Number 1:
Problem Area: Lifting/grabbing heavy objects off a shelf
User Needs: Amputee needs to be able to lift objects especially if they live alone and do not have someone to help them. They need to feel safe when trying to reach the objects.
Solution Goals: Lift heavy object, carry alone, safety
Problem Statement: Design a product that allows amputees to independently lift and grab heavy objects while implementing a safety element.
Number 2:
Problem Area: Making a bed, focussing on the fitted sheet
User Needs: Amputee needs to be able to put a fitted sheet on the bed in a timely manner. They need to find a way to secure all the sheets.
Solution Goals: Fitting sheet on the bed while maintaining a neat look and secure fit
Problem Statement: Design a product that allows amputees to neatly put a fitted sheet on their bed in a timely manner.
Number 3:
Problem Area: Hanging and folding clothes
User Needs: Amputee needs to find an efficient way to hang and fold clothes in a neat manner. Decreasing the amount of time and wrinkles in the clothing
Solution Goals: Successfully hanging and folding clothes, reducing time, neat/less wrinkles
Problem Statement: Design a product that allows amputees to efficiently fold/hang clothes in a timely manner that reduces wrinkles.
Number 4:
Problem Area: Tying shoes
User Needs: Securely fasten shoes, timely manner
Solution Goals: Securing shoes without the help of someone else
Problem Statement: Design a product that allows amputees to independently fasten shoes in a timely manner.
Reflection:
This assignment was very helpful for our group because it allowed us to decide on the individual we want to design our product for. In order to create a persona, we looked at statistics relating to amputations. The statistics stated that 80% of amputations occur in people over the age of 50 and 45% of amputations are performed due to trauma. These facts resulted in us creating two different personas. We want our product to benefit older individuals, while also considering trauma survivors. After creating our personas, it was interesting to narrow down the problems and see what areas we thought were most important. There were over lapping trends of time and safety. As a team, we found that most tasks were manageable however, they took way more time than we were expecting. Another issue was regarding safety when lifting/carrying heavy objects. These trends became much more evident to us after creating a mind map. The most obvious class connection is gaining empathy for the user. As a team, we have realized that finding empathy is one of the most important aspects of design. Without empathy, we would not be able to design a successful product for the consumer. We have also noticed that it is important to focus on the “what” and not the “how” of our design. We are still early in the design process, so by focusing on the “what” we have not limited ourselves to one idea. This allows for open-mindedness and creativity of thoughts, which could allow us to design a product we never even thought about from the start.