Bidmo
A mobile bidet made in collaboration with a client with dwarfism
Intent In this assignment, a design office was put together of thirteen students from all years of the bachelor’s program. Together over four weeks, we were to solve a design assignment for an actual client. My group collaborated with a lady who came to us with an issue related to dwarfism. She wanted us to design a solution adaptable for various disabilities to clean oneself after toilet visits outside the comfort of one’s home.
Project information
OsloMet
4 weeks
Group project (design office)
Focus on user-oriented design, functionality, and minority stress.
Process Due to the time limitations the group had to rely on existing components to make a functional prototype. We explored ideas where the bidet was fastened directly on the toilet and handheld versions. Through a research phase exploring the toilets on the market, we discovered that the variations in toilets are huge. To make the bidet possible to use everywhere, we decided to make the bidet handheld.
With industrial clay, we experimented with shapes and ergonomics. We found components that suited the task through car parts and an adjustable lamp. The remaining parts were 3D printed. The exciting part was decisive for the size and design of the end product.
-
Prototyping and testing the idea of fastening the bidet to the toilet.
-
Empathy exercises as well as testing prototype.
-
The already existing components were wrapped into a 3D printed handle (red).
Design Bidmo, short for mobile bidet, was designed with a focus on ergonomics, user-friendliness, and product measurements as well as weight. With components from the automobile industry, and 3D printing the final product was designed as compact as possible around the parts. After dialogue with the client, we agreed to develop a solution where you did not have to carry water with you, but rather a product that you could attach to an optional 0,5l bottle that could be filled before the toilet visit.
Afterthought This was a very technical and intensive project. The group encountered several challenges with time management and dividing work tasks as the mobile bidet was a small, physical product distributed among a large group. The prototype has a lot of potential for improvement that we did not get to due to the time limit of the project, and due to the production method with 3D printing was so time-consuming.
