Redesign the Shower Experience

Project 2

For project 2, we decided to critique/redesign the shower experience. We took into consideration not only the physical design of the shower, but also the overall experience a person receives while taking a shower. Showers are not a new technology by any means. Showers are not a new invention by any means and there have been a number of changes to the design of the shower over time. Showers were designed for the same purpose that they are used today, which is being a means for a person to cleanse themselves. Waterfalls were the first recognizable showers in that there was falling water that people would stand under to bathe. The Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all had ideas for the design of their own showers. However, none of them remained in use because sewage systems were not yet designed and water had to be carried, not pumped, into the desired room. The real switch to a more modern recognizable shower emerged in the early 19th century with the English Regency Shower (ERS). The apparatus stood twelve feet tall with a round basin in the bottom for the bather to stand in and a tank at the top to hold the water. It was made of metal and painted to imitate the texture of bamboo. Water would be dumped onto the bather's head, drained from the basin, and pumped back up to the tank via a hollow pole. Shortly after the ERS was the development of the indoor plumbing system and heated tap water. In 1889, JL Mott Iron Works invented a new showering apparatus where "exposed pipes sprayed jets of water at the bather from every angle in a way similar to the modern power shower." (Ryan). Modern day showers have many more features than the shower the JL Mott Iron Works invented, although the goal is still the same. There are many types of showers though the two most common are the stall shower and the shower/bathtub. These are known as domestic showers. They generally feature a single overhead nozzle that distributes water over a large solid angle at point of use, and are placed overhead the bather. Generally, showers are closed off using either a glass door or a shower curtain for the purpose of keeping the water contained in one area. Showers also feature a drain most often placed directly under the showerhead on the floor of the tub area where the water exits. Though the most basic goal of the shower is to promote cleanliness and fight disease/infection, it is also seen as way to relax. Showers have become a therapeutic for many people and can be customized according to the individual. (Bellis)

Context Scenario

It's a Monday morning and the start of the work week. Craig is getting up from bed and about to take a shower. As Craig gets up and out of bed, he notices he is very sore from the day before, playing with his kids and doing a minor workout at the gym on his day off. He walks into the bathroom and turns the shower on to the appropriate temperature. He then steps into the shower over the bathtub wall. At this point, Craig experiences high pain in his legs due to his impairment. As tough as Craig is, he fights through the pain and continues to shower, but starts to notice the shower is slightly hotter than he thought he adjusted it for. After many turns of the shower knob to adjust the temperate, Craig finally gets the water at the appropriate temperature.

Just like anyone else, Craig starts to shower beginning with his hair and working his way down to his feet. He has to slouch underneath the shower head because he is slightly taller than where it is mounted, thus causing more pain to his legs and back. With muscular dystrophy, muscle spasming causes Craig to have a lot of trouble with things like opening the cap of the shampoo or body wash. After many tries and several wasted minutes trying to do this, Craig finally gets the bottle open and begins to rub the shampoo into his hair.

Now that the bottom of the tub has been covered in soap and water, the floor is becoming very slippery to move around on. Since Craig's legs are already very sore and tired, it is hard for him to stand without any help. He must use the walls as support. After twenty five minutes of showering, which normally takes about ten to fifteen minutes, Craig is finished. He then reaches for a towel which causes him even more pain. He also has a great deal of trouble trying to dry off because of the restrictions he has with his legs and arms. Craig then steps back over the tub wall and begins the daunting task of getting dressed. As one could imagine, this is very difficult process to do day in and day out. This is a simple daily task, but for Craig it is daunting.

Persona

Craig is a 48-year-old accountant who runs his own business. He lives in a quiet suburb on the outskirts of Fort Wayne, Indiana with his wife, Mary, and their two daughters, Lindsey and Anya. With owning a business comes the stress of constantly working towards making it grow. Craig often finds himself stressed out and enjoys sitting down to a glass of whiskey after a long day. Craig has also taken up swimming, walking, and golf in order to help manage the stress that comes with suburban life.

Craig was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at a very young age and this makes it a challenge for him to participate in any contact sports for exercise. Over the years, as the disease has run its course, Craig has become increasingly weak in his legs and fights off plights of muscle spasms throughout the body that make it hard for him to control his hands, legs and arms.

Craig's family is very understanding of his condition and helps out around the house wherever possible. His two daughters often take turns doing the dishes, and his wife is more than happy to clean around the house while he is at work. There is one aspect of his life that they cannot do anything to improve, though, and that is helping him shower.

Craig has often been proud of the fact that he can get along fine without much help from others, but on days where his Muscular Dystrophy is acting up, he feels emasculated when he can't perform the simplest of tasks in the shower. He just wants to live as normal of a life as possible and feels that he can't when he needs to ask for help to get a shampoo bottle open.

On days when Craig's Muscular Dystrophy is causing problems, he has to shower before going into work and wishes that they were better designed for someone like him to use. Most tubs he has seen are very hard for him to climb into, forcing him to step up over a tub wall and onto a slippery floor. He just wishes he could walk right in and onto a floor with grip. Craig also does