<aside> 🦾 Our team has been presented with the opportunity to enhance the daily life of our client, Tiffany, through the design of a new system or device. This project aims to address specific needs identified through close interaction and an empathetic understanding of Tiffany's daily routines and challenges. The client has spina bifida, a condition that can impact any part of the spine and potentially lead to restricted movement. In her case, she experiences limited mobility in her left hand and is paralyzed from the waist down. A design was developed that included a durable 3D-printed phone case with rotational ability for improved concert viewing. It attaches to an extendable 195 cm pole with a stable, cone-shaped base designed in Autodesk Inventor. The case also features an arm clip for easy, tool-free wheelchair attachment.
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Final Physical Prototype
<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/e6262b4e-9c8a-4e10-83f8-a4a50e622356/dda773b4-7d20-45bf-967b-15b705d0e6ff/download.png" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/e6262b4e-9c8a-4e10-83f8-a4a50e622356/dda773b4-7d20-45bf-967b-15b705d0e6ff/download.png" width="40px" /> Autodesk Inventor
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<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/e6262b4e-9c8a-4e10-83f8-a4a50e622356/6f790aed-6d16-4a7b-8021-87618d55bbbc/ansys_(2).jpg" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/e6262b4e-9c8a-4e10-83f8-a4a50e622356/6f790aed-6d16-4a7b-8021-87618d55bbbc/ansys_(2).jpg" width="40px" /> GRANTA EduPack
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<aside> 👥 Personal Contributions :
Team’s Work :
<aside> 📝 For our fourth project, we aimed to create a phone support for Tiffany to use during concerts to ease her hand fatigue. We studied a standard selfie stick, used it as a base, and added features specific to Tiffany. We used Autodesk Inventor for the design and bought extra components when needed. We tested our design with a physical prototype, including weight tests to make sure it was lightweight. We counted the parts to measure simplicity, checked durability with Granta, and used a ruler to measure the range of motion. We also created a customer satisfaction survey to test usability. Each of these tests took about ten minutes, totaling an hour.
We faced some challenges during testing due to the fragility of our ball and socket components. We fixed this by adding a layer of tape, providing tension and rotation. We also had concerns about the design being secure on the wheelchair, so we added a clip-like element for better attachment. This made the phone and wheelchair more secure.
Deciding on the design was the first step. Tiffany's current gripper wasn't effective, so we considered a gripper concept, but were advised to be more precise. Another idea was a thermal pad for Tiffany's wheelchair, which we discarded due to her sensitivity to heat and potential fire risks. Thus, we settled on a phone grip for concerts. We used a decision matrix to finalize this, which was done in the early stages. The main challenge was coming up with an original idea, which we did by going through client notes.
Our testing showed that our design met all objectives and constraints. Weekly minor modifications contributed to the overall improvement. Before making any changes, we went through a smaller decision-making process each time.
This project helped me understand the design process better. I initially thought big changes had the most impact, but I learned that sometimes, small, gradual improvements work best.
Understanding this, I will approach future projects by doing thorough research, carefully understanding the client's needs, and making small changes over time. This means being patient during the idea phase, doing in-depth research, and making careful decisions afterward.
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