VERONICA X. VELA

On the streets of San Francisco, one will often see seniors using a walker to help them walk. To ease use of their walkers, many seniors place tennis balls at the base of bottom legs to reduce friction with the ground. 

 

If you watch for long enough, one might notice seniors hunched over in their walkers. In everyday observations, we noted that poor posture and the design of the walker created social and physical barriers between seniors and their environments. While it helped them keep balance, it also got in the way of connecting or performing everyday tasks. 

 

These simple observations inspired us to use the human-centered design process to reimagine the walker for seniors. The project included a product pitch to a panel of judges. 

 

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This project explored:

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• How might the walker better meet the physical and social needs of seniors? 

• Who is our target audience and what are their unmet needs?

• How does our product fit within the marketplace?​

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