The EFIA Collection
Disabled elderly often feel ostracized during mealtimes due to the lack of accessible tableware that fits their needs but also their personal styles.
Thus, a ceramic tableware set was designed to improve the perception of their needs.
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Problem & Context
Assignment: De Olde Kruyk has asked us to create a ceramic tableware set for people with disabilities that affect their eating.
Target Group: 60+ years old with limited range of motion in their hand(s)
Context: Food and dining are essential to human survival and have been central to our cultural identities for centuries. The lack of independence, the inability to feed oneself readily (due to limited grip strength or a disability) and use of adaptive cutlery to consume food and drink at the same tempo as their companions leads to increased stress and the need to isolate during their mealtime. Additionally, most available adaptive cutlery has a childlike or broken appearance, which negatively affects their self worth.
Design Statement: The goal is to design a set of ceramic tableware suitable for people aged 60 years and above who experience issues that affect their meal times. The aim is to offer a safe, aesthetically pleasing alternative for the adaptive cutlery that is currently on the market which often has a child-like or broken appearance as well as the lack of elegance and delicacy that is desired by the target group. The vision for this project is to create an eating experience that can be shared by all, no matter their abilities. The new eating experience precludes all worries about physical or emotional uncomfortability. It would be ideal if the designed tableware pieces will provide a level of comfortability that turns every meal into a safe, more positive experience and limits the target group's confrontations with their physical limitations. By using the products, the user can freely choose to be independent or eat with loved ones without physical or mental interference. The user finally has the ability to feel normal, yet treated special with the love and care put into the product.
Process
Market Research
Ideating - Sketches and Rapid Prototypes
Converging
Concept Creation
3 Concepts
Through many user interviews, it was discovered that nature and minimalism are styles that were most appreciated among both the target group and other users. This is one of the reasons why these 3 concepts were chosen.
Minimalistic Concept
Nature Concept
Geometric Concept
Further Concept Development
Diverging & Converging - combining 3 concepts
Final Concept Sketch
3D Modelling
3D Printing
User Testing
3D Printed & Painted Prototypes
Read More
Design Brief
Read the background information about the project including the list of requirements.
Research Report
Read the full research report on the human and market research done before we started designing.
Client: De Olde Kruyk
Time Period: September - December 2021
University: Industrial Design Engineering @ The Hague University of Applied Sciences
Semester: Prototyping & Craftmanship
Team Members: Evelien Vink, Alison Portman, Felina Stolk, Ina Spinu
My Role(s): Planning & Organizing, Creative Leader, Sketching, Converging, Interviewer, Prototyping, Video Editor