Project Collapsible Crutches

BySamantha Maiorana

Alex PolichtAlan Strimbu

Table of Contents

Business Card and Thank You Letter….. 3Original Problem Statement……………….4Justification………………………………………..5Market Survey Questions……………………6Market Survey Results………………………..9Expert Justification……………………………10Testimonials………………………………………13Final Problem Statement…………………..16Potential Solutions…………………………… 17

Business Card and Thank You Letter

• Business Cards– Our name and email– School’s name, address, phone number, and fax

• Thank you letter– Just a rough draft thank you letter– Never actually used it

Original Problem Statement

• Crutches are bulky making them hard to use in crowded settings

Justification

• We had to prove whether or not our problem was truly a problem.– Market Surveys– Expert Justification– Testimonials

Market Survey Questions

1. What was your height while using crutches? 5’ or shorter 5’ - 5’6” 5’6” - 6‘

2. What was your weight while using crutches? 100 lbs or less 100 lbs - 125 lbs 125 lbs -150 lbs 150 lbs - 175 lbs

6’ - 6’6”6’6” - 7’7’ or taller

175 lbs- 200 lbs200 lbs - 225 lbs225lbs - 250 lbs250 lbs or heaver

Market Survey Questions Cont.

3. How long did you use crutches for? (If you have used crutches multiple times, mark longest time) Less than 1 week 2-3 weeks

4. Have you ever had any difficulty using crutches in a crowded setting? Yes

4-8 weeksMore than 9 weeks

No (if selected, survey is complete)

Market Surveys Questions Cont.5. Which do you find greater difficulty in doing in a

crowded setting? Storing Crutches (if selected, proceed to 6) Walking with Crutches (if selected, proceed to 7)

6. Is the problem of storing crutches in a crowded setting related to the bulkiness of the crutches? Yes

7. Is the problem of walking with crutches in a crowded setting related to the bulkiness of the crutches? Yes

No

No

Market Survey Results

Males • 61 males surveyed• 55.8% said storing

crutches is difficult• 100% of these males

said it was due to the bulkiness of the crutches

Females• 39 females surveyed• 38.5% said storing

crutches is difficult• 93% of these females

said it was due to the bulkiness of the crutches

Expert JustificationExpert #1

Name: Darek Wolski, TPM.Occupation: Therapy Program Manager (Physical Therapist)Yrs. Worked: 10 YearsCompany: Friendship Village of Schaumburg

1. Do you have difficulties storing crutches? No2. Do you have patients that complain about the difficulty of

storing crutches do to this bulkiness? No3. Do you find that storing crutches need to be improved? No4. Have you ever supplied crutches designed especially to uses

limited storage space? Yes, foldable crutches.5. How often do you supply these crutches? Not very often.

Expert Justification Cont.Expert #2Name: Rock W.Occupation: Sales ManagerYrs. Worked: 3 YearsCompany: Anping Huakang Medical Products Factory

1. Do you think that there are storage problems related to crutches? Yes, we produce easier stored crutched as per customers’ order.

2. How often do you produce these crutches? Is there a high demand? Yes, we produce them four times per month.

3. You send out four shipments per month?Yes, we produce about 1000PCS every shipment.

There are 4-5 shipments per month.

Expert Justification Cont.Expert #3

Name: Chang Ming GeOccupation: Engineer/ General ManagerYrs. Worked: 15 YearsCompany: Fenghua Shuyi Metal Product Factory

1. Do you believe that storing crutches in a crowded area is difficult because of their bulkiness? Yes

2. Do you design crutches that take less space that traditional crutches?Yes, we make them so that they can fold.

3. Is there a high demand for these crutches? Yes

4. How many shipments do you make in one month? How many crutches are in each shipment? We sell about 10,000 of these crutches.

Testimonials

• Matt C. “It’s difficult to store on the bus.”– Can’t take anyone’s seat– Can’t put in aisle because of bus safety rules– Can’t put them under the chair because they will

slide everywhere and hit other peoples feet– Can’t prop them up against a chair because they

would fall and make a loud noise

Testimonials Cont.

• Jackie G. “I had no place to put my crutches!”– Went to a White Sox game– Could not put crutches on the ground because

they would get dirty and sticky– Can’t prop them up because people were

constantly moving in and out of the aisles– Propping them up would also block some people’s

view

Testimonials Cont.

• Sam V. “They were so cumbersome.”– Storing crutches in a car was difficult– They would hit the roof of the car and hit the

chairs– When crutches are in the car, it just seems like

they’re everywhere because they take up so much room.

Final Problem Statement

• Before Justification– “Crutches are bulky making them hard to use in

crowded settings.”

• After Justification– “Crutches are bulky; and therefore, are difficult to

store in crowded settings.”

Samantha’s Potential SolutionsSolution Final Size Ease of Build Ease of Use Total

1 + 0 + 2

2 0 0 0 0

3 0 0 0 0

4 + - - -1

5 + - + 1

6 + - - -1

7 0 0 0 0

8 + 0 + 2

9 + 0 0 1

10 0 0 0 0

Patent 7,434,592

0 - 0 -1

Patent 5,865,203

0 0 0 0

Patent7,959,251

+ 0 0 1

Alan’s Potential SolutionsCriteria / Constraints

Pot. Solutions Manufac. Cost Compact’d Size Ease of Use Totals

1 3 - - -2

2 - - + -1

3 0 + + 2

4 + + + 3

Alex’s Potential SolutionsRanking 1-5; 1 being the worst, 5 the best.

Design/Criteria

Cost Compact SizeEase of

useTotal

1 + - + +

2 0 + - 0

3 0 0 + +

4 - + 0 0

5 + - 0 0

6 - + + +

6.1 0 + 0 +

7 - + 0 0

To be continued…