FALLS AND IMMOBILITY AMONGS AND AGEING POPULATION
My second year university project looked at improving leg muscle strenght in the elderly.
RESEARCH
Research was conducted into problems facing the ageing population (65+) and they quality of life it provided them with. Immediately falls and immobility was flagged as a common problem and after further research this was narrowed down to poor leg muscle strength. A Literature Review, Persona and other technique used in the research report highlighted this.
IDEATION
Now that a problem area had been identified it was time to come up with potential product solutions. A range of creative technique were used such as Six Hats, in order to generate a large range of potential products. These were then sorted and filtered down to the best ideas using several shortlisting methods. A handful of the best ideas were modelled to look for potential problem areas. See the full story by clicking the link below.
DEVELOPMENT
Coming out of the Ideation stage of this project left one product idea. A piano game for the elderly that would be useable in a group and also improves leg strength. Now that the idea was there it was time to start ironing out the details and specification on how the product would actually work. This was done through using Human Factors, CAD and prototyping.
Reverse engineering of a motorised product was also necessary for this module.
LAUNCH
With product developed the next stage is launching the product into market. The below PDF's attached are all areas that need considering when launching a product. From its environmental effect (LCA Report), safety (Liability) and protecting the idea from being stolen (Intellectual Property).
Attached, and to the left, is also the promotional poster of the product now nameed ALLEGRO: Music for your muscles.