Project Inclusive
Jake Aaron Cohen
Introduction This is a collaborative project between the Industrial Design department at University of the Arts and the Occupational Therapy department at Thomas Jefferson University. We will be working with a client who is disabled with a number of diagnosis.
Project Disciplines: inclusive design, universal design, anthropometrics, ethnography
Synopsis In this project students will collaborate in a team of five comprised of two industrial design students, three occupational therapy students and a client. Through interviews and discussion coupled with observational
research, we aim to define our project challenge. We will conceptualise, design and prototype solutions to resolve a chosen issue. We must consider not only the client but ultimately the widest population possible.
University of the Arts Fall Semester 2015
People & Mechanics 8 week project
The Client
01 - 04
Ethnography & Synthesis
05 - 10
The Moment & Point of Entry
11 - 18
Chunky Monkey Modeling
19 - 22
Goals & Design Proposal
23 - 32
Mold-Making
33 - 36
Client Feedback & Response
37 - 42
Final Outcome
43 - 47
Reflection
48
The team As a multidisciplinary team, we aim to use our knowledge and strengths to achieve a well considered outcome that helps to improve a selected daily activity for our client, Marsha.
design a final outcome which is more informed based on our client’s needs. Vice versa, the Occupational Therapist’s will rely on our design knowledge to bring ideas to life.
As Industrial Designer’s, Michelle and I will rely on Katherine’s, Erin’s
Our client Marsha, will be key in identifying our design direction and
and Amanda’s knowledge within Occupational Therapy to inform our design ideas. With their input throughout the project, the aim is to
will provide feedback to enhance our outcome based upon her current limitations and needs. The outcome will be a fully working prototype.
Prof. Mike McAllister Jake Aaron Cohen Michelle Kannegiser
Prof. Kim Mollo Amanda Gilroy Katherine Nelson Erin Kelly
Meet Marsha Our first meeting with Marsha involved general introductions, discovering her background, understanding her diagnosis and taking about the difficulties she experiences on a day-to-day basis.
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The Client Marsha E. Thrower
Bio Marsha is a 50 year old resident of North Philadelphia. She volunteers at Liberty Resources, a not-for-profit organisation that advocates and promotes independent living for all persons with disabilities. Marsha is very independent, cooking and doing the laundry for herself. She does, however, have home aides that help her tidy, but she assists multiple neighbours who also have disabilities. She is the youngest of four children and is the only immediate family member in Philadelphia. She is very close to her 88 year-old mother, but rarely sees her due to difficulties with transport.
• • • • •
• • •
• •
Personality Accessorizes and adorns everything Resourceful (Swiss army wheelchair) Independent, intelligent and sassy “Disabled but able” Loves the colour purple Interests Gardening & crocheting Loves to help her neighbours Avid coffee drinker (24/7 HOT coffee). As soon as she finishes her last cup of coffee, her day is done and she goes to sleep Her talents include drawing and painting She loves being a respected member of the local community, and has won many awards Jake Cohen | People & Mechanics | 02
Multiple Sclerosis
Marsha’s diagnoses:
A disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of nerves Osteoarthritis A type of arthritis that occurs when flexible tissue at the ends of bones wears down
Rheumatoid Arthritis A chronic inflammatory disorder affecting many joints, including the hands and feet
Scoliosis An abnormal twisting and curvature of the spine. When scoliosis occurs, the spine can curve in three ways
Spondylolithesis A spinal disorder in which a bone (vertebra) slips forward onto the bone below it
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• • • • • •
Increase in fatigue Decreased endurance Experiences muscle spasms Decreased grasp due to stiffness Lack of joint stability Increased joint laxity
COPM Assessment Finding initial issues The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) is an individualised, client-centred measure designed for use by Occupational Therapists to detect change in a client’s self-perception of occupational performance over time. Whilst meeting with Marsha for the first time, we completed out first assessment for the COPM after
discussing her experiences with her disabilities. We drew together 5 different tasks completed by Marsha on a day-to-day basis which could be assessed using the answers she provided through the COPM. The most interesting result was usability of her coffee mug, where her performance & importance were 10, but satisfaction was 1.
Performance Satisfaction Importance usability & comfort of coffee mug
10
1
10
community mobility in inclement weather
3
usability and comfort of eating utensils
1
3
ability to comfortably draw and paint
1
7 7 8
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Ethnography After our first conversation & interview with Marsha, we then wanted to perform ethnographic research in the context of her own home in order to discover her living habits and to identify design opportunities.
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Discovering our client Visiting Marsha’s Home
By visiting Marsha in the context of her own home, we were able to understand who she is as a person and document how she performs with activities of daily living. Jake Cohen | People & Mechanics | 06
Synthesis After visiting Marsha in her home, the next step involved synthesis of data. From this, we could draw out the most important issues based on Marsha’s diagnoses.
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Observed issues:
Weather When it rains, Marsha and her chair get soaked. Her feet particularly get wet when caught in the rain.
Poor grip Marsha has poor and uncomfortable grip due to her arthritis. This makes it difficult to use hand-based objects.
Storage “ Storage is always an issue”. Marsha has issues with reachability and storage within her wheelchair
Burns Marsha has burnt herself a number of times from the spillage of coffee after experiencing a spasm.
Cooking Marsha eats sandwiches out of convenience & experiences pain and discomfort when using utensils.
Space Marsha’s large wheelchair makes it difficult to move around without hitting objects, walls or doorways.
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Affinitisation Discovering & distilling
greater importance
burns
storage
weatherproofing
utensils
cooking
Although we had noted several design issues already, as a team we wanted to collate all of our understanding on the situation so far. We affinitised all of our
order of importance, based on Marsha’s needs. By doing this, we were able to establish design directions which would be effective in improving the satisfaction
research and began mapping out possible directions for our project. After annotating and grouping our research, we concluded with a list of issues and organised them in
and importance of tasks or hobbies that Marsha completes on a day-to-day basis. We then took forward the 5 most important directions, and began sketching concepts.
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As a group, we began sketching quick thumbnail ideas based on our 5 categories.
After completing over 50 sketch ideas, we then pinned them on the wall and discussed them as a group. This allowed us to narrow down into a design direction and “the moment�. Jake Cohen | People & Mechanics | 10
Coffee Drinking “ God forbid I have a spasm” “ I have 3rd degree burns that will be with me for the rest of my life”
After affinity mapping and quick sketch ideation, we assembled back as a team and discussed which ideas were most appropriate based on our findings and Marsha’s needs. Marsha has a number of 3rd degree burns caused by spills from her coffee cup. This is a result of the symptoms she experiences from her diagnoses, specifically spasms and decreased grip. With Marsha’s love for coffee and her 24/7 desire for it, we decided our moment to was drinking coffee.
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Preliminary Assessment PARTS/M: Participation Survey/Mobility In a typical day how much time do you spend preparing & drinking coffee?
under 1 hour
over 3 hours
1-3
How satisfied are you with your participation in drinking coffee?
dissatisfied
somewhat satisfied
satisfied
very satisfied
How much help do you need from another person to prepare & drink coffee?
a great deal
a moderate amount
just a little
none
How often do you use adaptations or special equipment to drink coffee?
all of the time
some of the time
most of the time
never
My participation in drinking coffee is limited by:
illness
physical impairment
pain
fatigue
not limited
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Point of entry Marsha will utilise a universally designed coffee cup grip in order to create a delightful on the go drinking experience that is safe, pain-free and requires low physical effort.
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Supporting Research:
Empowering Elderly Women with Osteoarthritis Through Hands-On Exploration of Adaptive Equipment Concepts “ A qualitative study conducted in 2013 with 25 women with osteoarthritis set out to fabricate bottle lid models to investigate their effect on performance.” Four key design features were found to be important: • Texture of the surface • Increased leverage • Large contact surface for the hand • Ability to use different grasping patterns “ This study was founded upon the notion of usercentered design and found that when users are involved in the design process, the end products are more accepted, used, and desired by the intended demographic.”
Flinn, S. R., Sanders, E. B.-N., Yen, W.-T., Sommerich, C. M. and Lavender, S. A. (2013), Empowering Elderly Women with Osteoarthritis Through Hands-On Exploration of Adaptive Equipment Concepts. Occup. Ther. Int., 20: 163–172. doi: 10.1002/oti.1348
This supporting research provides us with a list of possible specifications that our design could meet based on the general sympotoms of arthritis. For our project, we will also consider the wider implications of the symptoms Marsha’s experiences from all of her diagnoses.
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Grip Observations After deciding our point of entry, we met up with Marsha again to talk about her grip. We asked Marsha to hold a series of objects so we could understand how she holds things.
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Thumb usage Marsha describes her thumbs as “ backwards” as the arthritis has caused her joints to shift. She holds her current coffee mug with her thumb facing down, causing poor grip, pain and dissatisfaction.
Finger usage Due to Marsha’s “backwards” thumb, most of the pressure is dealt in this area instead of balancing the pressure between her thumb and fingers.
Handles Marsha stated that she does not use mugs with handles as she cannot hold them as they are supposed to be held, instead wrapping her hand around the cup.
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Sketch ideation
Based on our current discoveries and our wider implications of join principles, we began to sketch out ideations for possible cup grips. As a team, we decided to work with a grip that can fit onto a cup or mug that doesn’t have a handle. This was decided as Marsha has a favourite cup which she likes to use, and also to make our design adaptable to a wider variety of cups and mugs.
silicone
lip to distribute weight of mug to the top of hand instead of fingers
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textured grip
open handle for all hand sizes
carabiner clip? clip on chair? swing both ways?
small rest support
added support doesn’t look “ disabled”
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Chunky Monkey With our ideas in our minds, as a team we began to create Chunky Monkey models to communicate some of our ideas and to start thinking, learning and sharing new concepts.
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We began making rough models of our ideas, learning from each outcome.
After making a variety off Chunky Monkey models, we began to work with some of the most plausible and useful ideas which we could then take to Marsha to learn from. Jake Cohen | People & Mechanics | 20
Testing With a variety of Chunky Monkey models, we then took them to Marsha in her home to test. The aim for this activity was to discover which ideas worked well, and to gain live feedback from Marsha.
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1
“ It works, but it’s weird.”
2
“ I like that clip, I used to have one like that from Starbucks.”
3
“ I don’t usually hold mugs like that. For one thing, it would be awkward to drink”
“ Holding it this way feels a lot more comfortable.”
Goals • Marsha will independently utilise a coffee grip in order to maintain a thumb position of non-deformity and avoid deforming stresses while drinking coffee by the end of Project Inclusive. • Marsha will independently utilise a coffee grip in order to reduce the need for a tight grasp and avoid excessive pressure against the pad of her thumb while drinking coffee by the end of Project Inclusive.
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Joint Studies Ergonomic joint protection principles
Logistics Though our Chunky Monkey modeling, we were able to establish a new, more comfortable, and pain free way for Marsha to hold the cup. This way of holding the cup meant that the weight of the cup as a whole relied more on the upper side of the index finger, distributing the weight over the hand. Her thumb was also free to move around, and didn’t bend “backwards”, relieving Marsha from pain. With this type of grip in mind, we then considered joint protection principles to move forward with our design.
Principles Respect pain Distribute load over several joints Reduce the force and effort required in activities Use ergonomic equipment and assistive devices Use joints in most stable position Avoid positions of deformity and deforming stresses Avoid tight grasp and avoid excessive pressure against pad of thumb
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Universal Design Thinking about our design idea in a more universal outlook, we began to consider how we could create a cup koozie for both travel mugs and disposable cups.
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Universal factors:
Low Physical Effort • Texture of the material increases grip and comfort • Reduces exertion of joints • Beneficial to anyone who needs the extra confidence
Flexibility in Use • Allows users to hold the grip as they desire, in a position that is most comfortable to them • Corrugated inner allows heat to travel up and out Size & Space • One-size-fits-all; not too built up, nor not built up enough • Flexible material can fit to most cups Tolerance for Error • A material which is a flexible and forgiving, allowing for accidents to happen (e.g. dropping or trying to fit it on something too big). • A material which is tear resistant and washable
Universal design is a very important consideration needed throughout our project for three main reasons: Marsha doesn’t like “things that look disabled” Marsha wants something that can be used by everyone By using universal design, we are able to create a design for different purposes for a variety of users
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Material Exploration With our concept in mind, the next step was to identify appropriate manufacturing processes and materials which would meet our design criteria. To do this we began experimenting with mold making and silicone.
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Experimental molding For the first experiment, we used OOMOO 30 silicone using air-dry clay as the pattern. This was a one-part mold casted using ComposiMold and clay.
Results OOMOO 30 tears too easily & isn’t stretchy enough. A one-part mold is also not suitable as the object gets stuck inside the mold.
Finding the right silicone We decided to visit a material specialist to get expert knowledge in finding the perfect silicone. EcoFlex 50 is a stretchy & tear-resistant silicone, but does requires the use of a vacuum chamber to remove air bubbles.
Now we had found the perfect material for our idea, the next step was to work on our design proposal and the molding process in order to create a high resolution fully working prototype. Jake Cohen | People & Mechanics | 28
Design proposal Using joint protection principles, we designed a universal sleeve for cups that facilitates effortless grip, improved stability and greater confidence for a variety of users.
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Silc Pig colourant
EcoFlex 50 Silicone
opaque
viscosity: 8,000 CPS pot life: 18 minutes cure time: 3 hours shore hardness: 00-50 tensile strength: 315 PSI elongation at break percentage: 980%
neutral translucent
ribbed inner allowing heat to escape
hole for clip
3D printed ABS, primed and finished metallic glossy The silicone allows the design to be stretched to fit a large variety of cups. The properties of the silicone also mean that it is squishy and grippy for extra comfort. It can also be coloured for style.
The open handle provides a variety of different holding methods based on user preference. The koozie can also be attached objects such as a backpack or wheelchair with a clip for storage on-the-go. Jake Cohen | People & Mechanics | 30
Anthropometrics In order to meet our goals for universal design, we considered the hand measurements of the 5th percentile female and the 95th percentile male in order for our design to work with the widest range of users.
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95th percentile male
5th percentile female
95th percentile male
5th percentile female
By using anthropometric data, we were able to establish suitable dimensions for the koozie to allow it to work comfortably with a multitude of users. The most important
The distance between the koozie surface and the handle was adjusted to fit best for users within our percentile ranges; this meant users could fit their hand through
measurement here was the handle as this is where the hand will grip.
comfortably and rest their thumb on the upper section of the handle. Jake Cohen | People & Mechanics | 32
Mold Making With our design proposal considered in detail, the next step was to establish the most suitable method of mold-making to produce a high quality finish.
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Dia 3.25” Dia 2.75”
Dia .5” .5”
5”
.75”
Dia .25”
4”
3.5” 3.75”
2.66”
After considering our options for mold making, we decided CNC milling will be the best option as it provides complete accuracy and also means all the smaller details of our design can be met. In order to CNC mill our mold, we built our design in Rhino with exact dimensions, and then took it into VCarve Pro to create toolpaths to cut.
Our mold proposal consisted of the following components, each to be CNC milled separately: • Top - left half of koozie • Base - right half of koozie • Plug - for the internal ridges
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1
CNC milling the mold With out toothpaths ready, we began to cut our top and base components using MDF.
The next step was our third component, the plug. For this, we needed to use the indexer to rotate the MDF whilst cutting.
2
Priming & assembling With our mold now cut, we primed the MDF and began to assemble it. We adjusted the mold as appropriate to fit together perfectly for a correct alignment.
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3
Testing With the mold assembled, we then tried our first attempt, with the 3D printed handle in place.
Results Overall, the outcome was good. The alignment towards the base was slightly off as the plug moved around too much inside.
4
Adjusting the mold In order to perfectly align the plug when in the mold, we added registration by using a dowel plug.
At this stage of the project, we decided to take this test outcome to Marsha in order to gain feedback for improvement.
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Client Feedback We took our first outcome to Marsha at her home. By doing this, we hoped to learn our design successes and what aspects could be improved before the next round of casting.
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Client Feedback • “It’s easier to hold for sure” • “It doesn’t feel like it will slip out my hand” • “I like the the ridges on the inside” • “It’s gooey”
Prototype Evaluation • Marsha holds the sleeve differently than expected, instead placing her index finger on top of the handle. This was still just as comfortable for Marsha to hold securely. • Marsha’s grip and comfort of holding the mug has drastically improved. • The 3D printed handle was slightly off centre inside the silicone. • The handle was slightly too close to edge of silicone, causing the silicone to tear. • The mechanical locks inside the handle worked, but using larger locks will increase strength and lifetime of the product.
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Continued Feedback:
I am afraid that it’s not going to support much weight. My cup is nearly empty. Marsha E. Thrower
Temporary solution: Marsha E. Thrower
Shortly after leaving our first outcome with Marsha, we received a message off her in our team chat. As expected, the silicone began to rip where the handle was sitting too close to the edge of the silicone.
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To address this issue, we looked at how we could change the handle. Currently, the plane of the handle is flat, but the silicone is curving to fit around the cup or mug. To prevent the silicone tearing, we added a curved plane to the handle.
development attachment hole streamlining
mechanical locks curved plane
A 3D rendering shows the development of our handle throughout the project.
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1
Colour mixing
2
Smooth seam lines
3
Removing stickiness
For the next casting we wanted to test adding a colour to the silicone. We chose purple as it is Marsha’s favourite colour.
To remove the seam lines in the areas where the two parts of the mold meet, we added clay. This will result in a higher quality finish for the cast.
The silicone is quite sticky after first being casted, to remove this stickiness we added a layer of talcum powder.
We produced two more casts using our mold, each of which taught us something new about the molding process and how we can refine the outcome.
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The final prototype: This prototype is coloured purple with a white glossy handle, based on Marsha’s colour preferences. This prototype also resolves the issues discovered in the first casting.
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eCooz An effortless enjoyment eCooz is a grip that increases comfort and reduces pain and fatigue by providing a larger surface area to grip and alternative ways to grasp.
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Reassessment The final step for the project was to complete the final COPM assessment in order to see how Marsha’s performance, satisfaction and importance regarding usability & comfort of using her coffee mug has changed with the use of our design.
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COPM Assessment Measuring improvement The final COPM assessment was completed using our first cast of the product. Marsha since has received our final prototype. We performed the final assessment at Marsha’s home. Marsha rated both her performance and importance at 10 in the initial COPM assessment; these
have remained the same for the final assessment. Her satisfaction, however, has increased from 1 to 10 (Marsha rated it 19 in the assessment, even though knowing that the scale reaches a max of 10). With the results of the assessment, both Marsha and the rest of the team are happy that she is now fully satisfied when drinking coffee.
Performance Satisfaction Importance First Assessment nil usability & comfort of coffee mug
max
10
1
10
Final Assessment nil usability & comfort of coffee mug
max
10 10
19
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Future Considerations
Our initial research for the project saw us looking into storage on Marsha’s wheelchair.
reaching behind and bringing the coffee over her head. Not only is this difficult, but it
Marsha is described as a “living city” as her wheelchair is very large and stores a lot of essentials. She currently stores her coffee cup behind her headrest, resulting in her
can be dangerous and painful with Marsha’s scoliosis. Future considerations could involve looking at where the coffee could be stored safely on Marsha’s wheelchair.
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Reflection
This human centered project has been a great collaborative learning experience between Industrial Designers and the Occupational Therapists. It was not only useful to receive input from Occupational Therapy point-of-view, but it was also very eye-opening into seeing the considerations and limitations of our design ideas. Working with our live client, Marsha, was also a new experience as she was very involved in the design process. It was sometimes difficult to work with her personality, but as the project progressed, we were able to fully communicate and adapt to her characteristics. Marsha was very pleased with her final prototype and was excited to use it for one of her favourite activities: drinking coffee. As a team, we
were all pleased with our outcome and more than satisfied with Marsha’s response to it. In terms of the collaborative effort between Industrial Design and Occupational Therapy, it did feel as though the Industrial Designer’s had to do the majority of the work as most of the processes within the project were specialist to Industrial Design. However, with that said, we made a great team and I have thrived off being a part of a multidisciplinary group. This project was also a great introduction to mold-making, something I have never delved into before. Albeit sometimes difficult and a lot of work, I am impressed that we were able to achieve the outcome we reached, and I am confident in using this process for future projects. Jake Cohen | People & Mechanics | 48
Jake Aaron Cohen
Industrial Design
University of the Arts