Redesigning Walker for Elderly

Abstract

The present paper aims to redesign a walking aid for the elderly through a user-centric design research approach. The study involved 12 elderly volunteers. During the research, detailed observation has been carried out in the area of the daily activities of the elderly, in their real environment with assistive devices and interaction with other objects using ethnographic research method. Users’ problems and preferences toward assistive devices were also studied. It was found from the pilot study that the existing walkers make the elderly feel psychologically dependent and disabled. Many elderly persons found it shaky while using. This leads to non-use or abandonment of the walker, though medically advised. Therefore, this study focused on redesigning of walker to address the above issues. The designing criteria were derived from the observations and interviews with stakeholders, concepts were developed, prototypes were made and user tested, before arriving at the final design. During prototyping and material exploration, indigenous natural material like rattan cane was used to design the walker with additional features like bottle holder, newspaper holder, and mobile phone holder. User trials indicated the advantages of the rattan walker-like easier handling, faster gait speed due to 16% lighter in weight, and aesthetically pleasing appearance. There was an increase in the gait speed of the users using rattan cane walker as compared to the conventional walking frame. The psychological effect of feeling disabled was significantly reduced with the new design as observed during the study. The study shows the possibility of designing a user-centric walker using a rattan cane walker for the elderly in India.