Exploratory research about the customization or personalization of assistive products for walking
Résumé
This paper presents an exploratory study performed in the context of the assistive products for walking. The aim was to verify the applicability of design strategies to increase the users' perceived value via the offer of controlled levels customization. For that, lean principle of standardization and the taxonomy of customization levels from the mass customization approaches guided this study. These concepts focused the research into design patterns identification, allowing the use of combinatorial modularization. The efforts consisted in a technologic research made in Abledata and Assisdata AT databases, which resulted in a selection of 200 walking aids and accessories. After, their features were analyzed, with special attention to the products architecture. The investigation concluded that assistive products for walking are able to incorporate high levels of product customization. This may be implemented by the design of a flexible modular product body configurable in different ways. Thus, the product differentiation between canes, crutches and walking frames, for example, will be done by an adaptable body and the respective accessories to complete the product structure.