Elevé
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People who are blind often struggle using traditional utensils, like food falling off before reaching their mouth. Eleve is a utensil that better grasps food without being big and bulky.
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John McClusky
Amina Horozić
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Spring 2021
Role: Industrial designer
How might we design utensils that would assist people who are blind?
secure | angular | intuitive | movement | familiar but new
Food won’t fall off utensil
Easily grasp the food
Not medical looking
At the table
The utensil rests perfectly on the edge of the place, making it easy to find after setting it down.
A cohesive set
The knife and spoon continue the angular aesthetic. The spoon is used sideways, reducing the bending of the wrist and the potential of spilling.
Process
Inclusive design exploration
I moved forward with the utensils because there was both opportunity and a personal connection.
A personal tie
My Aunt Joanne was legally blind. I watched her struggle to use traditional utensils, like not knowing if the food fell off the fork. She was extremely independent and didn’t want people to know how much she was struggling.
Utensils for the blind don’t need to be big and bulky
Breaking the cultural norm
Many of the concepts looked like regular utensils, to deviate from that a tong like utensil was the chosen direction.
Paper mock up takeaways
Flat Base
helped slide along plate and grip food better
Tines
helpful for stabbing the food and give the familiarity of a fork
Size
large enough to not hit the food with your hand but small enough to have leverage
Handle angle and tine placement
The handle needed to be large enough to fit your thumb on one side and pointer and middle finger on the other. The tines placement was important so food wouldn’t fall out between them.
