission
immensely, as it focuses on proactive, intuitive and necessary design interventions
rather than simply devising adaptive products that reinforce functional debility.
And as an Occupational Therapist, I'm elated to find a fellow Industrial Designer
who has also lectured extensively both within the Design and Therapeutic communities
to build awareness of the need for better design within people's preferred contexts.

From the mission statement:


As we enter the new millennium, one can only speculate the impact that transgenerational design will have on tomorrow's products and environments.


The answer, of course, will be determined not only by the demands of the marketplace, but also the degree of societal sensitivity demonstrated by the fruits of tomorrow's designers ; how well they unite the forms of function and beauty with human needs and diversity of age and ability —the essense of professional design service and responsibility.

Are we up to the challenge?

Read more:http://www.transgenerational.org/viewpoint/transgenerational.htm#ixzz1DIK0bP2q

Re-branding Universal Design

The term Universal Design (UD), while well intentioned, has become a bit outdated. While the principles of UD should be innate in all design, there is still quite a lot of room for improvement. There's got to be a better way to infuse these concepts in the design of everyday things than by simply
completing an ADA compliance checklist.

(this is so 1991)


















This is why I'm proposing a sort of Universal Design re-branding. A way to introduce new forms and
concepts to items that people can use in numerous contexts. Design that is quietly and harmoniously
integrated into people's lives.