TUCK: THE ULTIMATE CRUTCH KIT
Improving the crutch user experience
Problem Statement
Our project stemmed from the universal consensus that being on crutches is a terrible user experience. To identify the exact issues we conducted extensive user outreach and personal trials. The major difficulties we found were using stairs, carrying items, opening doors, and storing crutches nearby while sitting. Users also overwhelmingly agreed on arm and rib pain.
Prototyping
As Outreach Lead, my main role was to gain expert and user insight to drive our designs. We originally aimed to redesign crutches themselves, but after consulting with a physical therapist we found out that the relationship between hospitals and crutch vendors is well established and largely out of the hands of health professionals. The best option became to develop a set of cheap but useful add-ons to improve the difficult tasks we identified.
User Feedback
Large-scale user testing and survey outreach drove our design with the primary stakeholders in mind. We conducted trials against leading competitors and the control to validate the projected success of our model.
Market Value
Our final product was an affordable kit including redesigned pads, a suction cup anchor, shoulder straps, and a detachable pocket. Although we did not bring TUCK to market, we had numerous users or potential investors express interest in a developed product.
