PROJECT
Design for
Specific Users
The goal of the project “Designing for Specific User” is to create a product that will help the user with struggles in their daily lives. We collaborated closely with the user to identify their specific needs and context, as well as co-design a product with and for them. Our findings are all included in this website, where we walk you through the steps we took to arrive at our final product. The project is divided into 3 phases;
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The Context Mapping Study is where we get to know the participant and do research
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The Co-Design phase starts from setting up the design challenge to creating the concepts
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The Concept Finalization where the final concept was chosen and further analyzed and optimized with and for the participant
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The goal of this project is to create a meaningful design that will aid the participant in their future endeavours. To make the final product fit perfectly with the user, the participant was involved in all phases of the project.
Phase 1
Phase 1 is about gathering information through a so-called contact mapping study, in which we go in with little expertise about the context and manage to come out with as much as possible. This segment will also include the persona and storyboards to provide context and greatly expand our understanding of the user, as well as online and in-person interviews with him. This will bring the first phase of our design process to a close.
Phase 2
​In phase 2, we began using our co-design methods followed by physical meetings with the participants. Here we will describe how we communicated with the participant in order to gain an understanding of his daily activities, the problems he faces on a daily basis, and what we could design. Ideation and other design methods will be used in this phase to cohere the results into a more defined product. Later in the process, this product will be improved even further.
Phase 3
Finally, we will go over phase 3 of our design process, in which we will present the final version of our design challenge, as well as our usability testing and suitable testing methods. This phase will be completed by creating a prototype and developing an evaluation strategy.
Get to know the Participant
The participant of this project has Ataxia. This disease is progressive and therefore includes a lot of different stages. The participant of this project has lived with Ataxia for over 12 years now. In this period, his symptoms have worsened over time. Currently, the participant struggles with speaking, breathing, eating, and fine muscle coordination, especially in his arms and legs. Because of this, he uses a wheelchair and other tools to be as independent as possible. Currently, there is no treatment for ataxia, but the participant does have exercises to train and keep using the muscles. The exercises help him improve his speech and can slightly prevent his brain from forgetting how to use his muscles.