Making ourselves updated with new procedures of products designing is always the key responsibility of industrial design student like us. Just like you need a shoe if you have a foot, similarly, you need a can if you have a soft drink. However, there is a critical aspect of industrial design that is far way beyond than product designing. It is more about making attempts for designing such products that aim to fix issues.
One of the unique and prime examples of it is fidgets (fidget spinner or fidget cube). It is designed mainly to help individuals overcoming their mental health problems such as anxiety, etc. Besides falling into the crucial debate whether designers must express their involvement in the industry of mental health, I am more interested in the idea whether these fidgets are successful and help people in combating their mental health issues.
The main question is whether the product design is essential to address mental health issues effectively. The answer to is has been well-explained by different research studies. The principal objective of these research studies was to manufacture and design a cognitive focus device (fidgets) which eventually help individuals of the modern trending world in combating their anxieties. Product design was focused critically to assure that an affordable and accessible to carry product can be offered to consumers. Moreover, its design team comprised of 3 mechanical engineers whose focus were to manufacture and design a usable and helpful fidget through means of testing, prototyping, axiomatic design decomposition, and preliminary surveying. Besides, the thin design was focused so that fidget can be easily carried by consumers in their pockets and so that they can choose amongst the different sizes to avail the best ergonomic fit in their palms. Similarly, the importance of product design to address the mental health issue was also focused on other research studies.
They explained how prototyping as the design characteristic of fidget can help in reducing stress. They also provided an individual with the focus required and enhances his/her creatively. For example, deformable and soft shape can be preferred for relaxing. Another prime example of significant product design in combating mental health problem was seen in other research studies. To investigate the impact of fidget spinners on excellent motor control was the primary research aim of these research studies. For the lateral performance of the fidget, that is, moving counter-clockwise for the right hand, the spiral templates were used in the fidget design.
