BackgroundWhile studying abroad at the National University of Singapore, I worked with a team of American and Singaporean students for two weeks to develop a new product to help Singaporeans with hand tremors unlock doors more easily. We named the project "Steady Key." First, to better understand our users and build empathy, we used a tremor simulator (at right, click to enlarge) to experience first-hand how difficult it is to fit a key into a keyhole with a shaky hand. From this experience and speaking with people suffering from hand tremors, we learned about user needs and were then able to determine design goals.
|
Design Goals
Based on learnings from our initial research phase, we set out to design a product that would be compatible with existing keys and locks. Most Singaporeans live in public housing, and many cannot permanently modify their doors, locks, or keys. Our product also had to be small and light enough to be comfortably carried around in pockets or a purse. Finally, we sought to make our product highly functional while remaining affordable.
Design ProcessI worked closely with my design team members to develop and prototype several different concepts based on our design goals. These early concepts included funnel-like guides and attachments to keys that fit into the funnels (at left). Upon testing these concepts, we found that a reasonable degree of coordination was still needed to get the key into the funnel. Then, we turned to a different concept using magnets to help users align keys with keyholes. We went through several iterations of designing, prototyping, and testing with this concept (at left). Successive prototypes of this concept performed far better.
To evaluate our design with users, we organized a focus group of Singaporeans with experience with hand tremors, explained our design, and invited them to test a prototype. The concept was well-received, but we learned that we needed to make the product smaller, lighter, and more aesthetically pleasing. Utilizing this feedback, we created our final design.
|
OutcomeBased on our user testing, we refined our design as a team, and I created our final 3D model (at right). The slit in the center of the cylinder houses the user's key. The blue color represents a highly compressible spongy material. The gray front represents a smooth plastic to minimize friction with the user's lock. A stripe along the top of the cylinder indicates the correct orientation. Embedded in the spongy material near the front of the cylinder are two magnets with opposite poles facing forward. Two more magnets are installed on users' locks using a simple adhesive. To use the Steady Key, users keep their key within the cylinder and move the cylinder toward their lock. The magnets in the cylinder and on the lock attract one another, helping the user to properly align the key with the keyhole. Once the cylinder is pressed against the lock, the user can continue to adjust the positioning using the magnetic force as a guide while the spongy material damps the motion of their hand. The user can then push on the back of the cylinder to insert the key into the keyhole, compressing the spongy material, and turn the key.
|
© 2020 Madison Reddie