From interviews and observations done on the topic of the elderly and the walking aid, one realises that although a walking stick is supposed to be a good help which increases physical capacity and stability of a person, many elderly refuse the use of a walking stick as it seems as though their health will start to decline and fail, having a downward progression from the walking stick, to the frame and lastly to the use of a wheelchair.
Ascend seeks to bridge this by helping future elderly understand themselves objectively, to realize a possibility of an upward progression, through a system of feedback.
Ascend Cane Tip is designed to house the accelerometer and pressure sensors which collect data when the elderly is using it. It can be easily adapted to canes of different sizes by using a sillicone gasket provided. The physical form was designed for assurance and confidence in walking. The rounded base on Ascend gives a smooth flow for walking.
Ascend Phone Application seeks to allow future elderly to understand about their own walking styles and whether they are more active. The graphics shows them what they need to know in an encouraging way. The icons were developed to be friendly and bring a humanistic view on these data. The weekly tab shows the trend of progress in a week, and the trend tab shows the user the overall improvement either from the start or a monthly view. This is to show them how they have been in the past and to compare improvement for motivation.
Ascend Web Application provides the data collected by the cane tip to the physiotherapist. This is then reflected to them in a web application as it is a medium that the physiotherapist is already using for their work. From this data, the physiotherapist will be able to judge whether the plan of care for the patient is effective or if changes need to be made and also to have quantitative data about the improvements of the patients. This platform also becomes a record for the physiotherapist to quickly see the trends and improvements of the elder which helps them to give better feedback and review of the patient.
Explorations and Developmental Process
Not only were the forms explored and developed in 2D, they were test printed to test physically for whether it is good to use and walk with. It is realised that a rounded bottom (left) is important for the walking flow to be smooth.
Initial graphic proposal
The App developments were informed by user research and testings, where systems and graphics were developed.
