Translating user needs into product design for the disabled: an ergonomic approach

摘要

This article describes a user-centred design method in which the ‘voice of the disabled customer’ can be translated into product requirements in a form that designers and manufacturers can use. Wheelchairs were chosen as the product for study. The method emerged from surveys of wheelchair designers, prescribers (physiotherapists and occupational therapists), rehabilitation engineers, users and carers on their views on wheelchair design, assessment, prescription and use. The user-centred method for products for disabled people comprises a set of 11 phases including Preliminary Strategic Planning, Approaching the Users, Investigating the Problem, Product Planning, Concept Design, Prototyping and Testing and Verification.