These difficulties include opening milk cartons, managing to make a cup of tea and opening and closing doors. These are all things that many people take for granted but which can present great challenges to those with arthritis. Third year design students at NCAD were asked to come up with design solutions for such everyday tasks. The students also met with and consulted arthritis sufferers in the three month project to make sure that their designs would meet their needs.  

Sean Gallagher from RTE’s Dragon’s Den was on hand to present the awards and congratulated the students on their vision and innovation. The overall prize went to product called the “Kug”. It combines a kettle and mug which is easy to handle and manage by those with arthritis. Other commended designs included the INNY, an alternative door handle design; an easy to manage milk carton and an easy to use and apply nail varnish.

A recent survey carried out by Arthritis Ireland found that 42 per cent of people with the disease would not buy products currently on the market designed to give assistance to sufferers because of unattractive, ineffective design and the stigma attached to the look of using these products. Therefore the design students faced not only the challenge of creating functional products but coming up with attractive and stylish designs that would appeal to people.

Speaking at the awards John Church, Arthritis Ireland, said “The Easy to Use programme is about rewarding companies who develop products that take into account usability”. Geraldine O’Connor, Pfizer, said that the judging panel which included people with arthritis were “blown away by the standard of the entries” from the NCAD students.

Declan McGonagle from NCAD said that the awards “were an important opportunity for the college and students to get involved in finding ‘real world’ solutions to everyday challenges” and showed the importance of collaboration in research and design.

The collaborative approach used in this programme reflects the growing importance of bringing together actors from business, academic and not for profit backgrounds to seek solutions for better living.

For further information go to: www.arthritisireland.ie