PRODUCT DESIGN FOR PHYSICALLY FACILITATE THE ELDERLY DEVICE TO HELP WALK UP AND DOWN STAIRS

Abstract

The device for physically facilitate the elderly to walk up and down stairs is designed to solve problem of the elderly who cannot conveniently walk up or down stairways because of knee pain. The device is designed within the conceptual framework of theory of good industrial design which is composed of usefulness, beauty, convenience to use, safety, and durability. The appropriateness of the device is assessed by three experts in the matters related to the elder. The samples are the elderly people in Yan Nawa District, consisting of 30 samples from the elderly’s school who test the use of the device and 70 samples who give opinion on their satisfaction towards the device. The research tools are the questionnaire for the experts, questionnaire on the trial of the device, and questionnaire on satisfaction with the device. The statistics used are percentages, means, and standard deviations. The outputs from the design are the devices with the height of the step that is inferior to a normal stairway step or not higher than 15 centimeters. Finding that model 2 is the most appropriate ( = 4.03, S.D. = 0.55), which means it is at a high level. The models of devices with the height of step of 11 centimeters, 13 centimeters, and 15 centimeters are built and used for walking up and down of a stairway of five steps before assessing the satisfaction. The findings from the trial show that the elder who cannot lift legs conveniently or have knee pain when used the device with step of 13 centimeters height uses the least time stepping up and down the stairways (= 20.79, S.D = 2.26), which means the device with the step of this height is the most appropriate of all. From the assessment of satisfaction, it is revealed that the overall device that is designed on the basis of all the components of the theory of designed is satisfied ( = 4.12, S.D = 0.19), which means the satisfaction in high level.