In the beginning of this process, my team and I decided to either focus on the elderly or children who need the most assistance. We formed 2 separate problem statements to focus our ideas and yet keep our options open. We came up with a whole variation of ideas for our first progress report. I sketched a design of walker/ chair combination as my initial and most beloved idea. I have provided a picture of my sketch.
In the class before spring break, we were prompted to come up with even more ideas by creating a morphological box. My team and I created the box below (I wrote the date wrong though!) and it really stimulated our ideation process and gave us some new inspiration with seemingly infinite possibilities. However, as spring break approached, I still felt like I was attached to my walker idea.
So I got some cardboard and started cutting. As I was trying to shape the walker, I discovered a whole new design that I had not previously thought of. It was a just a type of chair. I had been trying to stay away from the idea of a chair because it seemed too boring and generic when you think of a "personal support system." But I actually had a lot of confidence in my new, unique, simple design. It only has 3 pieces, has no legs, is portable, and even utilizes the metal bar for back support.
My team and I met last Monday to catch up and review the prototypes we had made. I especially liked one of my teammates who came up with a unique stool idea that was different from the one with the X-shaped support in the middle. It was a very small prototype that could fit in your hand, but it had a lot of support. We took turns trying to crush the stool in our hands and none of us could do it.
Last class, we were able to further our creative process by working with play-doh. We were challenged to create a cylindrical chair that supports the head, back, arms, and seat. Just as with my walker turned into something different, my sketches of the cylindrical chair turned out differently than my original plan once I got working with the play-doh. I am excited to see how our ideas will come to life and evolve as my team meets today and tries to build our first full-scale prototype.
Update: The first model construction went really well. Despite not having proper tools or really taking measurements, the chair we designed came out pretty much the way we drew it out on the white board. Pictures may follow in the next blog!
