The University’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts in Portland@@http://aaa.uoregon.edu/@@ created a unique class last quarter with the help of Nike designers Bob Lucas and Wilson Smith focusing on adaptive product design.@@http://www.facebook.com/uoaaa?v=wall&viewas=0@@
The course — brainchild of Lucas and Smith — began to take shape in December 2011 and had 16 students split into four teams to design products for an array of athletes with disabilities.
Lucas believes that what makes this class different from other similar ones is the interaction that the students had with their respective athletes.
“Normally, product design students don’t get to work directly with a client,” Lucas said. “That is significant because you have a problem and now you have someone to work with where you get their feedback.”
The Bachelor of Fine Arts students in the Product Design program are required to take a studio course each term and the new course fulfills this requirement.
Zoe Blatter, a fifth-year student in the program,@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Zoe+Blatter@@ had the opportunity to work with Brandon Robins, a professional snowboarder who also dabbles in wakeboarding and other board sports.@@http://www.wakeboardnorthwest.com/tag/brandon-robins/@@
Blatter, along with the rest of his team, designed an “XDRIVE,” a multifunction screwdriver that helped Robins adjust and maintain his prosthetic leg while participating in a vast array of sports.@@http://aaablogs.uoregon.edu/blog/2012/04/12/%E2%80%9Cadaptive-products-enabling-athletes-with-disabilities%E2%80%9D-pd-486-at-the-university-of-oregon-product-design-program-in-portland-oregon-winter-2012-collaborates-with-nike-inc/@@
“It has everything that somebody who has a prosthetic leg would need in order to maintain both their leg and their stump,” Blatter said. “Normally, these things are just rattling around in their cargo pockets; they include several different kinds of Allen wrenches, screwdrivers, ointment and alcohol spray with a little cloth towel … we wanted to combine it all into one device.”
Blatter said that throughout the quarter, there were numerous challenges that arose during the design process, a theme that classmate Charlie Hartzell reinforced.@@http://www.linkedin.com/pub/charlie-hartzell/2b/561/87a@@
Hartzell, who designed a one-handed bandage for an athlete who did not have a right forearm due to a birth defect, said that getting into the proper mindset was a challenge.
“I think one of the biggest challenges is to put yourselves in their shoes,” Hartzell said. “It’s really hard to realize what all these athletes do on a daily basis. You don’t want to patronize them when you’re trying to help them.”
Hartzell also discussed the long-lasting effects the class will have on him.
“I’m really taking away the idea that talking to actual people before you design something is crucial,” Hartzell said. “You have to understand people and their various conditions; if you understand that, designing a good product will fall into place.”
The course received such positive feedback that the school is attempting to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the project and work with four new athletes next year.