OBJECTIVE:
Allow wheelchair users who reside at the Sertoma Centre to independently dispose of their household waste in a large communal dumpster. Currently, this task is difficiult due to the need to simultaneoulsy physically elevate themselves on the wheelchair, open the large lid, and also lift the trash container. An image of the Sertoma Centre dumpster area is shown below:
Conducted secondary, web-based research and seperate primary research interviews with Mr. Dave Stubitsch and with Jen. Through these, we developed three main design constraints. The design must:
Held a team brainstorming session and chose 5 ideas to pursue in the form of initial mockups:
The one with best performance was a rope-and-pulley system (middle-bottom). Sketches of the concept below:
The team presented the rope-and-pulley system during a design review and recieved feedback on our design. Based on this feedback, we enhanced our design by making the design more weatherproof (use an insulated cable, enclose the winch, etc.). Changes are shown below:
Our final deliverable was a prototype of the design (the components of which could be dissassembled and used directly for the final design if desired). We purchased all materials online, and then assembled them together, using plywoood as a mockup of the enclosure and dumpster lid. Finally, my team and I synthesized our design choices and findings into a Final Report. Then, we presented our design and deliverables to our client. The final design's elements and user storyboard are shown below:
Because of our ability to work together and organize effectively, my team and I delivered our solution to the client on time and in budget. I extensive experience in formal presentation of ideas, using sketching as a mechanism to convey thoughts, and how to collaborate with a group of individuals in order to accomplish a goal.
