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Student Designer
University Product Description and Principal Function(s) This design was my final year major project. Originally designed for the Oncology Unit after observing my mother's care during chemotherapy, this versatile chair is suitable for all areas of hospital use. Its aim is to provide a chair that can be easily converted into a bed for when the availability of beds is limited and when space is at a premium. It has been designed to improve the ability of nurses to treat patients and to improve patient comfort levels.Why does the product represent design excellence and why do you believe it deserves an Australian Design Award? The ‘Vita’ chair represents evolution rather than revolution. As such, the design is drawn on the unsatisfactory experiences of the users of current chairs. The chair has buttons which involve touch sensor technology drawing on the iPod approach to help people with dexterity issues when changing the position of the chair and, since the inspiration for the ‘Vita’ chair was the lack of visual appeal in current hospital chairs, aesthetic appeal was a key design feature.The colour chosen was a black material with a white contrasting outer shell providing an impression of strength and cleanliness; associated with feelings of empowerment and strength which are very important when dealing with people in hospital situations. There are two types of users for this chair: nurses and patients. The chair has been specifically designed to enhance the working environment and occupational safety for nurses by reducing the amount of bending and lifting, especially if transfer to a bed is required. For patients, the chair is considerably more comfortable and adjustable than current systems thus reducing the levels of stress associated with treatments such as chemotherapy. The design has been designed keeping in mind the need for cleanliness, so all materials have been selected based on approved hospital cleanliness criteria. There are two types of users for this chair: nurses and patients. The chair has been specifically designed to enhance the working environment and occupational safety for nurses by reducing the amount of bending and lifting, especially if transfer to a bed is required. For patients, the chair is considerably more comfortable and adjustable than current systems thus reducing the levels of stress associated with treatments such as chemotherapy. In order to make the chair easy to understand, intuitive design was a key criterion. As the design progresses towards manufacture, it will be designed to meet all electrical safety standards. This should not be difficult since the internal mechanisms are essentially unchanged from current systems. Additional Dyson Criteria Any risks associated with the ‘Vita’ chair’s design have been reduced by the use of the same internal mechanics as current chairs. This has allowed the form of the chair to be improved while retaining the reliability and function of earlier systems. The ‘Vita’ chair has been designed to make significant improvements for all stakeholders (nurses and patients) in the delivery of patient care in an often-traumatic environment. The existing chairs are cumbersome and inflexible, leading to continuing requirements for hospital beds which take up a large amount of valuable space. |
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