Rheumatoid Arthritis

A long-term condition that causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints. The condition usually affects the hands, feet, and wrists.

Background

For a college project for my Master's Degree, I had the opportunity to interact with volunteers from Versus Arthritis (Link). They highlighted the trend of disability-friendly cutlery looking unappealing and stigmatizing. To address this I decided to look for an equilibrium between function and form in arthritis-friendly cutlery.

For this project, two tools for empathic design were used: Sketching and Experiment. First, while interacting with the patients, I decided to draw what piqued my interest. I instinctively drew one of their hands. What was interesting was how her fingers weren't intertwined, leading me to learn that they found it difficult to move their fingers independently. Second, I spent a day wearing the Cambridge Arthritis Simulation Gloves. I made a few observations, for instance, I noted that picking up a flat piece of cutlery and getting it into a pincer grip required two hands.

Iteration 1:

During self-testing, I felt that the grip was too thin, and its mouth too narrow. So I decided to improve upon this in the following iterations.

Iteration 2:

The second iteration was shared with a patient. After acting out how she would’ve used it, she gave me the go-ahead along with a few recommendations. She wanted the grip to be thicker and rounder.

Iteration 3:

Overview

Built to deter the physical and emotional effects of Arthritis, the fork explores a balance between form and function. Its rounded triangular grip makes it comfortable to hold in either a pincer or power hold. Its fluid curves create room beneath the grip so that it's easier to lift. Its wide sculptural mouth prevents food from accidentally spilling.