STEM II
Problem Statement
At least 2.2 billion people worldwide have visual impairments (Li et al., 2022). While about 1.3 million adults in the US have rheumatoid arthritis (MedlinePlus). Cosmetics and makeup have become an integral part of the lives of many Americans, as 44% of the U.S. population use cosmetic products (Li et al., 2022). Wearing makeup is a way to feel more confident and put together. Makeup is also used for professionalism, as well as a method of self-care. Often, people underestimate the importance of makeup to visually impaired individuals and fail to produce accessible makeup products. When people develop a visual impairment or a mobility disability, they are no longer able to enjoy the benefits of makeup (Oglothorpe & Zelman, 2016). Even with the current methods of wearing accessible makeup, many consumers with disabilities are unable to perfect their makeup and become more self-conscious instead of confident. Our assistive technology seeks to solve this problem by redesigning makeup tools to make the makeup application process more stress free and easy for our target audience. This project is important because everyone deserves to feel beautiful, our tools are designed to give people to necessary tools to feel their best.
Design Approach
Synergy Cosmetics aims to adress our problem by designing makeup containers and tools that are tactilely distinguishable and do not necessitate fine motor skills that may cause joint pain in people with arthritis. To do this, we reached out to the Arthritis Foundation and other organizations specialized in advocating for people with arthritis and/or visual impairments to gage what were the most important features to have in our products. Then, our team came together to brainstorm prototype designs and CAD them using Onshape.
Prototypes
Our Main Design:
The Adapt Brush
Brush Stand
Foundation Blend Sponge
