Honours Project

Project Title

How can Design help aid the solution of Back Pain? Can increasing consumers knowledge and understanding help change their perception and thoughts regarding back pain?

Core Design Values= Key Works + Short Statement


• Problem Solving
• Functionality
• Usability
• Perception
• Knowledge and Understanding
•
Over the past 2 years of studying Product Design, I have found myself as a designer and understand how to put my skills to best use. I see myself as a problem solver looking at a design brief with a strategic approach. I find myself best understanding and solving a problem by looking at a problem from the consumer’s perspective, stepping into their shoes and understanding how they feel.
Back pain is an issue that affects 8 in every 10 UK adults at some point in their lives. It is a serious problem that is understated compared to many other problems with the body. It is an issue that can cause much pain, suffering and stress for the consumer.

Project Aims and Thematic Outline

Using my design knowledge, I will focus on the issue of back pain. Through doing this I aim to increase consumer awareness towards the implications of bad posture. I will look at the differences between cultures, and how they deal with back problems. Looking at the differences in the working classes, using miners and finishing school as an historical example. .I will also look at social differences that have indirectly led to the problem, focusing on how back pain differs in different social upbringings. I will increase my understanding of etiquette. As an example of back pain today I will look at various people from different backgrounds and how back pain causes problems in their lives. As an outcome I want to change the consumer’s perception and increase their understanding of back pain.