Final macro-pad prototype showing large accessible buttons and compact design
The goal of our project was to design a product that improves the life of a client who had physical disabilities including rheumatoid arthritis and an amputated leg.
We aimed to design a device that improved our client’s quality of life by making day-to-day interactions with technology simpler and more enjoyable.
Our prototype uses 3 tactile and mechanical large buttons connected to an ESP32 microcontroller in order to offer an accessible control setup which communicates with a digital react native app to offer macro-functionalities.
The final product successfully met our design objectives by providing a simple, reliable, and accessible way for the client to interact with technology.
Our design process started by identifying the needs of our client, who had limited mobility due to an amputated leg and rheumatoid arthritis. From this, we established key design objectives such as ease of use, minimal force, reliability, and clear feedback.
We then brainstormed multiple concepts that could improve accessibility when interacting with technology. After evaluating the feasibility and impact of our options, we selected an accessible macro-pad device that simplifies the number of steps and reduces the difficulty to complete functions on a mobile device using easy-to-press buttons.
To guide our design, we defined the following constraints:
Refined concept sketch of our prototype
We began prototyping by designing a simple circuit using large tactile buttons connected to the ESP32 microcontroller. The ESP32 was chosen for its built-in Bluetooth capabilities and compact form-factor.
Alongside this physical prototype, we also established a software system in React Native to interact with the ESP32 over Bluetooth. The program was divided into modular functions which allowed for the independent development and testing of each part.
Signal flow diagram for the prototype