Ept

Ept, meaning ‘adroit’ or ‘skillful’, an antonym of the word ‘inept’, is a multifunctional walking stick designed to facilitate the elderly suffering from knee ailments such as inflammation, weakness, joint pain, to walk, be able to lift their leg onto the bed and to do other daily activities, eliminating the need of a caregiver. It is height adjustable to cater to people with different heights and to use in different scenarios like pulling things closer or lifting things from the floor with the hook. Height can be adjusted by rotating the grip which is big enough for easy rotation and firm grip. Ept is a classic example of form and function as the hook-shaped foot gives a multifunctional feature to Ept benefiting the user. The foot also reduces the strain on the wrist. The tabletop holder allows the user to keep Ept aside on tabletops of different heights without dropping it down when they are resting.

Awards

ADI Battle of Projects International Award 2022 WINNER - 1st runner up - Design for social impact

ADI Battle of Projects International Award 2022 WINNER - 2nd runner up - Lifestyle design

Lexus Design Global 2022 - Finalist candidate

European Product Design Award 2021 WINNER - Platinum Award

Busan International Design Award 2021 WINNER - IDEA award

Taipei International Design Award 2021 - WINNER - Distinction award

International Design Award (IDA) 2020- WINNER BRONZE - design for society / design for elderly

Lexus Design Award India 2021- Finalist (1 of 3 finalists - open category)

Lexus Design Award Global 2021- Finalist Candidate (one of 17 finalist candidates)

TEDA International Design Cup 2021 - Finalist

Golden Pin International Concept Award - Second round selection

BEHIND THE SCENE

The design Research and empathising process

Defining the Problem

Joint pain can come at any point in life, whether young or old. People become dependent on a walking stick to help them walk. But when it is time to lie down on the bed, it is very difficult to lift their weaker leg onto the bed (especially in the case of back pain), and they become dependent on a caretaker for help. They feel mentally worn out because they have to be dependent on others for so many things. This affects their self-esteem and dignity.

My approach

My approach was to make a tool without getting into any complex mechanisms, to include the feature to lift the leg and other features on a very common product used by patients, i.e., the Walking Stick. Hence, I decided to redesign it to enable the patients to achieve the basic tasks and meet their needs while adding value and improving their life.

People like to use products that solve not one, but many of their problems. Especially in Indian culture, people buy products that are multifunctional. So I kept the fact in my mind before I started ideating, that the product should be multifunctional to cater to and solve multiple problems in the user's life to create a seamless experience.

Additionally, the product needs to have a fresh look that avoids stigmatising the user as "handicapped". when all user's needs are taken into consideration in the initial design process, the result is a product that can be used by the broadest spectrum of users.

More works

Logo for NID, Kurukshetra

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