UD audit of a cot

Auditing objects of everyday use, in this case, a typical folding cot, on its ergonomics and the Indian Universal Design principles.

How well does the cot hold up when physical disabilities come into the picture? Idea trajectories to improve the product experience were explored as well.

A COVID project | Academic | Collaborators: Sparsh Verma, Kanika Dawalia, Khoobi Gaur

Heuristic Evaluation

Based on our understanding of human factors for product design, Indian anthropometric dimensions, and some role-playing, we came up with our set of insights on its design and construction.

Ergonomic Audit

An online survey was conducted to validate our findings and prevent research within silos. Considering this was a COVID project, this was one of the few ways to safely get primary user data. There were 55 respondents, mostly 20-30 year-olds.

The Bodystorming

To evaluate its use in the case of physical disabilities, we used various aids (and our friends) to simulate certain conditions. We tested the folding and unfolding of the cot under simulated conditions of-

A person in a wheelchair
Blindness
Pregnancy
Using a single crutch
Using double crutches
Being taller than the 95th percentile of the Indian population
Control use cases of “normal” people

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The Accessbility Matrix

Using tools such as body storming and role-playing, we were able to generate a matrix that highlights the usability of a cot against common physical disabilities

Indian Universal Design Principles

The principles of Equitable (समान ), Cultural (सांस्कृतिक ), Usable (सहज ), Economic (सस्ता ), and Aesthetics (सुन्दर ) are relevant when designing products for India. The cot was evaluated against them using the data from our survey and the heuristic audit.

Design Opportunities

As a final leg of this exercise, we decided on the opportunity areas that be looked at when redesigning the cot.