[freddywiggle]

Hello my name is Freddy,

I am an Industrial Design (Product Design) student researching storage accessories for wheelchairs. I would greatly appreciate your feedback when it comes to your experiences with different bags and boxes that are attached to wheelchairs. I have included some questions that relate to the design. Please let me know of any ideas you might have that can help design a better product in the future. THANK YOU!

What tasks are difficult or easy?
What kinds of transportation do you use?
Bus, car, train, sidewalk…
Day to day what items do you have with you?
Do you have different bags for different occasions/purposes?
What existing products/accessories do you like or dislike?
Bathroom
Recreational
Communication
What products would make you feel more independent?
What is aesthetically pleasing to you with regards to products for the wheelchair?
Describe your experience when you have removed a bag or case from your wheelchair to collapse the chair?
What is easy and what is hard about the process?
Are there improvements you would like to see with regards to storage for a wheelchair in future designs? What are they?
What is the best position to attach a storage box to a wheel chair?
Front, back, side, underneath and why that (those) locations?
How is it attached to the chair - Velcro, clamps, or magnets?
Does the design need to be waterproof?
Why, share an experience you had.
If the design were expandable or collapsible would that help?
Why, share an experience you had.
How would you like to access the items that are contained in the box - zippers, Velcro, latch?
What is easiest to open? Share an experience you had.

Again Thank You very much for participating.

[freddywiggle]

Please take another look to see if there is any way we can help redesign a product for everyone.

[CR_L1]

freddywiggle, on Jul 27 2009, 04:41 PM, said:

Please take another look to see if there is any way we can help redesign a product for everyone.

Hi freddywiggle,

I don't want to be to negitive but you can't redesign the wheel.
As hard as you may try you will never design a product for everyone.
There are hundreds of bags & back packs on the market & we all use different types.
if you look on this site you will see a recent thread about bags that may help give you an idea of what I'm saying.
I have a small bum bag attached under my chair for money, smokes, phone etc, & if I'm going out for the day I use an ordinary back pack & hung it to the back of my chair.
CR

[edlee]

The one I use attaches with velcro straps, under my chair. High enough to reach the back of,, with a little stretching. Big enough to hold ,,, well,,, a lot,, it is the full width of the seat and about 1/4 the depth. The floor of it is stiff, so as not to sag.

It came with a waterproof zippered bag that is attached with a retractable cable. The zipper has a very large pull, so is easy to grab.

I also have a small bag attached to the back of my chair, that I keep things that I don't worry about in. You know,, water bottle,, tissues,, ham sandwich,,,, the stuff I don't want accessable to the public goes in the one down under.

Hope that helps.
ed

[freddywiggle]

Thank You! Thank you both for replying to my post. You all have given some great information. I wanted to follow up with some more information to help show our focus for the project.

We are designing products for wheelchair users. We are NOT designing wheelchairs and we are NOT designing the storage container, those are already designed. We are designing the products that wheelchair users use everyday.

We are trying to find wheelchair users who would be willing to share their experiences with regards to products they use everyday and how a new product design could help solve a problem they have encountered.

Do you have different storage devices on your wheelchair for different occasions/purposes?

Where is the most convenient location to access storage on your wheel chair? Why that location?

What kind of things day to day do you carry with you?

What existing products/accessories do you like or dislike?

What products make you feel most independent?

Share an experience you have had with regards to storing products on your wheelchair.

THANK YOU!

[Texaswheelz]

freddywiggle, on Jul 28 2009, 10:33 AM, said:

Thank You! Thank you both for replying to my post. You all have given some great information. I wanted to follow up with some more information to help show our focus for the project.

We are designing products for wheelchair users. We are NOT designing wheelchairs and we are NOT designing the storage container, those are already designed. We are designing the products that wheelchair users use everyday.

We are trying to find wheelchair users who would be willing to share their experiences with regards to products they use everyday and how a new product design could help solve a problem they have encountered.

Do you have different storage devices on your wheelchair for different occasions/purposes? I have 1 bag, I do have a backpack that I can grab and sling over my shoulder if need be, but rarely use it and not a day to day tote.

Where is the most convenient location to access storage on your wheel chair? Why that location? Under the chair, it's very easy to lean forward and grab something. Only other option is behind the chair, which can take more effort to get.

What kind of things day to day do you carry with you? See below


THANK YOU!

First off I am currently using a bag hanging under my chair that is directly from the char manufacturer, it has two pockets in it. A large one that has the opening at the top front and the pocket go's all the way to the bottom behind the smaller front pocket. I use the smaller front pocket for holding my mobile phone, keys and billfold. If I need to stick something else small in it for a short while then I will use for that as well, such as a MP3 player and earbuds, pocket knife, screwdrivers.. But it doesn't hold a lot. The large pocket in the back has enough room to stick quite a few items in it, have even stuck a pair of shorts and spare t shirt in it before. Always have my water bottle in it.

From the picture you can see it's size relative to my chair. Not real big, but bigger then ones I have used in the past, a bit bigger would be nice. I like how easy it is to get to and I like having more then 1 compartment in it.

I dislike the way it hangs so low and it's attachment system, i have to tighten it up once every week or two or it gets to low and drags the ground. I hate that the bottom zipper didn't last a year and then after it broke I had to have one side sewn up because it eventually busted and was hanging open where i couldn't put anything it in. They want $70 for a replacement of a bag that isn't much more then a over sized fanny pack.

What I would like to see. A bag that is bigger, as in wider and goes from one side of the chair to the other underneath. Of course different people use different size chairs, so you would have to make them different sizes, right now it's pretty much universally a big bag or a small bag. Such as a big bag for a 15 inch chair and a big bag for a 18 inch chair. More pockets, such as on a back pack. I would love to have a separate slot on the side that runs vertical to the bag that is exclusively for my water bottle instead of having to fish around for it in the large pocket. I would like to have some heavy duty zipper that don't bust so easy and a waterproof bag/zipper would be awesome.




Something else that I would consider buying if made right would be a small compartment directly under my seat just big enough to slide a laptop into. Never had need of one before I got a laptop, but now it would be to have a way to secure it there where I don't to worry about it falling out when I go from place to play.

There are of course a lot of bags and slings and nets and others things out there to choose from, but I haven't seen one yet that made me go, "Damn I have got to get me one of those". Make that and I'll buy it. Everyone I know in a chair uses something different as a way to store things under their chair, so these opinions are just what I would like to see.