Nike Wheelchair
Wheelchair
2019
Based on Nike's philosophy, making a Nike wheelchair to Paraplegics,
disabled people who cannot walk is suitable for expanding the market, to
deliver the message of giving encouragement to those who needed, not just by making it look sporty, stylish, and with advanced technology.
Besides, the design of wheelchairs usually consider less aesthetic but more
on function. Designing a good-looking wheelchair can let people using
wheelchairs to gain happiness from mental, it also can break down other
people's prejudice to the disabled.
Nike sells a lifestyle, it taps into an emotional part of the consumer that wants to aspire to live healthier and to find their own "greatness". From ther commercial videos, it shows the puchlines like :"It's only crazy until you do it", "When you're bron to do it", which emphasis strong inspiration and encourage people just do the thing that they want to do, asterisk after “athlete”, “if you have a body, you are an athlete”, which it is also the image that Nike wants to portray to its audience.
Nike always tried to apply the lastest technology into their product. Nike has developed and established a variety of new technologies associated with their brand. For example, Nike developed a shoe that will auto-lace when you put your heel in the shoe. From the interviews about Tinker Hatfield, a famous Nike designer, to get more insight of Nike’s design. It shows that Nike gets many inspirations from industry design and always looks for some inspiration from the most latest trends.
Nike sells a lifestyle, it taps into an emotional part of the consumer that wants to aspire to live healthier and to find their own "greatness". From ther commercial videos, it shows the puchlines like :"It's only crazy until you do it", "When you're bron to do it", which emphasis strong inspiration and encourage people just do the thing that they want to do, asterisk after “athlete”, “if you have a body, you are an athlete”, which it is also the image that Nike wants to portray to its audience.
Design Brief
Target group
Paraplegic - disabled people who cannot walk, but they are
interested in staying active, like to play sports, starting out,
amateurs but enthusiastic for sports
Age group
Teenagers to 20 - 40 years old adult
Price
Affordable by middle income to high-income people
(Current wheelchairs cost around 4000 to 7000 HKD)
Environment
Mostly city life
Sports ground and everyday use (because wheelchairs are a
one time buy, so it is not efficient to have 2 to 3 wheelchairs
for different purposes
Features
Short back seat, tilted wheels. curved mudguard with black
screen attached to control the movement, shiny-finishing
Nike sells a lifestyle, it taps into an emotional part of the consumer that wants to aspire to live healthier and to find their own "greatness". From ther commercial videos, it shows the puchlines like :"It's only crazy until you do it", "When you're bron to do it", which emphasis strong inspiration and encourage people just do the thing that they want to do, asterisk after “athlete”, “if you have a body, you are an athlete”, which it is also the image that Nike wants to portray to its audience.
Nike sells a lifestyle, it taps into an emotional part of the consumer that wants to aspire to live healthier and to find their own "greatness". From ther commercial videos, it shows the puchlines like :"It's only crazy until you do it", "When you're bron to do it", which emphasis strong inspiration and encourage people just do the thing that they want to do, asterisk after “athlete”, “if you have a body, you are an athlete”, which it is also the image that Nike wants to portray to its audience.
Existing Products Analysis
Site Vist's location and purpose
Just Med, Mong Kok. www.justmed.com.hk
Experience using a real wheelchair to understand problems in current models
Findings
Seat too straight
Some of the seats are too wide
User’s arm might hurt as they get stuck on the back handle
Wheelchair dimensions:
Width: 16 inches, Height: 24 inches, Entire height: 37.5 inches Wheel thickness: 3 cm
Side handle might hurt hand when turning the wheel
For the design consideration - omit the handle or make the seat narrower
Front-wheel is necessary for all types of wheelchairs
Most of the folding mechanisms are the x type
Existing Products Analysis
Research - Taobao wheelchair observations
Problems: tall user (180 cm)
The bottom part of the seat too long can be shorter
The seat can be more towards the front for active posture
Wheel placed too low that the user has to bend the body to reach and turn the wheel
Problems: short user (153 cm)
Too wide that the arm could not move freely
Handle hurting, back seat hurting
Too much effort to reach the wheel grip
Design Consideration
The seat should be Ergonomic
Mudguard is needed to protect the arm
Front-wheel is needed
Use X type folding mechanisms
The seat can be shorter and narrower
The seat can be more towards the front for active posture
Making Process
Calculating the dimensions and angle of tilt for the wheelchair, then disassembling all the parts at the Industrial Centre.
The finishing touches were added with stitching the seat and attaching it to the main metal structure.
Final Work
A project by Swasti SETHI, Sophia TSE,Denissa VITTIE,
TSE was in parts of research, ideation, model making.