Designing Assistive Technology: Empowering Smartbox Users Through Innovation
With our expertise in designing assistive technology, we enabled Smartbox to overcome their customisation challenges, enhancing users’ lives by making their communication more efficient.
Client: Smartbox Assistive Technology
Outcomes
Our role in designing assistive technology solutions led to significant enhancements in Smartbox users’ lives. The improved communication capabilities provided by the second screen proved to be highly valuable in various situations, promoting user independence and better quality of daily life.
What we did:
- Collaborated with Smartbox in designing and prototyping a retrofit second screen for the existing Grid Pad 12 tablet.
- Worked alongside Smartbox on successful user testing and feedback collection.
- Assisted Smartbox in the manufacturing of their new product.
- Helped find a supplier of an antimicrobial additive for moulded plastics.
The Challenge
For over 15 years, Smartbox Assistive Technology has been creating innovative solutions to help disabled individuals communicate and lead independent lives. However, they encountered challenges in meeting the growing demand for customised products, particularly for their Grid Pad 12 tablet. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, these challenges were further heightened by manufacturing and component sourcing difficulties and increased concern about virus transmission via devices. Smartbox needed to design a second screen for the Grid Pad 12 tablet, allowing the user’s speech to be visually displayed. This addition would enhance communication clarity and accessibility, but required specific design expertise and resources.
What We Did
Responding to Smartbox’s needs, Ignitec brought together a multidisciplinary team to contribute to designing assistive technology solutions. We co-designed and prototyped a retrofit second screen for the existing Grid Pad 12 tablet. This design took into account Smartbox’s existing hardware and the components reliably available during the pandemic. Once a working prototype was ready, we worked with Smartbox on user testing and feedback. Following this successful phase, we assisted Smartbox in the manufacturing process using our network of approved partners. For added safety, we helped locate a supplier for an antimicrobial additive for moulded plastics, which would reduce the risk of virus transmission via the device’s surface.
Results
Designing assistive technology in partnership with Smartbox resulted in substantial improvements to user communication. The retrofit second screen became a critical tool for Smartbox users, proving valuable in a variety of environments. It offered clear visibility from different angles and enabled users to communicate effectively even in challenging settings. Although we didn’t have concrete numerical results, the impact was evident in the users’ daily lives. Our partnership with Smartbox demonstrated how designing assistive technology can make a significant positive difference to users’ independence and daily communication.
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