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StepUp

Project Type

Industrial Design

Role

Designer, Mechanical engineer

Date

March - May 2020

How can we learn from personal stories and individual experiences to create accessible designs?

Accessibility is often not at the forefront of design, yet all of us experience a need for physical accommodation at some point of life - especially with age. Creating adaptive and accessible tools often improves the quality of life for everyone, not just a small group.

StepUp is a product that our team designed specifically for and with Harry, our community partner. We learned how to co-design with our clients and battle real world problems involving accessibility and aging.

Project Brief

Our team partnered with Harry to understand his personal experiences with the pains of aging. Together, we brainstormed and codesigned everyday improvements to his life, which brought StepUp to life.

One new addition to the daily tools in his life is his cane, which he felt hindered by, and he didn't like how it misrepresented him as frail. This contrasted his athletic and active lifestyle, playing many sports and boasting about doing push-ups every day. 

Which posed the question:

How can we adapt Harry's cane to work with his athleticism rather than against it?

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Measurable Goals

In addition to the main goal of making Harry's cane work for his athleticism, there are 3 additional criteria for success that Harry communicated:

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Easy on the back

We want to reduce unnecessary back strain and discomfort.

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Discreet, strong appearance

Our client's preference is to have a discreet and sleek appearance. He wanted to appear strong and steady.

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Removable

Being able to choose different cane bases is important for our client, as well as ease of access for cleaning.

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Design Features

  • Subtle exterior design

  • Reinforced high-stress points

  • Built in hinge for easy install and removal

  • Rubber contact points for grip

  • Foam interior for controlled movements and multi-cane adaptability

  • Three-legged design allows for easy access to "pedals"

  • Lightweight plastic

Functionality

Here's how the StepUp works:

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1. Cane falls

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2. StepUp

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3. Retrieve Cane

Process

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Preliminary sketching

Prototyping & Codesign

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