For this homework, we practiced low fidelity prototyping by designing floating devices to assist a person with severe ataxia. This homework was completed in two parts, a brainstorming session and a design section.
For the brainstorming section,  I began just doodling a couple designs, but quickly ran out of ideas. So I went back and reread the background and outlined a couple requirements of the design:

1. It needs to float
2. It needs to be maneuverable
3. It needs to be easy to get into and to get out of

After that, I thought of the main components that would make up this design and came up with 3:

1. Some type of handle for people to grab onto
2. Some sort of floatation mechanism to keep the whole craft buoyant
3.  Some sort of mechanism to secure Liam into the device

Afterwards I brainstormed component devices for these three categories and then combined them in various manners to create a handful more designs with descriptions

 

For the design section I basically took a bunch of materials and threw them into general shapes. The designs I choose to implement were picked because they illustrated a wide variety of difference in the ways they functioned. The chair allows Liam to sit upright while the flexible tube buoys hug Liam’s body for security. The pool pony is whimsical as well as functional while the floating walker is more utilitarian. Most of the material wasn’t too difficult to use, though I had to make substitutions for the pool noodles (using a foam arch) and clay to represent the pool tube.

Pool Pony

The pool pony is a pool tube with several attatched handles for maneuverability. The “head” also has a couple handles for either Liam or an adult to grab onto. There is a mesh seat with leg holes on the bottom of the tube for Liam to sit in.

The flexible buoys are connected with a wire frame covered in a padding made of waterproof elastic and foam to prevent chafing on Liam’s body. Liam can be easily wrapped in the tubing in a way which gives him torso support and allows him to keep his limbs free. each buoy has an outwards facing handle that adults can grab onto to move Liam around

The foam chair allows Liam to recline in the water and rest. Its arms can be grabbed and moved around while the bar in the front keeps Liam secure inside the device.

The pool noodle is a simple iteration of the way I used to play with pool noodles when I was a child. It has been modified to have a handle in the front and back for movement and a strap to secure Liam in place.

The floating walker allows Liam more independent movement. It lacks specialized handles, but adults can grab anywhere along the frame to move Liam around. The bottom floats can be strapped to Liam’s legs while the top floats are attatched to Liam’s arms.