Scour
I was contracted to design a novel product that would assist persons requiring the use of wheelchairs. I began by holistically interviewing several different users and discovered three needs they drive to obtain: independence, understanding, and a sense of normalcy.
However, three issues kept arising when they attempt to reach these goals: wheelchair maintenance, day-to-day lifestyle struggles, and weather preparedness. I decided to start my ideation by discovering how to solve these key issues.
Through ideation and consultation, I decided to tackle weather preparedness. The initial idea was a platform where users can wheel themselves into the grooves where the hard bristles would clear the debris that would gather during the winter months.
However, through deliberation and revision, the model was transformed into a frame attachment. Users would push the button on the cylinder and the two flaps would converge and the bristles on the end would clean the wheels.