The Traveling Grip

Co-Designer

C is my co-designer and is a relative of mine. She lives in a small apartment in Hong Kong with her grandchildren. She goes on daily grocery errands for lunch and dinner and watches cooking shows in her free time. Some of her hobbies also include shopping with friends and learning how to cook. C has arthritis which creates hand pains when she is constantly gripping, a big problem for her when she's out during her daily errands and constantly gripping onto groceries. Over the shoulder hand bags are awkward for her to put groceries in and using backpacks in the past has given her back pains over time (as she is a senior)

Co-Designer Needs Statement

Product must prevent gripping/hand pains
Product must be portable and lightweight for traveling
Product must support C in comfortably doing errands without outside assistance

Product Requirements

Waterproof
Portable, small preferably
Can carry grocery bags (no exact weight yet)
Light weight
Easy to use, nothing too challenging
Assist in errands, not requiring outside help
Limit hand usage when outside to prevent pain
Take account of the busy environment
Product should not be flashy/stand out easily

Initial Brainstorming Narrative

I clarified the problem by pin pointing something my co-designer does on a daily basis and found out how her issues with arthritis have affected her daily shopping errands. My initial designs were actually different forms of bags designs (over the shoulder and backpacks) that were specifically suited for groceries. I ended up discarding these ideas after my second talk with my co-designer which she expressed her previous, frustrating experiences with these products. This design was something I put together over a few days after taking consideration of my co-designers needs and product specifications. I chose this design as it fulfills both needs and specifications and understandable/simple to use after presenting my idea to my co-designer.

Initial Prototype

My Co-Designer C has arthritis which directly affects her hand usage as it creates pain whenever she grips any object. Our goal is to find a solution which efficiently limits C's gripping to prevent any pains. We will be able to recognize that this problem has been solved after testing with my co-designer to ensure that her hand management has lowered throughout her daily errands and routines. With my initial prototype, we hope that our product can test if it can both hold, and keep the weight of the grocery bags consistently without readjusting. We are also going to test if too much weight from the bags will affect and drag down the wristband from its initial position (essentially testing if the wristband requires constant readjustment from first position placed). Because my Co-Designer explained that she buys her groceries from crowded markets, I'll be testing within a narrow hallway to find out if sizing within tight spaces will become a future constraint in future iterations of my design. My initial prototype was constructed of the materials provided within the Mystery Box which include duct tape, cardboard, and the cloth material given to us. However, with future models, I plan on using ABS or PLA Plastic as I plan on 3D print my pieces and possibly metals to ensure maximum durability and effectiveness.

Test Plan

With this prototype, I plan on adding bags filled with groceries (or items to match a standard weight) to test durability of the hook, whether the wristband gets dragged, and to ensure accurate sizing to my Co-Designers needs. I will be testing this on myself or my neighbor as my Co-Designer does not live in America for direct testing. I'll also need to pay close attention to whether the weights and sizing of the bags will make the hook tilt and change the balance of the product.

Test Results

After testing my initial prototype, I've come to realize the importance sizing and weight/force has on my product. As depicted in the testing pictures, too much excess weight from the bags themselves became a problem as it ultimately dragged the entire wristband downwards, requiring grip from my hand to secure the bag which completely goes against our needs statements. Testing was also insightful as I now have a better understanding of how to change my design to fit around the crowded environments my Co-Designer often talks about in our interviews.

Prototype Conclusions

After testing with this current iteration, I've learned the general sizing dimensions I should work around (as this iteration was a bit clunky and oversized compared to the drawings I had envisioned) as the materials I had used in this version were extremely limited and affected what I could and could not test. My design needs work on adjustability of the grip itself (depicted in the original idea drawing) as the weight of the bags did change the position of the actual wristband, and ultimately the location of the grip.

Second Prototype

Coming soon!

Nth Prototype

Coming soon!