Idea & Sviluppo has obtained regional funding for a new research project under the Abruzzo Regional Programme FESR 2021-2027 – “Sostegno a progetti di Ricerca e Innovazione delle imprese afferenti ai Domini tecnologici della Strategia Regionale di Specializzazione Intelligente RIS3 Abruzzo 21-27”.
Our new research project focuses on the design of a line of products designed as aids for activities in the domestic context, aimed at elderly and disabled users with minimal and medium physical difficulties. These new products will be characterized by a high degree of innovation, definable by a series of characteristics and properties and followed by scientific validation.
The lines according to which the degree of innovation of a product is implemented and evaluated can be grouped into four macro-categories:
- ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITIES
An approach to design and engineering that is environmentally conscious and sustainable throughout its life cycle is Life Cycle Design (LCD), often in combination with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The combination of these two philosophies makes it possible to achieve goals that we could define as ambitious, including the minimization of the material content of the products, scraps and waste accumulated during the production process. This approach also aims to reduce the energy required for production, to optimize the resources used in the distribution and packaging of products. In this way, the choice of materials, processes and energy resources is guided by the criterion of low environmental impact, also aiming at extending the life of the materials used. In the creative and programmatic path of new devices, a so-called “cascade” approach is adopted, choosing materials that are easily recyclable, easy to divide, collect and transport after use. Aiming for the environmental quality of a product also means creating a design that gives life to a durable, reliable product that can be easily updated; Maintenance, repair and reuse must be easily carried out and at reasonable costs.
- FUNCTIONAL QUALITIES
In order for these devices to be functional, a careful preliminary analysis of the target of users to be reached and the needs to be met is necessary. Specifically, our new research project focuses on the difficulties that elderly or disabled users encounter in carrying out daily actions in the home environment and these products must guarantee, for example, the safety of the people who use them and also the correspondence to the use for which they were designed. Great attention will be paid to the construction and material characteristics of the devices to guarantee manageability and flexibility, so that they are easy to lift and grasp and really reduce the user’s fatigue during the sequences of use.
- EMOTIONAL QUALITIES
An object is able to convey emotions, so that these emotions correspond to the real communicative intent of the initial project, we will also pay great attention to the aesthetic requirements of the various products. First of all, the shape will be examined, favoring simple and elegant lines to satisfy the desire for an attractive object that is at the same time communicative and original. Colour will play an important role in the overall communicative value as well as the perceptual and sensory characteristic of the surface of individual devices. The intent is to provide an aid that is not labeled as a medical device tout-court and that is not immediately associated with the disability of its user.
- ERGONOMIC QUALITIES
The research project involves the development of a line of products that meet specific ergonomic requirements that refer to the concepts of comfort, adaptability, adjustment, affordance and interaction. We talk about effectiveness when we intend to evaluate the correctness and completeness with which users achieve their goals through the product; On the other hand, we speak of efficiency when we observe the correctness and completeness of the objectives obtained in relation to the resources expended in terms of time and physical effort. The evaluation framework is completed by the criterion of satisfaction, understood as the degree of comfort and acceptability in the use of the product, designing the physical interface to ensure a high level of physical, visual and tactile comfort.
Evaluations of the overall degree of product innovation will be conducted in the prototyping and experimentation phases thanks to the resources of technologies and materials within the Coesum group of which Idea & Sviluppo srl is part. The tests will be carried out following specific plans and protocols and will cover the following aspects:
- Definition of test objectives and user profile (reference sample)
- Identification of the observation technique
- Defining the list of tasks to be observed
- Setting up the observation context (scenario, products and observation tools)
- Definition of the role of the observer (active, passive, non-visible)
- Definition of the methods of conduct (times and methods)
- Definition of measurement criteria (data to be collected)
We will use methods for evaluating the usability of products and methods for anthropometric verification of products and their subsets and components (analog or digital, two-dimensional or three-dimensional verifications).
