Logitech Design Contest
Logitech Design Contest
My responsibility
Rapid Research, Product Design, Prototyping, Visual Design.
Institution
Taiwan Tech
Status
2020 Taiwan Tech Business Incubation Center start-up competition | Winner
Background
As a designer, my focus is on improving the daily oral care process for caregivers in the medical field. According to the official statistics, the number of the elderly in Taiwan is expected to grow from 820,000 to 1,000,000 before 2026. Each caregiver needs to give 10~12 patients oral care a day and inevitably increase the demand of long-term care in the future.
Context Understanding
To explore, I'm using the second perspective involvement approach, where we engage professionals in the design process to gain valuable insights. We interviewed caregivers and conducted two expert reviews with the Taiwan Oral Care Association to steer our project.
Problem Framing
Lack of usability of grip
During the interview, the caregivers emphasized that the brush's thin grip is not ergonomic for them. This is because most brushes available in the market are primarily designed for individual usage, neglecting the needs of caregivers."
Overloading cleaning work.
The oral care process for a single patient can be a daunting task for caregivers, as evidenced by their journey. The task of cleaning and organizing the brush head is particularly onerous, given the high caregiver-to-patient ratio. The burden of such complex procedures can overwhelm caregivers, leading to overload and burnout."
Design Concept
To address these issues, I have designed Oraide, which is ultrasonic toothbrush featuring an ergonomic grip that provides higher stability while cleaning, reducing the risk of wrist injuries. Additionally, I've introduced replaceable brush heads to eliminate the need for extensive cleaning.
Design evaluation
In order to assess the viability of our concept, we cooperated with an expert interview approach, consulting with a certified caregiver and a dentist from the esteemed Taiwan Oral Care Association (TOCA), a private institution focusing on cultivating professional caregivers. During the interview process, we discovered two important insights:
1. Pen-holding gesture to hold the brush
Our proposed method of holding the toothbrush was found to be potentially harmful to the patient's gums, as advised by the dentist (as shown in Photo 1). Therefore, all certified caregivers were required to hold the brush with a pen-holding gesture, as depicted in Photo 2
2. Disposable brush is not environmental
While replaceable brush heads may save time, they are not environmentally friendly, particularly as each patient requires oral care twice a day.
Design refinement
To address these issues, firstly, we adjusted the center of gravity to the anterior segment of the brush, after discussing the initial version with TOCA, ensuring greater stability while in use. Secondly, we incorporated paddy as a material for the brush head, which provides a robust structure and is also biodegradable, thus promoting sustainability.
Final Design
Sustainable brush head
Our final brush design features a sustainable brush head composed of paddy, which helps to save time for caregivers and supports infection control by enabling easy disposal of the used brush head. Additionally, we designed a modular brush head with two options, a round brush for easier orientation-free brushing and a double-faced brush for efficient waste removal from the patient's tongue.
Design refinement
Oraide in the work environment
In consideration of the caregivers' work environment, we realized that caregivers use carts to store the items that they need. Thus, to provide easy-to-habituated interaction, we also designed a wireless charging dock with magnetic. This enables easy charging of the brush while it is stored on the cart, with the magnet ensuring quick and precise positioning.
Final Evalution
Method and Process: To see whether the geometric grip is ergonomic enough.2.To examine how much time that Oraide can save. Dentist and was required to use Oraide to give a oral care with teeth model, and tried to simulate the real situation depending on their experience.
“The grip design makes more sense compared to the previous one; now I can hold it intuitively.”
Taiwan Oral Care Association, Dentist
“Paddy-made brush heads are environmentally friendly and save 2-3 minutes in the cleaning process.”
Taiwan Oral Care Association, Caregivers Coach
