Tag Archives: Inclusive

This inclusive and innovative sliding faucet makes dishwashing an accessible chore for everyone

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Dishwashing has long been an important aspect of Indian culture, with traditional methods incorporating the use of natural materials such as ash, clay, or neem leaves. However, as time passed, the advent of soap and detergents resulted in the development of new dishwashing procedures. While manual labor is still the most common technique of dishwashing in many Indian houses, the rise of contemporary machines such as dishwashers has revolutionized the dishwashing scene, particularly in metropolitan areas. The Grifo-A Sliding Faucet is a revolutionary solution that strives to address the issues connected with traditional dishwashing procedures while also improving the overall experience.

Designer: Shubh Wadel

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To facilitate an easier dishwashing process, it became necessary to analyze each step and identify areas for improvement. Several challenges emerged, including unappealing product designs that fail to excite users, the need for a new washing process, the desire to redefine the function of the sink, water wastage, the lack of a height-adjustable sink, lengthy and repetitive processes, the absence of a proper system for disposing of leftover food, and issues related to the placement of the faucet causing back pain and water splashes.

Based on the identified problems, the Grifo-A Sliding Faucet was developed with a focus on three key areas: water wastage, water splashes, and back pain. The design aimed to save water, make the dishwashing process interactive, and reduce the mess created by water splashes.

Through the development and implementation of the Grifo-A Sliding Faucet, several significant benefits were observed. A lot of conventional designs overlook the issues faced by left-handed people, as a majority of the population is right-handed, this faucet’s design allows both left-handed and right-handed users to efficiently wash dishes without any obstructions. Additionally, the detachable feature addresses the issue of users of varying heights, ensuring optimal comfort. Moreover, the elimination of the need to lean forward reduces the risk of back pain, enhancing user convenience. It is important to note that the current design solution primarily focuses on the interaction design aspect, with further considerations needed regarding form, ergonomics, and texture. Finally, the introduction of a touch sensor with an illuminated fingerprint symbol allows users to control the flow of water, minimizing mess and keeping clothes clean.

While the Grifo-A Sliding Faucet offers innovative solutions, a few limitations and considerations should be acknowledged. Handling the faucet when hands are wet or soapy may pose some difficulties, requiring further exploration for improved usability. Additionally, the design of the faucet may require sufficient space in front of the kitchen sink, which may pose challenges in smaller kitchens or constrained layouts. Finally, the design may need to be adaptable to various interior themes to ensure its compatibility with diverse user preferences.

The Grifo-A Sliding Faucet represents a significant advancement in the field of dishwashing, particularly in the Indian context. By addressing the problems associated with traditional dishwashing practices, such as water wastage, back pain, and water splashes, this innovative design offers a more efficient and interactive experience. While there are limitations and considerations to be addressed, the Grifo-A Sliding Faucet paves the way for enhanced dishwashing practices in India, combining functionality, convenience, and water conservation. As technology continues to shape our daily lives, it is essential to embrace solutions that streamline household chores and improve the overall quality of life.

The post This inclusive and innovative sliding faucet makes dishwashing an accessible chore for everyone first appeared on Yanko Design.

These gloves help visually-impaired sports fans enjoy events even more

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Much of what we do presume almost complete access to our physical and mental faculties. Most of the products that we make and buy are designed for the majority, which mostly means physically-able people in good condition. It is far too easy to take for granted how there’s a growing number of people in our society with physical handicaps or disabilities that become disenfranchised because of these assumptions. Given our reliance on devices with screens as well as genetic defects, many people are developing visual impairments that leave them out of enjoying many things in life. That’s especially true for sports, where one really has to see to be able to enjoy the action. Fortunately, this pair of gloves sports fans with visual impairments a chance to feel part of the game once more, utilizing the wearer’s heightened sense of touch.

Designer: Jithin Raj Mambully Rajan

The human mind and body are truly remarkable in how they compensate for lost senses or limbs, and that can be seen most especially among visually-impaired people, particularly the blind. They may not have Daredevil-like super hearing, but their fingers almost become their second eyes. Those well-versed in Braille can sometimes even read faster than those who have perfect eyesight. Unfortunately, that ability is wasted in sports events where visually-impaired people have to rely on commentators or friends for descriptions of what’s happening, something that’s not trivial to do, especially with fast-paced matches.

SENS is a wearable concept that takes advantage of the key strengths of blind or visually-impaired people when it comes to mapping the sense of touch to something totally unrelated. In a nutshell, the gloves contain three vibration motors, each that make vibration patterns on the wearer’s palms, one of the most sensitive parts of the human hand. There is also a box with buttons on the back of the hand with Braille dots used for controlling the gloves.

The idea is for the gloves’ motors to generate a unique vibration pattern that could be mapped to a specific action during a sports event, which was tennis, for the purposes of testing SENS. A fault would have a different pattern from a net hit, and a score on one side would be different from the opponent’s. Memorizing which patterns correspond to which moments does have a learning curve, but it is one that visually-impaired people might already be familiar with, allowing them to easily acclimate to other sports.

This inclusive invention does require other systems to be in place, like a sort of broadcasting system that wearers can connect to in order to receive notifications of those events. It might be easy for games like tennis, where ball-tracking technologies are already in use, but other sports events will require some more work. It’s still a better, more efficient, and more fulfilling alternative compared to hearing about each and every moment from someone else’s point of view.

The post These gloves help visually-impaired sports fans enjoy events even more first appeared on Yanko Design.

How does a deaf or mute person use a smart speaker’s voice assistant? This concept tries to build a more inclusive smart speaker

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Here’s a question nobody probably ever thought of… how do deaf and mute people communicate with voice assistants? Or specifically, with smart speakers? It’s a question that Jinni, a sign-language-based smart assistant, hopes to answer.

While the most obvious use for a smart speaker is to listen to music and podcasts, the ubiquitous little gadget has much more far-reaching features, allowing users to ask questions, get alerts and weather updates, and most importantly, control aspects of one’s smart home, like the lights, thermostat, security cameras, etc… so when the smart speaker almost solely works on voice commands, its interface practically alienates an entire group of people with special needs who don’t rely on voice commands.

Designed to include a camera that can read sign language inputs, and a large screen that can communicate with its user, Jinni brings the power of virtual assistants to a subset of people that are often sidelined when designing mainstream tech. Relying on visual cues instead of audio ones, the Jinni can easily interface with people fluent in sign language, offering a more natural input technique for them. Responses are provided through Jinni’s large circular screen, taking audio entirely out of the equation. Just as the smart speaker is a ubiquitous little gadget in homes, Jinni hopes to do the same for the deaf and mute communities, giving them the same access to life-changing tech. The speaker concept runs on a battery (so it can be carried to different rooms) and even comes with a charging dock/mat to juice it up after a day’s use.

The Jinni is a winner of the Red Dot Design Concept Award for the year 2021.

Designer: Zhong Zuozheng

The post How does a deaf or mute person use a smart speaker’s voice assistant? This concept tries to build a more inclusive smart speaker first appeared on Yanko Design.

This washing machine tilts open so no need to bend and makes doing laundry super easy!

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Did you know that automatic washing machines can’t be placed vertically like dryers even though that setup is trending in new apartment layouts? Placing them vertically makes it difficult to use in areas with limited floor space. So to solve this functional interior design problem, Hyun Yeol Shin designed Tilt, a washing machine that can be installed freely (horizontally and vertically) and the best part is how the laundry tank tilts towards you so no more crazy bending or squatting!

Tilt’s innovative design makes it easier to put in and remove laundry out, especially for those who may already suffer from aches, pains, or minor mobility issues that make laundry more difficult than it should be. Drum washing machines are inconvenient and with Tilt, you can have washing performance of automatic washing machines, shorter washing time than drums, cleaner washing machines due to contamination, and it can be arranged vertically! Tilt can be set up in the same environment as the dryer due to narrow laundry rooms are no more a problem and neither is moving around to do laundry.

It definitely makes it easier for pregnant women and for younger kids to get involved in helping out without having to use tongs to take the laundry out. The tilting mechanism of the door makes it easy for anyone to do laundry. It maximizes space utilization and the replaceable panel design allows you to choose based on your space. I am a personal fan because there have been multiple incidents where I have squatted down to take the laundry out to put it in the dryer above and hit my head on the dryer’s door in the process – thanks to design’s like Tilt, I’ll save space, won’t have to bend and my head will remain bump-free!

Designer: Hyun Yeol Shin

This prosthetic leg grows with your child!

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Prosthetics are expensive and if you have you start using them when you are young, it is an exponential cost that keeps increasing as you grow. It is not convinient or affordable to keep getting new prosthetics, so designer Snezana Jeremic has come up with a concept that grows with you! Ring is an adjustable, custom-made prosthetic leg designed specifically for transtibial amputee children in developing countries to help reduce costs while bettering their quality of life.

The conceptual prosthetic leg aims to make the otherwise rigid medical equipment more flexible especially to fit seamlessly in the life of a growing child. The user will wear the leg and it can be adjusted it as they grow to make sure the fit is always optimal and comfortable. “Ring achieves this thanks to an adjustable foot portion to ensure an optimal stride as well as the upper portion that can be paired with additional rings to suit the person’s body as they grow and develop,” says Jeremic.

Ring is a conversation starter that addresses the need for more modular healthcare equipment. Prosthetics like these make sure that individuals don’t need a whole new device every time they have a growth spurt!

Designer: Snezana Jeremic

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These tableware designs use a silicone flap to improve the visually impaired’s eating experience

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Tableware essentials such as spoons, cups, plates and bowls are classic designs whose forms have remained unchanged over time. While the majority of us find these designs beneficial in their current form, what evolution for a society entails is evolution of our everyday designs to suit not only the majority, but to be inclusive and cater to all humans alike. It is this progress and inclusiveness Jexter Lim brings to the world with his tableware design named Eatsy.

Jexter’s design process started with a relatively simple question, “How might we design an adaptive tableware to enhance dining experience for the visually impaired?” The answer was Eatsy, a set of multi-functional tableware consisting of a plate, a bowl, a cup and utensils designed with a unique feature, a silicone flap that can be bent to increase ease of usage while reducing the stigma by blending in with the existing tableware. The silicone flap is one of those minor changes that make all the difference – they provide unique sensory cues in a subtle manner for the visually impaired, helping them feel the edge of the container to guide them in their tasks – be it pouring water correctly into the cup, scooping food from the edge of your plate or even balancing your spoon on the edge so it does not slip into the food. For example, the cup’s indent or silicone flap bends inwards, helping the user identify the spot and secure that location for pouring from a jug. The raised corner of the plate is sloped in nature, helping you capture, corner and scoop food onto your spoon, making it easy for the user to scoop the food towards this corner and judge the content left on their plate. Such tasks that commonly do without realizing our dependency visual cues and taking the action for granted.

Eatsy is also user-friendly for both left and right-handed users while its stackable design makes it easy to store. The simplicity of the design ensures it is easy to implement across restaurants and home. Given the fact that it helps prevent spillage, Eatsy is user-friendly not only for visually-impaired but for the elderly, children or just about anyone who has a tendency to spill – Eatsy is just as useful for everyone as it is for the visually impaired and that’s what makes it a truly inclusive design!

Designer: Jexter Lim

Pouring water

Cup silicone

Silicone plate

placing spoon

About Eatsy

Design Process

 

User Testing and Reviews

Make-A-Wish Foundation gets a fan into ‘NBA 2K20’

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It's not unheard of for Make-A-Wish Foundation kids to request tours of their favorite game studios, but when 2K heard that 15-year-old Make-A-Wish recipient William Floyd wanted to visit the NBA 2K headquarters in Novato, California, the company dec...

Hulu hackathon leads to eye-tracking controls for Roku

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Of the 40 project ideas that came out of Hulu's annual hackathon this summer, more than a quarter addressed the needs of users with disabilities. Today, Hulu shared some of those accessibility-focused concepts.

The band X Ambassadors created a music video for the visually impaired

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For people who are blind or visually impaired, listening to a music video is often just like listening to the track. The band X Ambassadors wants to change that. They've teamed up with Microsoft to create an "audio-only music video" that's meant to a...

Facebook plans to double its minority employees in the next five years

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Facebook is more diverse than it was six years ago, but the company admits it has a long way to go. Today, Facebook released its 2019 Diversity Report, and while it employs more women and minorities than it did a few years ago, it's still predominant...