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ABOUT

Our product is a fully cushioned, removable and washable door handle covering. This covering prevents users from suffering from skin tears caused by rubbing and bumping against the hard surface of the door handle.

It can easily fit a wide range of handle sizes and shapes, and has a neutral aesthetic to provide discreet cushioning around any handle around the home.

DESIGN - 2 PIECES

Piece 1

Door Handles come in a wide range of lengths, curvatures and designs; with different kinds of endings. Therefore, we wanted to design a covering which can fit the vast majority of handles regardless of these variations.

Our product consists of 2 pieces. The first of these is a 'tube' that slides onto the handle to leave only the very end exposed. This tube is comfortably padded on the outside surface to protect from impact, whilst unpadded on the inner surface of the handle so that the handle is still easy to grip without obstruction. It's elastic and so fits tightly and securely on any handle. To prevent any slipping at all, a small belt can be tightened where the handle meets the door. The entire piece is covered in a soft velvet fabric which prevents any injury due to friction or abrasions .

DISCOVERING THE NEED FOR THIS PRODUCT

This problem was identified by a palliative community nurse; whose job consists of visiting the homes of, often elderly, patients who require frequent care to avoid hospitalisation.

PROJECT BRIEF:

Create a physical product that can protect elderly people from damaging contact with door handles.

STORYBOARD

This is Bert.

Bert is elderly and he has fragile skin. He lives alone, but is visited occasionally by friends, family and a nurse.

Bert likes having visitors, and takes pride in his home.

Bert bumped into his door handle one day. Because his skin is thin and fragile, the friction and force upon impact caused his skin to cut open.

Bert suffered a serious and painful skin tear that required treatment. Without treatment, Bert is at risk of infection.

Bert now has three options.

Here, Bert does nothing.

But the handle still exists as a hazard within his home.

He may injure himself again.

Here, Bert tries to come up with his own solution.

However, this solution is not hygienic, and Bert doesn't want a solution that isn't presentable.

The cover is also not fully functional; likely to slip, choice of material may not be soft enough, grip may be loosened.

Here, Bert uses our solution.

The cover can be cleaned and easily installed/un-installed.

He can choose a colour that is presentable for his home.

And the end of the handle is curved into the door, instead of protruding.

The handle remains functional for visitors to use.

RESEARCH

Following the initial insight provided, a questionnaire was compiled and distributed to other medical professionals who encounter patients with fragile skin. This questionnaire sought to identify the exact means by which door handles cause injury to patients, and therefore essential design considerations. It also attempted to further establish the scale of this problem, and who is most affected by it.

Questions included...

- Which age ranges to skin tears affect?

- Are you aware of any products that are currently used or available to prevent skin tears from occurring?

- If products do exist what are their issues/limitations?

- How do the people you care for get hurt by door handles? In other words are the injuries inflicted by collision with the handle, rubbing against it, or other?

- Are there specific types/designs of door handles that are the problem?

- Do your patients do anything themselves to try and prevent these skin tears and if so what do they do?

SURVEY RESULTS

All of the responses documented that there are no products available

that respondents are aware for addressing this problem

It was well documented that patients frequently wrapped soft padded items like

scarves and bandages round their handles, or wore bandages round their arms for protection.

Skin tears are generally caused by all forms of long door handles,

as opposed to round doorknobs which are less hazardous

Injury is caused by collision (impact) with the handle as well as rubbing or

brushing against it whilst walking past it (friction), frequently a combination of both

The responses consistently identified that patients

suffering from skin tears were of the age 70 and older

DESIGN CONCEPT JOURNEY

1st Step: Generate many quick, simple and crazy ideas

Our first step towards a solution started not with a group exercise, but with an individual effort to jot down as many weird and wonderful ideas that came to our head. The purpose of this exercise was to obtain the largest range of approaches and solutions possible.

We avoided doing this together because we didn’t want each others ideas to piggyback off each other, and for us to embrace the blank canvas for our minds to paint.

This proved to be an effective way to brainstorm, because despite similarities in ideas, there were also many unique ideas generated which would not have existed otherwise.

2nd Step: Categorise ideas into three distinct approaches:

When observing the many ideas we had generated, a lot of them were repeated or similar in function and application.

We decided to narrow down our scope to just three themes; A, B and C.

This allowed us to make sense of the types of problems that we would be solving if each of the categories were executed and therefore enable us to compare the solutions with a high level of detail.

A = Re-invent the door handle

C = Create protective sleeve for body parts

B = Create universal door handle sleeve/cover

When observing the many ideas we had generated, a lot of them were repeated or similar in function and application.

We decided to narrow down our scope to just three themes; A, B and C.

This allowed us to make sense of the types of problems that we would be solving if each of the categories were executed and therefore enable us to compare the solutions with a high level of detail.

The next thing we did was to develop the three streams of ideas and to see what we came up with.

At this point in time we had a hunch as to which one we were leaning towards (stream B, because of discussions we had with each other and with some survey responses from potential users), but we did not want to limit our idea to just one stream because we wanted to keep an open mind to possible innovations that would only come from the other designs.

This process also allowed us to possibly combine a hybrid design encapsulating the best of both streams!

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3rd Step: Conceptualise and prototype a few designs for each of the categories

4th Step: Choose one category to create further prototypes

After considering the previous concepts, we narrowed down our product to one design.

Although we had chosen one category to focus on, many elements of the other categories are included. It is very hard to visualise a product predicated on its ability to satisfy the tactile interaction, without tactile interaction!

We had already discussed previously the necessary features of the materials for such a product, as shown in the materials section, however we also agreed that a final decision on thickness, could only be made through testing

Social Impact

User Independence,

Save NHS Money

The main purpose of door handle protector is for the user to sustain a living environment where they do not require the aid of other to do the simple task of opening doors for to avoid skin damage. Not only does our product help the user become more independent, improving their livelihood and self esteem, but also reduces costs to the NHS.

In a survey we asked nurses (nurses that travel from home to home, tending and caring usually for the elderly) about what they think injuries sustained through accidents with door handles cost the NHS in resources. One nurse referred to a study done in 2012 which conservatively estimated the cost per 1000 patients per year to be £538,287 [1]. From our research, it would be safe for us to assume that a quarter of these types of skin damages are associated with door handles. This would mean that it costs £134,571 per 1000 patients per year. Now it would cost considerably more than this.

Reference: [1] Pritchard, CW (2012) Potential Reduction in NHS Costs that Would be Associated with Preventing Skin Tears through Using Dermatuff Skin Tear Protection Sock. [Available from:] https://dermatuff.com/potential-reduction-in-nhs-costs-that-would-be-associated-with-preventing-skin-tears-through-using-dermatuff-skin-tear-protection-socks/

Ergonomics and Anthropometrics

Retains Functionality,

Ergonomic Simplicity

Door handle design already takes into account lots of anthropometric data. The main dimension affecting the usability of the product would be the diameter of the handle, therefore by keeping the thickness of our product as small as possible (without losing its ability to protect people from damage), the functionality of the handle will not be compromised.

The material choice greatly enhances the ergonomics of the product. We have chosen to use memory foam as the main component. This in turn reduces design complications and manufacturing cost, because formation of an ergonomic shape is not required as the material forms a comfortable surface under the pressure of your hand/body part.

Installation and Aesthetics

Installation for this product is easy, quick and require no help from specialist installers. It is designed so that any able bodied person will understand how to install it in their home.

Pictorial instructions will be provided, but are not necessary because of the nature of the design: only fits one way!

Aesthetics are also an important factor. Who would want to have the style of their home ruined by a product designed to enhance their home life?

This is why we have chosen neutral colours to compliment any style or colour palette.

Easy Installation,

Sophisticated, Versatile Style

Environmental

Impact and Safety

The main component of this product being memory foam will be mainly sourced from used mattresses to prevent these from going to landfill. They will first be treated with various cleaning processes and will then be cut to size and used in our product. Also, memory foam is 100% recyclable and so will be the various other material used to make it. So when our product gets worn out and is no longer usable, you will be able to recycle it reducing its impact on the environment!

The outer layer of the product will be made from fire resistant material, an absolute must for peace of mind for when it comes to a product that is in use 24/7 and in a position that, if not fully fire proof, could be fatal.

The material will be washable so that the hygiene of the cover can be maximised.

Eco-friendly, Fire Resistant,

Washable

Versatility

and Cost

What is the point is a door handle cover that only fits to one type and size of door handle? This is why we have chosen elastic materials to deform and fit over a vast array of shapes and size of door handles meaning most users will be able to use the product without having to change their door handles!

This is not a luxury item only available to the rich, but a product designed to help everyone regardless of their financial position. Also, one handle protector is never enough because of the many doors within one house, and so a small increase in the price for one handle protector will end up having a much larger effect when equipping your home with many. This is why we have simplified the design to reduce manufacturing cost; chosen materials (some recycled) that are cheap and effective to ensure everyone in need of such a product can afford one.