Can sport be a motivational tool ?

This is an interesting concept for me as I was such an avid sporty person as you may have it that now I am unable to do anything its driving me nuts. I find myself pushing harder by thinking about getting back to the sorts I love. I know others who have been in a similar position but all of whom have been heavily involved in sport before their accident.

So how important is sport to the general public? Is sport more of a social tool? There is many a time I have been in the gym and there are small groups working together either walking and chatting on the treadmill, helping each other do weights or competing against each other on the cardio machines. Could this still be used as a form of encouragement? Could you harness the aspect of exercise and combine it with rehabilitation. Yes I am aware this is basically physiotherapy but what if you could have group physiotherapy in addition?

Quote of the Week...

“Contentment: The smother of invention.”

Ethel Mumford

I think this is the case in the NHS. They have implemented so many benchmarks and hierarchies that innovation simply can’t get through. They are starting to realise this however and open up more via projects with the Design Council and government schemes like The National Innovation Centre. The aim of these is to give a single point of entry to the system making the design process clearer and more transparent. So where can we go from here? How can you tell what everyone wants? Maybe they should provide focus groups, just like they provide guinea pig patients for medical students maybe those guinea pigs could also work with designers to help them understand the situation they are designing for !? Feedback please....

Quote of the Week...

“Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.”

Jamie Paolinetti – digital media designer

I love this concept that we can do anything we can put our minds too. The concept of limitations could be limitations we impose on ourselves or are they imposed on us by society. We seem to have this need to put people in a box so that we know how to deal with them. However nobody deserves this. Alternatively maybe this can be interpreted into the products that we design. To act as a facilitator for others to learn and understand from. So for example with rehabilitation products reminding the user to push themselves and that they can do things, give them goals to aim for, give them something to strive at while reminding those around them they need that little bit more understanding or time to do a task.

Why do we need quality of life factors ?

This is a question which many may ask. The NHS’s performance needs to be measured and evaluated in a way which should not only take account of costs and benefits of those providing the health care but also of those receiving the health care!

The problem that arises with the term Quality of Life is that there are no set defined terms or methodology to measure these factors. As a result the whole topic area is a disputed one with more procedures to test, weigh and measure each procedures different results which then just leads to confusion.

There is no argument that Quality of Life factors could be an efficient and effective way to measure NHS’s output in terms of service it can demonstrate the fact that a treatment which can improve someone’s health physically can actually have a detrimental effect on a person’s psychological health.

What are your quality of life factors ?

I am running a survey to try and understand what you the consumer consider to be important to their quality of life so please click on the link below to do my questionnaire, Its only 10 questions so it wont take long – I promise !

Click Here to take survey

Quote of the week

“To whom does design address itself: to the greatest number, to the specialist of an enlightened matter, to a privileged social class? Design addresses itself to the need.”

Charles Eames

I love this comment; it is a sharp hit out at needless design. It comes across as something Philip Stark would come out with. I am not sure if many of you have been watching his programme on BBC 2 Design for Life but this is now something which he believes very strongly in now. You would not be mistaken for being surprised at this coming from a designer who designed a lemon juicer which corroded when used – so much more for form than function. However he seems to have performed a complete 360 and is now very much pushing the responsibilities of design in the sense of ecology and democracy. As a result this relates very well to my project looking at the NHS and the designers responsibilities to society and their users quality of life.

Back Brace as a Fashion Item ??

I came across this work via another blog. It immediately drew my interest as it is along similar lines to my project however it looks at the back brace from a completely different angle. This work has been created by a female designer called Francesca Lanzavecchia as part of her Masters Degree. When I researched further its also been featured on design boom with some good explanations of the concept behind her creations.

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/3832/pro-aesthetics-supports-by-francesca-lanzavecchia.html

I have to say I love the concept of a second skin although not a personal area of interest to myself as I feel it would draw attention to my injury it would be nice to hear what other think !?

I do feel that I could learn from her work.

Quote of the week.....

“Design is directed toward human beings. To design is to solve human problems by indentifying them and executing the best solution.”

Ivan Chermayeff

I think this reflects my design values very well. I think that design should always have a purpose, there are so many issues in the world which have either been caused by bad design or are yet to be resolved. Issues also don’t have to be physical there are also many social attitudes and preconceptions which can be addressed and resolved by good design. I believe a lot can be achieved via good design as it is such a clear and effective form of communication.

Is customisation key ?

I have to admit that I felt a lot better wearing my brace after I had had a chance to get my mits on it with a sharpie pen. I hated it when it was bare. The whole design of the back brace is very industrial which is reflected in its aesthetic. I was met with a very bemused face when asking could I take some sharpie pens to it, however I felt if you could get a cast signed why not treat a back brace in the same manner !? Now that it is more personalised to myself with messages jokes and drawings by myself as well as friends and family I feel more comfortable in it. I also feel it is less obvious in a bizarre way.

So how many forms of back brace are there ??

I picked this amazing link up off a fellow blogger he has put together an impressive combination of the various forms back braces come in and how others have visualised them. The simple answer to the above question is “loads” as you can see:

http://www.backbraceguy.net/backneckbraceblogpics.htm

One thing that did stand out to me is the covers and transfers that some people are managing to get their hands on although not surprisingly they are American so im not sure how accessible to feasible they would be here in the UK and needless to say I don’t think the NHS is going to be willing to pay for you to customise your brace. But maybe if it was an option it would make the concept of wearing a brace more acceptable and less condemning, especially for those of a younger generation.