Designing a device to offer an alternative way to operate door handles

We open doors innumerable times in a day, without even thinking about it, but do we realise the implications of this action? In the last two years, during the Covid-19 pandemic, much more focus has been rightfully put on germs and their spread.

Germs and bacteria are also dangerous in “normal” situations. These include hospitals, where HAI (Healthcare associated infections) are very common. Only in the US, 1.7 Million hospitalised patients get infected with an HAI, and a further 98 000 die1 . Infectious bacteria and germs are transmitted through healthcare workers, and through infected surfaces 2 . Furthermore, HAIs account for more than 30$ billion in eccess healthcare costs in the US.³

As Haque et al state, “healthcare workers’ contaminated hands are the vehicle most often impli- cated in the cross-transmission of pathogens”. Thus, a product that would significantly contain the spread of germs on doorknobs would also help reduce the amount of infected patients.

This problem doesn’t only apply to healthcare, but also other environments such as schools or offices. Through a survey I conducted in school, to which I received 58 responses, I had a confirmation of the tangibility of the problem from the students view.

Furthermore, inclusivity is an issue with door handles, as people with amputated or absent limbs are not able to operate them, and need ex- ternal help.

Existing solutions often require the user to carry a device, which is clunky and often not comfortable, as the user needs to take the device out of their pocket for use.

The aim of this IA is to create a product that allows users to open doors without touching the handle, and without using hands, which are carriers of infectious germs and bacteria.4 This would minimise the spread of dangerous microbes in schools, offices and hospitals.

The target audience is very wide, as the groups of people who need to operate doors in schools, offices or hospitals are various. The age of the target user group consists of people approxi- mately between 10 and 80 years of age, including people with disabilities. The handle should be designed taking into account the 5th percentile, or the smallest users, in order for them to reach the handle.

The product must be -

• Simple,easy to operate and intuitive, in order for the user to swiftly use it
• Compatible with most handles
• Resistant to repetitive use
• Suitable for a wide range of the targeted users
• Generally respect the criteria of usability (topic 7.2)⁵

The final product will be a real size 3D printed model and a CAD model, representative of the real product. The prototype will be tested in school, but given its success it could be used in other envirnoments where spread of germs is a concern too, such as hospitals and offices.

Based on user preference and adherence to the brief, the further developments of idea 4 and 6 (labelled respectively as 4 and 6) will be considered. They will be evaluated against the specifications in the brief to find areas for improvement and further iterations.

As from the table above, idea 4 will be brought forwards for iterations of concept modelling, in order to improve the design. Idea 4 exceeds idea 6 in many requirements, for example the aesthetics, where 4 is preferred for its simplicity, making it less impactful on the design of the handle. Also, 4’s semplicity is preferred for ease of manufacturing,installation and use.

The main prototyping method used will be 3D printing, due to its rapid prototyping and high accuracy characteristics. (Topic3)

Despite the fact that the print didn’t come out as expected, I still tested it. I put it on the door handle with some tape, and asked some classmates to try it. They all succeded in opening the door, some with difficulties, others with none. Some appeared confused on how the design should operate (spec 3.4). The observations made while testing will be illustrated in the following figures. They will be used to improve the existing prototype, and eventually produce another one.