IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM
Cerebral Palsy, the most common childhood disability affecting 17 million people worldwide, is a group of disorders that affects muscle coordination due to disturbances in early fetal or infant brain development. One of the most common symptoms is manual dexterity impairments, which include shaky hands, tightened muscles, restricted arm extension, fatigue and impaired mobility. Minute hand movements needed to regularly control a small device, such as a touch screen smart phone, can become strenuous to people with cerebral palsy who have limited hand function.
RESEARCH AND ETHNOGRAPHY
Throughout the course of the year, I gathered stories from people around the world with cerebral palsy about their interactions with smart phones. I discovered that most assistive devices available are clunky and unsuitable for everyday use, so most people prefer to adapt to devices designed for able bodied people. Inspired by what I gathered through interviews, ethnographic and generative research, I designed a device that aims to address these problems.
PROTOTYPING
Using the gathered research to prototype, test and refine the design.
