Fixperts is a project created to challenge designers to make a solutions to a persons unmet need with a simple and functional design.
Phyl is an elderly lady with arthritis in both of her hand and arms and struggles with many everyday tasks. In particular she finds it especially hard to operate the kitchen sink taps as she has such limited strength and forward movement.
I teamed up with my design partner Liam to alleviate Phyls problem by creating a pulley system to bring her taps closer to her and restore her independence.
Began sketching some designs for the reels and handles of the mechanism for the pulley
We created this design but it was far too complicated and wouldn’t be easily replicated which is a big no no to the brief. However the idea was there we just needed to simplify the design and make it from something that is easily accessible and handy to assemble.
We found that plastic bottle handles worked perfectly as a mechanism for the product and they are easy to take apart and easy to get ur hands on.
Happy with the design we added the belt which was a fabric measuring tape and attach it to the tap using hot glue. We installed it in Phyls kitchen and the result were amazing. She can now operate the taps with ease thanks to Tappy
