Rami Ayari & Ryunosuke Fujii Ayari/Fujii 1

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Testing the Prototype

Weight Test

Procedure
1. Gather 1 person aged under 20. Gather 2 people aged 20-49. Gather 2 people aged 50+.
2. Using a human scale, measure the weight of each person gathered, and record these
values in a data table.
3. Ask each person gathered to climb 10 steps of stair going up, and 10 steps of stairs going
down. Accompany each person with a person on their side, and person behind them to
ensure safety in case of an accident.
4. In the same data table from step 2, measure the speed of the person in steps per second
and record if there was any tripping, stumbling, or safety issues.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 5 one more time to gain more accurate results.

Test Justification
The reason that we did this test was to see how the stair cane would function depending on the
weight of the user. This test would also allow us to see the difference in success of the stair cane
with different age demographics. This will allow us to make changes to the stair cane based on
speed/safety data in relation to the age/weight, and improve our product to guarantee greater
success with consumers.

Data

Test Age Weight Trial Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 1 Trial 2

Subject (Years) (Pounds) Without Speed Speed Safety Safety
Cane (Steps/Se (Steps/Se Issues Issues
(Steps/Se cond) cond)
cond)

1 17 205.5 1.83 .48 .44 Block got None

caught
under a
stair

2 25 184.0 1.81 .35 .37 None None

3 43 195.0 1.56 .45 .48 None None

4 67 172.5 1.39 .31 .29 None Slight

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Stumble

5 50 140.0 1.47 .34 ..36 None None

Data Significance
Our data is significant for a number of reasons. The stair cane is useable and effective with
people of all ages, which is evidenced by the speed of stair cane. The speed varies only slightly
as the age goes up, and in fact is faster for the 43 year old than the 25 year old. This shows that
our stair cane is workable by people of all ages. Furthermore, the data shows that our stair cane is
in fact very safe. Out of 10 trials with various ages, there were 2 safety issues/concerns. One of
the concerns had to do with the fact that the stairs being tested on protruded out a bit at the top,
and caught the block. This, however, is not a big concern as most stairs do not have this feature.
The other safety issue was due to a slight miss footing, and this may require some redesign in the
block dimensions/material.

Force Test

Procedure
1. Obtain a metal rod and a wooden block to use as forces to test the stair cane with
2. Obtain 1 tester who will apply the forces to the stair cane. This tester MUST wear safety
goggles, closed toed shoes, and wear protective clothing to protect against potential
flying debris.
3. Hit the top of the stair cane with the metal rod with 75% strength (Hard, but not
maximum strength). Record observations.
4. Push the block against the top of the stair cane with 75% strength. Record observations.
5. Hit the cane part of the stair cane with the metal rod with 75% strength. Record
observations.
6. Have one person hold the stair cane in place while the tester pushes the wooden block
against the side of the stair cane with 75% strength. Record observations.

Test Justification
This test is important for a multitude of reasons. Testing the strength of the top of the stair, and
using data to make any improvements to the sturdiness of this part of the cane ensures that the
user will be able to push down and use the stair cane as support without fear of it breaking.
Furthermore, testing the strength of the stair cane body (cane) will ensure that the cane has
optimal weight durability, and will not snap during use and cause potential injury. All the data
collected during this testing will give an accurate representation of the sturdiness of the cane, and
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allow us to improve the product to not only help the products safety standards, but the success
of the product.

Data

Force Testing Device Top Force Observations Side Force Observations

Metal Rod The handle became slightly The cane maintained

looser and misaligned after sturdiness and no
being struck by the metal rod. deformations occurred.

Wooden Block The cane maintained The cane became slightly

sturdiness as the block force loose and bent a bit.
was being applied.

Data Significance
The data collected above provides a multitude of valuable insights. First of all, the observations
as the metal rod struck the top of the cane show us that there is a sturdiness flaw. The handle
became looser and bent a bit when struck, and this tells us that we must not only apply more
epoxy to the handle-cane connection, but place the nails in a better place that hold the cane and
handle together. The wooden block force applied to the side of the stair cane also showed us
room for improvement. From this data, we concluded that we should use a better but equally
cheap material than PVC. The PVC slightly bent, and this can affect the effectiveness and safety
of the product, so improvements must be made in that area.

Comfort/Portability Test

Procedure
1. Gather all 5 test subjects used in the weight test
2. Allow each of these 5 test subjects to use the stair cane for 5-10 minutes in a practical
way that simulates a real-world usage.
3. After this time has passed, give each of the test subjects the already-created
comfort/portability survey, and ask them to completely fill it out. Ask the test subjects to
be as truthful as possible in filling out the answer choices.
4. Record the percentage of answers that were filled out positively by each test subject.
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Test Justification
This test allows us to have a very good sample of consumer feedback. By allowing the test
subjects to use the stair cane for 5-10 minutes, they are allowed to simulate real-world
experience and feel the stair cane as a real consumer would. Furthermore, giving the survey
allows us, as the inventors, to have accurate data about how consumers feel about the comfort
and portability of the stair cane, allowing us to make improvements based on the percentage of
positive answers.

Data

Test Subject Percentage of Positive Answers (%)

1 80%

2 80%

3 70%

4 80%

5 90%

Data Significance
This data shows us that overall, our product is very comfortable and portable. Most of the test
subjects answered around 80% positively for the comfort/portability survey, which means that
the stair cane is very good in this area. This means that we do not have to focus as much time in
this area for improvements; however, there is still room for improvement, as there was no 100%
surveys, and one survey even gave us 40% positive answers.
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Evaluating the Test Results

Weight Test

Data
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Test Age Weight Trial Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 1 Trial 2

Subject (Years) (Pounds) Without Speed Speed Safety Safety
Cane (Steps/Se (Steps/Se Issues Issues
(Steps/Se cond) cond)
cond)

1 17 205.5 1.83 .48 .44 Block got None

caught
under a
stair

2 25 184.0 1.81 .35 .37 None None

3 43 195.0 1.56 .45 .48 None None

4 67 172.5 1.39 .31 .29 None Slight

Stumble

5 50 140.0 1.47 .34 ..36 None None

Success/Failure
This test was a very big success in obtaining useful and meaningful. It allowed to us to ensure
that our product not only works with a variety of weights and ages, but that our product is also
safe to give to consumers. In this test we were able to see the speed of the consumer while they
were using it and compare the speed to regular speed. Furthermore, we encountered a few safety
issues, which were slight, like the block getting caught on an irregular set of protruding stairs,
and a small stumble, which may be due to the material of the block. Overall this test was
successful and allows us to fix small problems with our product.

Mentor Review
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Force Test

Data

Force Testing Device Top Force Observations Side Force Observations

Metal Rod The handle became slightly The cane maintained

looser and misaligned after sturdiness and no
being struck by the metal rod deformations occurred

Wooden Block The cane maintained The cane became slightly

sturdiness as the block force loose and bent a bit.
was being applied

Success/Failure
This test was a success in allowing us to see certain structural problems with our product. Forces
applied from the top ruined the handle a bit, misaligned it, and showed sturdiness issues.
Furthermore, side forces destroyed the products stability and showed safety issues with our
product. Thus, this test successfully allowed us to see the failures within our product and fix
these failures to ensure maximum success and safety of our product.

Mentor Review
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Comfort/Portability Test

Data
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Test Subject Percentage of Positive Answers (%)

1 80%

2 50%

3 70%

4 80%

5 100%

Success/Failure
This test was in a way a failure, but in a way a success. The test successfully allowed us to see
that our product helped comfort and is portable. This allows us to focus our redesigning efforts
on other parts of the cane. However, the test does not show us how we can improve our product,
and is very objective and was too positive. The survey is not very effective in showing us
specific areas of our product that need improvement, or are good to keep.

Mentor Review
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Recommendations for Improvements

Weight Test

Test Data Reflection

This test was highly effective and useful for the further development of the product. The speed
data of each test subject allows us to have a good benchmark for how effective the product will
be. The safety data of the product allows us to see how safe the product will be for potential
consumers, and what needs to be fixed. The test data also has much implications for the further
development of the product. The weight to success data shows us that our product is successful
in weight management, and does not to be improved in this capacity. However, we may need to
increase the length of the product due to the block getting caught, and add a gripping material to
the wooden block as a test subject lost their footing on the block.

Plan of Action/Improvements
From the survey data we collected from our test subjects, we had received some valuable data
that could possibly improve our product in the future. Since our product consists of a solid
wooden block connected to the bottom of the cane, it is obvious that this portion of the cane
dictates most of the mass. We have noticed that we will probably be able to shave some mass off
by hollowing out some of the insides of the block. The durability should not be a problem from
how high quality our material is. This will also benefit slightly in the finance side of the product
as well because of the reduction in material.

Force Test

Test Data Reflection

This test was very successful in allowing us to see areas for improvements for our product. The
metal rod striking the top part of the cane misaligned and loosened the handle, showing us room
for improvement and development here. Furthermore, the cane became loose and bent a bit when
the wooden block was pressed against the side, successfully showing us a structural flaw here.
These conclusions from the data also have future implications. The data from the top force
testing means that we must improve the sturdiness of the handle. We should add more epoxy as
we had added very little, and we should place the nails in better places to ensure better
sturdiness. The data from the side force testing also means that there is a structural or material
flaw. We need to use a different material from PVC as it bent very easily, and we should fasten
the cane part to the block part.
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Plan of Action/Improvements
From the survey data we collected from our test subjects, we had received some valuable data
that could possibly improve our product in the future. Our method in which we connected each
component of the cane was done by a single screw and bolt through the center of both the handle
component and the stepping block component. This could be improved to make the cane increase
in stability by changing our method such as using multiple screws or even welding.

Comfort/Portability Test

Test Data Reflection

The test data had very little quality here. The data was very vague and not specific enough, and is
very objective. The percentage of positive answers was generally very high, and shows us that
our product is generally very comfortable and portable; however, the test data did not highlight
specific areas of improvement or success directly on the product. This test has a few implications
for our product development. As the test data shows positive consumer feedback in regards to the
comfort/portability, we will not be focusing too much time to improving this area as it is already
optimal, as evidenced by the positive answers. We may, however, need to follow up with test
subject 2, who gave only 40% positive answers for the survey.

Plan of Action/Improvements
From the survey data we collected from our test subjects, we had received some valuable data
that could possibly improve our product in the future. There were many complaints from our
subjects about the comfort in the handle and how it was too wide for the palms of their hand. For
future improvements, I will have to alter the measurements in the Inventor drawings and reprint
the component to see if it improves comfort.

Conclusion Questions
Why is a design solution to a technical problem an iterative process?

A design solution to a technical problem is an iterative process because of the repetitive nature of
it. In order to truly have the best possible design in the end, a number of things need to be
repeated. There has to be a lot of consumer feedback, sponsor/expert feedback, testing,
redesigning, modeling, etc. This is necessary as it allows the inventor to continue to fix and
improve the product until he/she has the best solution in the end with the best chance to succeed.
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What is the purpose of evaluating your test results?

Evaluating test results provides a multitude of benefits and important considerations. When one
looks at their test results, they are able to see what areas the product in question needs to be
improved upon, through data tables, charts, graphs, and surveys. Knowing what areas need
improvement allow the inventor to make important and necessary changes to the product that
will allow it to achieve success in the market and with consumers. This success, however, would
not be possible without the necessary changes made by looking at the results of testing and what
areas of the product need improvement.