Grip
My colleagues and I were assigned to work with Saint James's Hospital in Dublin on a joint project where we had to figure out how to store crutches so that patients who were at risk of falling wouldn't. The goal of the brief was to develop a solution that will support crutches properly in a variety of healthcare settings. A human-centered design approach was necessary for this project because every choice was made with the patient's experience in mind.
In order to retain the crutches in a fixed position, we concentrated on designing a crutch holder with big apertures during the initial concept stage. Rubber was supposed to be applied to the edges to provide traction and aid the blind. A user-friendly form would be the main focus, allowing a wide spectrum of patients to benefit from the design. such as people with little dexterity, individuals with degenerative conditions, and those who are blind.
Following our initial customer presentation, our client's primary concerns were crutch stability and user safety. We made this form below to address this. We objected to this since it failed to take into account people who struggle with dexterity because they had to twist the crutch into place. Additionally, patients would need to acquire efficient product usage skills. As a result, the form was useless.
Grip was a workable solution for the medical environment because of careful material selection.
Steel sheet metal that had been powder-coated made up the majority of Grip. As a result, the product is robust, resistant to corrosion, and simple to clean. enabling the usage of Grip in numerous settings within the institution. Like the bathing areas, for example.
For the flaps, Santoprene rubber was then employed. This is a simple-to-handle, strong, and flexible material.
The chosen materials were simple to work with and satisfied Saint James's Hospital's specifications. The client is cost-sensitive, thus this was crucial.
Steel sheet metal that had been powder-coated made up the majority of Grip. As a result, the product is robust, resistant to corrosion, and simple to clean. enabling the usage of Grip in numerous settings within the institution. Like the bathing areas, for example.
For the flaps, Santoprene rubber was then employed. This is a simple-to-handle, strong, and flexible material.
The chosen materials were simple to work with and satisfied Saint James's Hospital's specifications. The client is cost-sensitive, thus this was crucial.
-Designers- Gareth Byrne, Federico Tussaciu, George Patton, Sarah Norgrove, Tadhg O'Connell
