Reflection - Prototype

1. What are the difficulties that you have encountered during the process?
I freaked out when i couldn't find out a product to improvise on.created the doorknob handle.
2. How do you overcome the difficulties encountered?
When i came upon the idea of improvising on a doorknob, i also figured out that it would be rather unpractical, so i created the doorknob handle.
3. What are the 2 key takeaways for this lesson?
The first key takeaway for this lesson is that we have to think practical, nor some far-fetched idea, or in most cases, they would not work out. 
The second key takeaway for this lesson is that do take in some of your friends criticism , as they may be right sometimes. But do not listen to non-constructive or useless criticism.

Ergonomics (Product description and Idea Trigger)

Picture:

This is a brush as well as a scraper. As you can see, the product is used to brush the stoves. There is even a knife concealed in the handle of the brush. The bristles of the brush is made of copper, because the brush is used to scrub the stove, so it has to be hard. The knife is used to scrape the little holes in the stove where it is hard to reach. 

The product is elderly friendly as the handle is made to fit the person's hand. It has a curved shape, but big enough to fit the little blade in the brush. 

The developers of this brush took into consideration of the safety of the person who uses it, as he made the knife retractable so that the person would not cut him or herself when using the brush. 

The elderly would face some difficulties handling this product though. They would have problems trying to take the knife out of the base of the brush, as their fingers might have to dig deeper, therefore, their fingers would hurt. The part where the knife would have to be taken out, would hurt the elderly.

Improvements that could be made on this thing: I could replace the part of the knife connected to the base of the brush with a gear at the bottom, instead of the rectangular piece of plastic connecting it. I could just use a gear connecting the base to the brush to make things more simpler. 

Ergonomics II

1. What is Ergonomics?
The study of people's efficiency in their working environment.
2. What are the 5 aspects of Ergonomics?
The five aspects of Ergonomics are :safety, comfort, ease of use, productivity/performance and aesthetics.
3. For each aspect of Ergonomics, explain with an example of a product that is designed for the elderly, how the product meets that particular aspect of Ergonomics.
Safety: Railings, as they prevent the elderly from falling down when walking on slippery surfaces.
Comfort: Wheel chairs, as the elderly can move from one place to another quickly without walking
Ease of use: Slopes, as the elderly can just move slowly downwards to the ground level, and he 
could also prevent himself from tripping
Productivity/Performance: Use stuff that is made of durable materials
Aesthetics:Hearing aids, as they fit right into the ears of the person.

Ergonomics 1

1. Compare the 2 different workplaces, state your observations.
The first workplace is very cluttered and messy, and the person has trouble trying to move his stuff around,
whereas the second workplace is well organized, and the person does not have trouble moving about, does not feel as stressed as the first person and has no problems finding his stuff.

2. Which workplace is preferred? State with reasons why one workplace is preferred over the other. 
I think the second workspace is most preferred, as things are organized, the table is not cluttered like the first one, it is ergonomically friendly and the person can find his things quickly.

3. What are the considerations that should be taken into account when designing a workplace that is suitable for the user?
Firstly, you have to take note of the user's height, because if the person is tall, he might need a laptop with a higher laptop stand, or a chair that be adjustable to the desired height.


4. Why do you think that Ergonomics is important when designing?
This is because the person might have to change his workspace frequently, and also he might adopt a bad posture.

Elderly Challenge - Observation 2

  My Maternal Grandparents are in their early 70's. They live in Malaysia and look after my bed-ridden aunt who is already in her 30's.

  Caring for the disabled is indeed a difficult task, but I have never heard a single word of complaint from my grandparents. Instead, they show great love and take care of all her basic needs. Here are my observations on my grandparents:

  My Grandmother
   – feeds my aunt every three hours on liquids (24/7)
   – loves gardening
   – loves cooking for the family
   – keeps fit by going for her morning exercise in the park
   – keeps herself well informed of the latest news by reading the newspaper (only after my aunt sleeps)

  My Grandfather
   – loves to sing in the choir
   – keeps active by joining the choir group thrice a week
   – takes care of shopping for groceries
   – loves to snooze on the armchair while watching TV

    Because my aunt has trouble sleeping, my grandparents have to take turns to take care of her during the night. My grandfather takes care of my aunt for the first half of the night, whereas my grandmother would take care of my aunt for the second half. Since my grandparents live in Malaysia, they look forward to our little visits. If there was an award for "The Greatest Grandparents", my grandparents would fit in the bill perfectly.

Sketch-up (ADMT)

 People nowadays tend to be more health conscious and they live healthy lifestyles.

Therefore, to plan for a room for the elderly, it is not only for sleeping, but its also for them to relax. I take considerations of the following few points:

1) No sharp edges : Furniture has to have no sharp edges and strictly to be placed along the wall. This is to ensure that there is ample space for the elderly to move about or for wheelchair bound elderly.

2) Wooden flooring: Elderly don't like tiles and marble flooring as they are too cold for their feet and they believe that cold flooring is the cause of rheumatism. Carpet is warm but it is prone to dust mites.

Wooden flooring is so far the best and safest choice.

3) Non-slip floor tiles and grab bars in the bathroom and toilet to prevent accidents.

4) Rocker switches at low height so that the elderly can reach the switches with ease.

5) Lever doorknobs in place of rounded doorknobs can help elderly who have arthritis.

Interior of the room

 Bathroom

The Exterior of the room  The closet has a little stool for the elderly to sit on when changing clothes.   

                                                  The doors are replaced by sliding doors for safety reasons, as people could bang into the door if the door had hinges.

If you want to take a look at the room, you can download this file: elderly room.skp

Elderly Challenge - Observation 1

The picture here shows YY and his grandmother. YY is trying to climb the monkey-bars.

 
Every evening when I return home from school, I would see my neighbour’s grandmother bringing her active grandson to the playground downstairs. I decided to approach her to ask her for permission for interview. She agreed willingly, to my surprise.

  Mrs Hu, who is in her late 60’s, has to take care of her grandson for the most of her time. Her schedule goes like this:

7:00am  – Wakes up, starts preparing breakfast for the family and milk for Yang Yang (YY), her grandson. YY wakes up, and Mrs Hu has to brush his teeth, then feed him milk.

9am – She plays with YY, and then start to dress him in his uniform and make him get ready for school. Prepares lunch.

8 o’clock – Brings YY to take the school bus to school.

12pm – Fetches YY

12pm  – YY takes a nap

5pm – YY wakes up and Mrs Hu will bring him down to the play ground

7 or 8 pm – Home!

  For Mrs Hu, being able to take care of her grandson and being able to play with him is simply amazing! But for her, she thinks that being able live life to the fullest is the best.