PLAY BY EAR: ADAPTIVE EAR CLIPS CASE STUDY Beayue C. Louie, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, 1399 Johnston Street Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6H 3R9 Our sense of self is often shaped by how we think others see us. Thus, the way we express ourselves through clothing and accessories plays an important role in the development of our identity. This serves true for both individuals with a disability and those without. Individuals with a disability, however, are often denied this freedom by the lack of products in the market that take their physical capabilities into consideration. For many individuals with arthritis, the ability to put on earrings easily or independently is a common, daily act of self-expression that can be difficult, if not impossible to achieve. The task poses several ergonomic challenges, as it requires the user to hold their body in an awkward and potentially painful position while threading a small earring through their earlobe. Key words: medical design, arthritis, adaptive products
2013 Association of Canadian Ergonomists Conference From Sea to Sky: Expanding the Reach of Ergonomics
Beayue Louie Play By Ear: Adaptive Ear Clips
1. THE PROJECT As part of Emily Carr University’s Medical Product Design course, third-year students were encouraged to collaborate with an external co-creator to design and develop an assistive product for individuals with sensory and/or motor disabilities. Designing with a Co-Creator For nine weeks, I met with M.D., a 46-year old textile artist and volunteer with the Mary Pack Arthritis Centre in Vancouver, BC, who has lived with psoriatic arthritis and Ménière’s disease for the past two decades. Due to her arthritis, M.D has fused joints in both her hands. This has resulted in little to no movement in her right or left wrists or fingers. She relies on her left-hand index finger and thumb, in conjunction with wider arm movements, for a range of hand motions. Primary Research In addition to a cultural probe and numerous interviews with M.D., I engaged in a Patricia Moore-styled experiment (Moore, 1985) in order to gain a better understanding of the challenges individuals with a disability face on a daily basis. For three days, I wore a ring and splint system on my hands that would increase the degree of inflammation, stiffness and pain that I experienced in order to simulate the degenerative nature of arthritis. Not only did this grant me a glimpse of the physical constraints that individuals with arthritis face, but the emotional frustrations they endure as well. Identifying Issues Like many individuals who suffer from arthritis of the hands, M.D. has difficulty with activities that require fine motor control, finger and wrist strength, gripping (Pak & McLaughlin, 2010), nonneutral wrist angles, twisting motions or a wide hand span. Although she finds contentment in many things, M.D. mourns the fact that her disability has progressively stripped her of many of the daily choices she enjoyed as a young adult. One such liberty was the ability to accessorize her appearance with earrings. 2. THE PROBLEM Most individuals require two hands and fine motor skills to put on an earring. For individuals with limited hand dexterity or arthritis, this task is frequently beyond their physical capabilities. To put on an earring, a person must tilt their head down, in the opposite direction of their torso, and reach back with one hand, above their shoulders, to support their earlobe by holding it between their index finger and thumb or bracing it with an earring back. With their other hand, they must reach above their shoulders and across their chest to thread the earring through a small pierced hole. This task is made more difficult by the fact that a person cannot see his or her own ear. They must do it “blindly” or with the aid of a mirror, which only provides a partially obstructed, mirrored image of the task through their peripheral vision. A person must typically use two hands to repeat the same steps in reverse order to remove the earring. 3. THE SOLUTION Based on the needs of M.D., I developed several ear clip prototypes that: 1. addressed the abovementioned ergonomic issues frequently associated with putting on an earring; 2013 Association of Canadian Ergonomists Conference From Sea to Sky: Expanding the Reach of Ergonomics
Beayue Louie Play By Ear: Adaptive Ear Clips
2. could be worn alone as a decorative accessory on the earlobe in lieu of an earring; 3. could accommodate multiple existing earring types to give the user a full range of options; 4. were small enough to not overwhelm the aesthetic of the earring, but large enough for an arthritic hand to hold and use comfortably; 5. were symmetrical in shape, thereby accommodating both right and left-handed users; and 6. were easy to put on and remove with one hand.
Concept The Play By Ear adaptive ear clip breaks down the act of putting on an earring into two steps: 1. threading the earring through the clip; In the first step, the act of threading an earring through a tiny “pierced” hole is placed within the person’s preferred line of sight, 10º - 40º below their horizontal sight line (Arnold, 2012). This provides greater hand-eye coordination, as the user is able to see their actual movements directly in front of them. The clip also lowers the majority of the task to hand level where a person has greater control and precision (Arnold, 2012). and 2. putting the clip on the earlobe. Once the earring is secured to the clip, the user can attach the clip onto their earlobe by feel or with the aid of a mirror. This second step can be carried out with one hand, eliminating the user’s need to reach across their body or above their shoulders for long periods. To remove the earring, the user can simply drag the ear clip down to release it from their earlobe. Product Role While the issue of earrings may seem superficial at first glance, it holds greater significance when viewed in a sociological context. The ability to express one’s self through appearance plays an important role in the development of an individual’s self-concept. The looking-glass self theory posits that a person’s self image is shaped by their understanding of society’s perception of them (Tice and Wallace, 2003). Namely, we learn to see ourselves as others do through symbolic interactionism. Thus, fashion is more than just consumerism and conformity. It is a means by which we express who we are and who we wish to be. Therefore, enabling individuals to wear earrings is not merely about accessorizing, but about freedom of choice and restoring an avenue of self-expression to individuals that might otherwise be denied to them by their arthritis.
2013 Association of Canadian Ergonomists Conference From Sea to Sky: Expanding the Reach of Ergonomics
Beayue Louie Play By Ear: Adaptive Ear Clips
4. USER TRIAL A user trial was held to evaluate three ear clip prototypes to determine whether an individual with arthritis could use an ear clip attachment to wear an earring without assistance. Methodology In order to address the course mandate, the early stage of the design process and the particulars of my co-creator’s disability, I elected to structure the user trial around M.D. as a single subject, rather than opt for a sampling of subjects. This allowed for more in-depth analysis of the user’s mobility needs and the design strengths and weaknesses of each prototype. Direct observation and manual analysis served as the primary methods of data collection and processing. A video recording was also made of the user trial, which allowed for more accurate post-trial data verification and analysis. Ear Clip Prototypes The three ear clips differed in shape and mobility requirements: 1. Hook Prototype The back piece of the Hook prototype hangs off the length of the distal phalange of the thumb, while the front piece is held between the index and middle fingers, similar as to how one would balance a cigarette. When the user brings their thumb and fingers together, the magnets on both the front and back pieces engage, securing the ear clip onto the earlobe. 2. Pinch Grip Prototype The Pinch Grip prototype is held between the thumb and index finger. It contains a hinge mechanism that allows the user to open the clip by pinching the ends of a clip together, similar to a clothespin. When released, tension secures the clip onto the earlobe. 3. Cup Prototype The back piece of the Cup prototype hangs vertically off the tip of the user’s thumb, while the front piece is held between the index and middle fingers. Similar to the Hook prototype, magnets are used to secure the clip onto the earlobe. Procedure The user trial consisted of three different stages: 1. a free learning and free description session, where the user was asked to verbalize how she thought each prototype was used; 2. a defined tasks session, where the user tried each prototype in three key scenarios: • threading an earring onto the ear clip; • putting the ear clip onto the earlobe; and • removing the ear clip; and 3. a questionnaire and non-directed, debrief interview to follow-up on any issues or questions that arose during the course of the trial. Measures For each prototype, the following measures were recorded until the user successfully completed or abandoned the task: • the aggregate time it took; • the number of errors made; 2013 Association of Canadian Ergonomists Conference From Sea to Sky: Expanding the Reach of Ergonomics
Beayue Louie Play By Ear: Adaptive Ear Clips
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the type of errors made; and the number of attempts made.
The user was also asked to rate the prototypes on various subjective measures, such as ease of use, comfort and satisfaction. 5. FINDINGS Of the three prototypes tested, only the Hook clip prototype enabled the user to complete all three defined tasks. Using the Hook prototype, the user was able to: 1. thread the earring onto the ear clip (1 attempt in 6.3 seconds); 2. put on the ear clip (4 attempts in 74.0 seconds); and 3. remove the ear clip (1 attempt in 2.9 seconds). Observations Although the user was able to thread the earring onto all three prototypes quickly and in a single attempt, the user was unable to put on the ear clip using either the Pinch Grip and Cup prototypes due to difficulties reaching the earlobe with the ear clip, holding onto the ear clip and positioning and orienting the ear clip in the correct position. The Hook prototype was preferred over the Pinch Grip and Cup prototypes for several reasons: 1. the back piece of the ear clip hooked securely over the thumb, which allowed the user to move her hand around freely; 2. the earring threaded onto the back piece of the ear clip rather than the front piece, which allowed for better weight distribution and control; 3. the magnets assumed the responsibility of fastening the ear clip to the earlobe, which allowed the user to concentrate solely on positioning the ear clip; and 4. the user could anchor her thumb behind her earlobe and against her skull to stabilize and orient her hand. In addition to evaluating the prototype’s form, the user trial also highlighted the critical role that simple and clear instructions play in designing solutions and implementing new products. During the user trial, the user initially attempted to put the Hook prototype on with two hands, similar to how one would a traditional post earring. Using this conventional method, the user became frustrated and eventually abandoned the task. After being shown the proper way to use the Hook prototype in one hand and instructed on how to think about her actions in distinct movements, however, the user was able to complete the task using the same prototype. Results Using a Play By Ear adaptive ear clip, the user was successfully able to wear an earring without assistance – an act previously made impossible by her arthritis. The design achieved this by: • moving the fine motor skills portion of the task to the user’s direct line of sight; 2013 Association of Canadian Ergonomists Conference From Sea to Sky: Expanding the Reach of Ergonomics
Beayue Louie Play By Ear: Adaptive Ear Clips
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bringing the task down to hand level, providing the user with greater control and precision; maintaining the user’s body in a neutral position; minimizing the amount of time the user must raise their hands above their shoulders; eliminating the necessity of reaching one arm across the torso; orienting and stabilizing the user’s hand during the task, thereby overcoming reduced tactility sensitivity in her hands and arms as a result of arthritic inflammation and chronic pain; and allowing for one-handed use.
Future Prototype Recommendations The Play By Ear adaptive ear clip is still in the early phases of the design process. Further research, prototype development and user testing is needed to refine the design to accommodate users of all types and sizes. Based on the findings of the user trial, I plan to incorporate the following elements into the next round of prototypes: 1. a back-loading, magnetic ear clip with a handle, similar to the Hook prototype, that: • does not require a user to twist their head and torso in opposite directions; • does not require a user to reach across their body; and • minimizes the amount of time a user is required to lift their hands above their of shoulders; 2. a higher magnet placement on the back piece of the ear clip, closer to the pad of the thumb, making the ear clip back and front pieces easier to align; 3. a more pronounced concave groove on the circumference of the ear clip front piece, making it easier to hold securely between the user’s middle and index fingers; and 4. a potential detachable handle system that would reduce the size of the ear clip when worn. 6. CONCLUSION The world we live in is designed primarily for the able-bodied. The products we both covet and use in our daily lives assume a full range of motion. What happens then, if we have or acquire a disability? Should strength and dexterity challenges change who we are or aspire to be as people? Moreover, should it have the power to delineate who we are to society? Just like ethnicity and gender, a disability or lack thereof is just one element of a person’s identity. It is not necessarily the defining one. Individuals with a disability should have the same options available to them as those who do not. This includes the freedom of self-expression: the power to tell the world “This is who I am”, rather than allowing a lack of choice to do it for us. 7. REFERENCES Arnold, A.K. (2012). Workstation Design. Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Social Science 217: Ergonomics I. Vancouver, BC. Lecture Materials (February 7, 2012). Moore, P. & Conn, C.P. (1985). Disguised: A True Story. New York: W Pub Group. Pak, R. & McLaughlin, A. (2010). Designing Displays for Older Adults. CRC Press. Tice, D.M. & Wallace, H.M. (2003) The Reflected Self: Creating Yourself as (You Think) Others See You. In Leary, M.R. & Tangney, J.P. (Eds.), Handbook of Self and Identity (pp. 91-105). New York: The Guilford Press. 2013 Association of Canadian Ergonomists Conference From Sea to Sky: Expanding the Reach of Ergonomics
Beayue Louie Play By Ear: Adaptive Ear Clips