Everyone in the team participated in immersive research by completing household tasks with only the use of one hand. Each member of the group completed 3 distinct tasks within our chosen category. The results are documented below.
Team category: Kitchen Tasks
Britney’s Tasks:
1.) Unloading dishwasher
- The only difficulty that came along with unloading the dishwasher with one hand was putting knives away that had covers for the blades that I had to put on them. This is something that can easily result in potential injury and should be further researched.
2.) Loading dishwasher
- There were little to no difficulty with loading the dishwasher with one hand. One system that I implemented that made the whole processes easier was placing all of the silverware in to a cup while I was loading the rest of the dishwasher and then loading the silverware all at once at the end to avoid constantly having to open and closes the drawers.
3.) Hand washing/drying dishes.
- Hand washing dishes presented the most difficulty because the dishes kept moving around the sink as I was trying to scrub them with a sponge. It was hard to think that I was able to really get pots/pans clean because I wasn’t able to get a good grip to in order to scrub them.
Carter’s Tasks:
1.) Cutting with a knife
- This task was actually more challenging than I had thought it was going to be. Cutting the potato was difficult because it was an oval shape, so it was very difficult to keep it still while cutting since typically I can just hold it in place with my other hand. Also, the cutting board would slide around on the table because I wasn’t able to keep it in place like I am usually able to do. The actual cuts were also very inconsistent in size because it was very hard to adjust where I would actually cut the potato.
2.) Sharpening a knife
- Sharpening a knife with the current sharpener that I had was impossible with one hand. Typically, you move the sharpener against the knife at a 15-degree angle, which was impossible to do with one hand. If I put the sharpener on the table and moved the knife against it in the opposite direction, it was possible, but doing it that way is not as efficient and can be unsafe.
3.) Measuring
- Measuring certain things, like rice (as I did in the video) or sugar is pretty easy to do with one hand as long as the bag you’re scooping from doesn’t move. Measuring small amounts of liquids (teaspoons and tablespoons) proved to be much more challenging since the measuring spoons can’t simply be set down in poured into, they would just fall over, as was shown in the video.
Sam’s Tasks:
1.) Using the refrigerator
- In order to immerse myself in the research I made scrambled eggs and some tater tots and tried to do it the same way I usually do but with one hand. Do the simplicity of this I didn’t find the fridge or freezer hard to manage as the handles are already well fitted for one hand. I also benefitted from the fact the items I needed were few and lightweight. I could imagine however that complex food items or heavy ones could quickly become problematic with only one hand.
2.) Using the oven
- Similar to the refrigerator this becomes easier with simple foods. I did not have many issues except for trying to pull out the oven rack and hold tongs at the same time. Even simple tasks require more effort and thought, I used oven mitts as I felt that only having a hot pad and one hand could lead to a mistake and a burn. Then when you imagine this with say a filled casserole dish or anything of significant weight the risks of drops, slips, and burns, will definitely increase with only one hand.
3.) Using the stovetop
- This was the most difficult part by far. I decided to make some eggs that required a bit of finesse to see the difficulty increase due to the one handedness, I am decent at cracking eggs one handed but it still has challenges. Whisking anything proved to be more difficult has you cannot hold onto the bowl while you whish which creates the risk of spills. Then once on the stovetop the speed and dexterity you have goes way down. Trying to maneuver a skillet quickly on and off the heat while whisking constantly and keeping it from spilling is near impossible. Plus not being able to hold onto the handle of a hot skillet while whisking is nerve wracking as too much of a nudge could spill eggs everywhere.
Overall I managed to complete my task but there were a number of challenges involved. I constantly felt more on edge as I was making mistakes and making messes. The thought of the number of ways to burn myself was ever present. I had to employ some borderline unsafe and many times over the top methods to achieve the same results. Full footage here:
Nic’s Tasks:
1.) Peeling food
- This task by far was the most difficult. I decided to attempt to peel a potato using one hand and it turned out to be more difficult than initially expected. The part that was most difficult was the fact that I had no way of securing the item that I was trying to peel, which just resulted in the food sliding around on the counter and not peeling. I also attempted to secure the food with the same hand that I was peeling with, but it was difficult to have any leverage on the peeler while holding it with my other fingers.
2.) Storing groceries
- Storing groceries with one hand was very similar to using two hand. I was able to complete the task just as well as with two hands, but it just took a bit longer. One thing that I had not considered was the fact that I could not open cabinets while I am holding the item that I want to place in the cabinet. This resulted in having to think ahead for which cabinets I was going to place food in and opening them ahead of time.
3.) Consuming food
- Consuming food with one hand was also very similar to using two hands. Most of my diet either consists snacks that are handheld or meals that just require a fork or spoon. I do not eat a lot of meals that require a knife to be used, but I can see where this could become an issue. Salads, cereal, and granola bars are just as easy to consume one handed, where as food like steak or chicken breast would be difficult due to needing to cut while you eat.
Ryan’s Tasks:
1.) Washing Produce
- Washing produce was a bit more difficult than expected. I attempted to wash some dirty carrots before peeling them. I was able to rinse them but I wasn’t able to fully scrub them because I had to hold them in one hand. The only way I would be able to fully scrub them would be putting them in down in the sink. I also found myself almost dropping the carrots while trying to wash them.
2.) Peeling
- Peeling carrots with one hand was pretty much impossible to do safely. I had to hold the peeler with one hand, so I wasn’t able to secure the carrot while trying to peeling it. This lead to the carrot/cutting board sliding around the counter. I tried reorienting my hand so maybe I could hold it and peel it with the same arm but I wasn’t able to.
3.) Cutting Food (to eat)
- Cutting food was the easiest to do of the three tasks. While it wasn’t as efficient as it is with two hands, it was still doable. I was able to use my fork and knife to cut the food by kind of wiggling it and applying pressure. I actually found the fork to be easier to use than a knife. This caused the plate to move some but it wasn’t too bad. This worked on the chicken I was eating, but with something tougher it would be more of an issue.