CO-DESIGN
CO-DESIGN 1
The group held brainstorming sessions to come up with as many directions as possible. These had as a basis attention points already given by AbilityTech (the emergency stop) and ideas given by Arie and Andrei.
Through ideation, the group sought to find other possible solutions as to what could improve his life quality besides the first suggestions. The ideas were then presented and discussed together with Bas, so that in a combined brainstorming session they could be refined into concept directions to follow. These would be a button to activate a drinking straw, a music player, an emergency switch, flipping the Tobii away or rotating the wheelchair on command. The definitive function would be chosen at a later stage of the project after more research.
Co-design 1 involved grouping the results and insights gained from the interview with Andrei, Arie and Bas (mechanical engineer from the UT involved in the AbilityTech project already done with Andrei) and ideating on concept directions based on that.
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CO-DESIGN 1 OUTCOMES
IDEATION
During the interview, a lot of brainstorming is already happening. All ideas are summarized by making visual notes, which can be seen under ‘Interview’ in the Appendix. This brainstorm session is the starting point of the ideation phase, where the project group is thinking out of the box to come up with all possible ways to make Andrei’s life a bit bigger and make him feel less alone.
This ideation is discussed during Co-Design 1, where Bas, the mechanical engineer from the Ability Tech team gives feedback on the ideas and ideates further on them together with the project group.
CO-DESIGN 2
objective: Create a product that makes Andrei’s daily life easier, that is easy and comfortable to use.
SUBQUESTIONS:
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What functions are lacking from Andrei’s daily experience?
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How would these functions integrate into his wheelchair?
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In what way would the function be activated by Andrei? (button/sensor/etc)
PARTICIPANT: Bas van der Boom. Technical person.
Goals:
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Design the looks of the product: what feels best, what looks best (public perception of the wheelchair has to be positive)
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Define the functionality/functions that the button will offer.
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Test how the buttons fit with Andreis' needs and his confort.
Inspiration from lecture and literature:
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A wheelchair that has an attractive design creates different emotions for both users and people looking at the wheelchair.
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People in wheelchairs often experience feelings of awkwardness, embarrassment and anger.
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From an existing function of a button, we can add details that can help him express certain emotions.
CO-DESIGN 2 PLAN:
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1. Welcome (create a nice explained introduction that is clear for the people we are going to be working with).
2. Start filming
3.Creative activity:
a) Have prepared a table with different types of buttons, sensors and materials.
b) Test them all out on the different kind of wheelchairs, try to find modularity, something that is easily adjustable, comfortable. Also test out the wheelchair.
4. Experience together. We all try out what feels best on the wheelchair. try all the different buttons and solutions.
a) Velcro
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Find the best spot
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What is easy to attach?
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Does a button with velcro easily fall off or not?
b) Straw mechanism
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Does it fit somewhere on the chair?
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Should the water be in the front or in the back?
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What is an easy location to refill the water?
c) Dead man switch
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Find the best spot
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Is it easy to release?
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Is it modular?
d) Vibration
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Find a comfortable spot for feedback by vibration.
e) Flexion sensor
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Discuss with bas what he thinks about this idea.
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f) 3D printed buttons
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Test the 3 plastic buttons
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Discuss different existing buttons with bas, also the fact that
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Microswitch has the highest success rate
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Test other shapes based on the plastic with cardboard, by adding multiple layers the height can also be tested. also feel what is most comfortable for ourselves.
g) Other
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By sitting/seeing the chair, do we think of other functions Andrei might need?
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What does Bas think about functions?
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5. Ask about material from the thesis
6. Evaluate/Reflect (what have we learnt ) small discussion to conclude our testing.
7. Execute data management:
Mariana: lead talker.
Elisa: note taker.
Jonas: responsible for the materials
8.The co-design will be filmed, afterwards Carlota will make a storyboard of the steps taken during the co-design.
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CO-DESIGN 2 OUTCOMES
Everyone from the project group drove around in one of the wheelchairs, the first prototype from the Ability Tech Team. It’s noticed that it is very hard to focus on driving, look around, and communicate at the same time. For Andrei this is even more intense, since he is not driving with a joystick like us, but with his eyes. However, he is surprisingly adept at doing so.
Bas indicates that Andrei will use the button at the same location everyday, there is no need to be able to place the button somewhere else. Velcro is something Bas has good experiences with regarding modularity to be able to also place the button on other wheelchairs. Bas talked with Arie, Andrei’s father, who says Andrei can’t drink through a straw and that he also can’t whistle.
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Different locations are tested out for the deadman switch. Raising legs is difficult when sitting in a wheelchair, especially when you are leaning back like Andrei. Releasing the back is easier, but still difficult. For Andrei it is impossible to place the deadman switch behind his head. Andrei’s cramps and spasms also have to be taken into account.
The location for vibration feedback is tested. The location that the project group has in mind is one of the arms, but Bas tells us the back might be better, so that Andrei can feel the vibration in his entire body. However, from the co-design it is discovered that lamps and buzzers are not as annoying as the project group thought at first.
The flexion sensor is also discussed, but Bas has no experience with these. He also does not know if Andrei can flex his muscles in that way.
The 3D printed buttons are tested out. The main problem is that the buttons are too big. The flat buttons have a nicer feel for the person in the wheelchair. It has to be taken into account that Andrei can only rotate his head, not really push it in a certain direction, for example on a button. Moving the head up is also tested, but all project group members failed doing this, it is very hard.
Some other things are discussed as well during the Co-Design. The Ability-Tech team really liked the Tobii-Flipping Idea, as well as Andrei. The team wants to look into realizing this idea.
Regarding driving the wheelchair. Andrei has a camera that faces down to the floor, so he knows where he can drive. Andrei’s body is shaped a bit differently, his wheelchair is adjusted to his body.
For the button, the team wants to have a button with some input function, so they can continue working with that button. The need came from the thesis Esther wrote, but they want to implement different functions. For our project we can pick one function we want to focus on, but for the Ability Tech team it is most important that our project group develops some kind of button to give an input signal.
CO-DESIGN 3
objective: Create a product that makes Andrei’s daily life easier, that is easy and comfortable to use.
SUBQUESTIONS:
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What functions are lacking from Andrei’s daily experience?
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How would these functions integrate into his wheelchair?
-
In what way would the function be activated by Andrei? (button/sensor/etc)
PARTICIPANT: Bas Van der Boom. Technical person.
Goals:
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Discover what his biggest issues and needs are.
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Design the looks of the product: what feels best, what looks best (public perception of the wheelchair has to be positive)
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Define the functionality/functions that the button will offer.
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Define the context that the product will be used in (think about the places he will be in and also how this button fits this context)
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Test how the buttons fit with Andrei's needs and his comfort.
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Persons: Andrei, Arie, Bas.
Constraints: Andrei is non-verbal. He can only communicate through yes/no questions and typing things on his Tobi.
Opportunities: Andrei is creative, can form a decent idea of what he likes/doesn’t like. Communicating with visuals > yes/no. Asking his dad questions and checking with Andrei if he is okay with it.
Context His home, Daycare, Outdoors.
Constraints: Being outside means that he will be surrounded by a lot of people, from whom judgment is a possibility. His Tobi creates a barrier sensation from his surroundings when he is not using it.
Opportunities: His home is designed for Andreis condition. As well as the daycare. This gives more freedom to build on already existing help devices, or get inspiration from them.
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CO-DESIGN PLAN:
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1. Welcome and introduce plans for today
2. Start filming to watch back later
3. Activities:
a) Test out locations of new 3D printed buttons and Andrei’s response to them
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Location E (side of head)
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under chin
b) Test how long Andrei can press a button
c) Measure size of Tobii
d) Ask questions:
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Would you like if we integrated your art into the final design?
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Would it be nice/comfortable to have it molded specifically around your face or is a regular button OK?
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Discuss expectations: we probably just test button, team will develop the actual function
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Can he flex muscles? Doesn’t have to actually move, just flex. If yes to 2nd question: experiment with clay.
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CO-DESIGN 3 OUTCOMES
Smaller buttons are printed out and tested on the wheelchair with Andrei. The location Esther found that worked well in her thesis is tested again, and this indeed works the best. Close to the knee there is not enough control to press the button. Moving the neck up and down seems easy for Andrei. Andrei is however not enthusiastic about wearing something around his neck.
Bas and the project group are now brainstorming a bit on how to measure the neck movements, so it can maybe be implemented as a ‘button’. After some brainstorming the Idea of looking at a sensor comes up, just like opening your phone with FaceID.
This Idea is tested on Andrei. One of the project group members asks Andrei to look at their hand, which is placed somewhere in front/above Andrei’s head. This goes well. Andrei is able to look at the asked for location time after time, in a very controlled manner. Andrei and Arie also like this idea.
The MyTobii computer is measured, it is 31x27 cm. His eye vision is tested a bit more, the left side (for Andrei) is easier to look at. Don’t go below eye level, then it becomes hard. The project group asks if he likes his art as decoration (even though Bas told us Andrei does not care about the looks), he really likes this idea.
The flexing is tested, he can flex his muscles but unflexing is very difficult. There are some variations in flexing his muscles, they can be measured with electronics Bas used during his robotics minor. Expectations regarding prototyping are discussed. The project group tells them we are making a prototype, we hope that it works but we can’t promise anything. We will hand on this project to the Ability Tech team so they can use it as a starting point for further development. Andrei and Arie are aware of this and agree with it. Some details about the sensor are discussed. It should be waterproof. It should also be easily removable for caretakers. It should also be clear how to use the sensor for caretakers.
CONCLUSIONS FROM CO-DESIGNS
Co-design 1, 2 and 3 lead to a final concept.
From the interview it became clear Andrei feels like his world can be bigger by having the ability to be able to turn on the tobi himself. Some other difficulties are that he wants to be able to rotate in little angles (now he can only move to the front, back and sides), but also other ideas were discussed. Andrei told us he does not care about the looks of the design. The insights from the interview were used for a brainstorming together with Bas, to develop ideas and get instant feedback from stakeholders. This session resulted in concept directions: emergency button, drinking straw, rotating chair and flipping the Tobii.
Co-design 2 was a wheelchair tryout together with Bas. This gave a lot of insights into how difficult it is to reach certain locations of the buttons with your head, back and knees, and also how much strength is actually required to perform certain movements when in a wheelchair. The session allowed the group to test the buttons that had been made for Andrei beforehand, and by doing this it was seen that they were too large and would have to be adapted before testing with Andrei. The project group proposed an idea of adding art onto the arm, however Bas told us Andrei would not care about this. During the tryout, It also became clear that the wheelchairs Andrei has been sitting in look quite different from each other. This has to be taken into account when designing a button; the button should be modular in order to accommodate possible changes in wheelchair, and also follow Ability Tech’s wish of having a button that can be used in other users and wheelchairs.
Co-design 3 helped with coming up with the final concept together with Andrei, his father and Bas. Smaller buttons were printed and tested onto the wheelchair. During this process it was observed that Andrei is quite good at looking around and not very good at moving his neck/head. Bas thought a sensor recognising his eye might be a good idea. The project group liked this idea as well and came up with an arm that can be placed on the side of his head. This would make Andrei able to give an input signal in a more comfortable way by looking at the sensor. The project group now asked the question about having his art on the design directly to Andrei, he really liked it. Expectations were discussed as well, that the project group is focussing on making a final prototype of the arm. The Tobii-flipping system system is going to be something like a Wizard of Oz prototype, since this involves a very expensive computer and the Ability Tech team already indicated they would want to realize the Tobii-flipping system in the future.
LIST OF REQUIREMENTS
Design
1.1 The design of the eye sensor should have Andrei’s art integrated;
1.2 The eye sensor should not be permanently connected to the headrest, since it is an expensive piece;
Usability
3.1 The eye sensor should be able to be moved out of the user’s way;
3.2 It should be self-explanatory how to use the eye sensor and where it should be placed;
3.3 The eye sensor should not block the view of the user;
Other
5.1 The eye sensor should be modular, so it can be put on another wheelchair;
5.2 The product shall not interfere with the wheelchair headpiece.
Function
2.1The eye sensor shall create an emergency signal when needed;
2.2 The eye sensor should be able to also create another signal to broaden the world of the user, for example the MyTobii moving away;
2.3 The product shall create a feedback signal (can be anything. Ex: sound, vibration, light…);
Material
4.1 The product shall be moisture resistant;
4.2 The eye sensor should feel comfortable for the user;
4.3 The product arm shall be sturdy (keeps integrity when moved);