Hold
This project spans research, medical/healthcare design, human-centered design, prototyping, and production. The area of focus is the bedside and the immediate vicinity of a patient's bed in an inpatient ward setting. The objects of focus are walking aids, and for the purpose of this project we focused on crutches. I really enjoyed working on a human-centered design project. I felt a huge sense of compassion, hope, and reward from start to finish. It was very interesting making and testing at home but we tried to be as innovative as possible, eg. cutting up a water bottle to act as a gripped surface.
Process
We interviewed many different people such as crutch users, nurses and doctors. I loved communicating with all of these people to get as much in dept, first hand research as possible. My friend who's a student nurse thoroughly enjoyed seeing the project develop. It was great to be able to combine two worlds and to have that experience with her, as she knew just how important the problem at hand was. I am excited for my next human-centered design project as this one was so rewarding and exciting.
Experimenting at home with measuring tape which performs a similar action to a slappy band
We created a magnetic board, and a stainless steel slappy band. The Slappy Band would grab onto the walking aid and then easily attach to the board through magnetism. Both the board and the slappy band would be covered in polyurethane in order to create a better grip.
Instructions on how to use Hold
Below you can see images of how the slappy bad and board would work in a hospital. The board would come in various sizes in order to accommodate for different spaces or objects such as lockers or chairs. The larger boards would also be placed in areas such as waiting rooms or beside bathrooms.
Team : Kate O'Brien , Sinead Spring, Kate McKenna and Ava White
