Multiple purchases mean a clutch of different bags, a task made more complicated when a child is holding one hand or you are frail and need the support of a mobility aid. For the commuter who shops after work, balancing bags and briefcase in a crowded bus or tube is tricky when there is with no possibility of resting them on the floor. There are gadgets on the market and shoppers improvise solutions of their own. A common one is the use of cut lengths of hosepipe with a slit to alleviate the pain of carrying heavy bags. Such measures may make one bag slightly more comfortable but do not address the underlying issues of multiple bags, weight distribution and keeping your hands free. The design team developed a simple inexpensive device that would allow this to happen.
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Carrying aids, shopping, inclusive design
Slips, Trips and Turns. The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) brief centred on STATS - the slips, trips and turns that can have devastating effects particularly for older people. The NPSA invited designers to consider the consequences and contexts in which they occur and design an innovative solution to minimise the incidence or the impact of the consequences.
Product design, visual communications, interaction design
