A Low-Cost Tool for Gathering and Interpreting the Mobility Needs of Wheelchair Users in India

Collecting and interpreting customer needs using traditional product development tools can be difficult or impossible when there is a large geographic, cultural, or social gap between the customer and product designer. As part of a project to design an electric powered wheelchair (EPW) for Indians with disabilities, we piloted a new approach to gather and interpret customer needs. First, we distributed cameras to manual wheelchair users at the Indian Spinal Injury Center in New Delhi, India, and asked subjects take photos and write descriptions of accessibility barriers in and around their homes. The film was then processed; photos were de-identified and integrated into an internet-based questionnaire. Individuals with expertise in wheelchair use and design, and home modifications were recruited to participate in the questionnaire where they identified and ranked the accessibility barriers in each of 50 images which were randomly selected from the full database. Thirty cameras were received, yielding approximately 500 photos which were integrated into the questionnaire. A total of 72 subjects from 8 countries participated in the questionnaire. Using cluster analysis, we developed unique groupings for accessibility barriers based on their severity and prevalence. These groupings provided valuable and relevant information to develop and prioritize the design specifications of the EPW.