What is MS?
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks myelin cells (protective sheathes around brain and spinal cord nerves) and thus damages the brain and spinal cord. The primary symptoms include the following:
Double vision/vision loss
The most common conditions include optic neuritis, diplopia, nystagmus and INO.
Muscle spasms/weakness
Muscle spasms, stiffness and weakness are experienced by 40-80 % of MS patients.
Numbness/pain
Different types of pain with MS: The 'MS hug' or 'MS girdle’, a cold or hot/burning feeling, a sharp/dull/stabbing pain and pins & needles.
Loss of balance
Causes of balance loss include changes in vision, the vestibular system, sensory changes by numbness/pain, muscle spasms, stiffness and weakness.
Cognitive issues
Problems with memory and thinking impacts between 4 and 7 in every 10 people with MS.
Emotional effects
​Mental health issues of MS often go undiagnosed, but it is not unusual for people with MS to experience depression, stress and anxiety.
Causes
The exact cause of MS is unknown but is believed to result from a mix of genetic predisposition and environmental triggers like low vitamin D, smoking, and certain viruses.
Types of MS
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Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS) – First neurological episode.
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Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS) – Most common; flare-ups followed by recovery.
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Primary Progressive MS (PPMS) – Constant worsening from the beginning.
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Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS) – Initially RRMS that later becomes steadily progressive.
Initial Interview
The first interview that was conducted together with the case owner was primarily about exploring her daily struggles with the disease. She expressed a great interest in products to support the numbness in her hands, as well as the limited function she experiences in her left leg. We used this information to start ideating and generating a list of requirements. The full details of this interview can be found below.
The Co Designer: Joanne
Joanne has had MS for 16 years. The limited mobility in her left leg makes things like walking and climbing stairs difficult. She also experiences fatigue, tingling in her legs, and numbness in her fingertips.
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Her main goal is to walk longer distances independently. She rejected ideas like a wheel chair and a scoot mobile due to their medical or elderly appearance and concerns about balance and identity.
Co-design session focused on understanding her needs, style, and physical limitations to develop a practical and user-friendly mobility solution within a tight project timeline.
To create a better image of the progression of the illness MS of our co designer a timeline is constructed. Her symptoms started in 2007 with feeling numbness in her fingers and backpain, for which she went to the physiotherapist. In 2009 she got sight problems, therefore a MRI scan has been performed. This led to the diagnosis of MS. In 2020 Joanne got an attack effecting her left leg and led her struggling to walk until the point she had to use a wheelchair. In order to prevent further progressing of the disease a treatment in Mexico was found, where Joanne received radiation therapy and plasma exchange. This brings us to present, where she's still recovering from the treatment, but the attacks have stopped.
List of Requirements
Following the initial reserach and interview, a general list of requirements for the product has been created. Further requirements for the chosen concept were created later on. The most important requirements that were taken into consideration when designing are stated below. For the complete LoR click the link.
R 2.3 The product shall give the user a greater sense of independence.
R 2.5 The product shall not require precise work with hands to be operated.
R 3.2 The product shall not be designed in a way that makes the user appear disabled.
R 3.1/3 The product shall be design with the aesthetics of nature in mind or the current style.