The customer
STT CONDIGI is a leading Nordic supplier of safety- and communication solutions for the elder care and the healthcare systems all over Europe.
The task
The Personal Alarm Transmitter is carried on the body and is used to create safety for elderly and demented in everyday life. Every user are able to use it regardless if the person has limited strength in the hands, has bad eyesight or is demented. The positioning alarm is created to make it easy to summon help in everyday life, benefiting individuals, relatives and care assistants. The care assistants can be more targeted in optimising the use of resources. Furthermore, the design can be used both by men and women.
The solution
DESIGN CONCERN was along from the beginning in the launching of the finished product. Among others, we accomplished:
- User research
- Idea and concept development
- Design detailing
- Tests of prototypes
- Project management and coordination with producers and subcontractors
Important findings in user surveys
The user surveys, which went ahead of the actual design process, revealed among other things, that many vital facilities by appearance alone vitiate the users in such a degree, that many elderly and residents at care homes refuse to use the facilities.
Aesthetic replaces expression of diseases
Consequently, the positioning alarm was designed in two basis editions. The alarm did not look like a tool, but as jewellery or a wristwatch – something the users are familiar with beforehand.
The actual alarm key is designed, so users can call for help with a light touch, but at the same time not activating the alarm by mistake. Creating room to circuit board and battery in the light, slender and aesthetic design and finding materials with the right robustness and expression were challenges in the project.
The result
The Personal Alarm Transmitter is typically used by elderly residents at care homes, but also by retirees in private homes. By designing the alarm so it looks like jewellery or a watch, all European users have quickly taken The Personal Alarm Transmitter to their hearts. The Personal Alarm Transmitter has sold approximately 15,000 copies to customers in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands and Switzerland. An added bonus in the development process has been the fact, that the alarm has shown to be used as a personal attack alarm by care assistants, which has increased the market potential even further. The rapid increasing number of elderly citizens in Europe has spurred to the future expectations of the positioning alarm.
Furthermore, The Personal Alarm Transmitter has been rewarded the Red Dot Design Award in 2007 and a top nomination to INDEX:AWARD.