Tennis Balls and Walkers, an Ultimate User Hack
It is almost a rarity to see a person with a walker which does not have the signature tennis balls on the back legs. The users of these walkers have filled a gap in the design to make the walker better fit their needs. But the real question is, why haven’t the designers of the walker taken notice of this very prominent “user hack”.
As a designer it is always fascinating to see how the users actually interacts with your design. This also poses as a means of feedback and a way to learn more about how users push the design. Typically the activity of listening to users’ feedback and observing their interactions is reincorporated back into the design process.
When people began to place split tennis balls on the back legs of walkers this should have been a clear indication to the designers that they missed something in their usability testing. But what is worse is that this process has continued for many years without any redesign of the walker.
Granted, new walkers such as those with hand brakes do exist to answer the shortcomings of the traditional walker. But, the tennis ball solution is a simple one, one which I feel could be easily reincorporated into the traditional walker. These people are just looking for a little bit of traction and the ability to easily slide their walkers. Not to mention the difficulty in slicing a hole in a tennis ball. Do medical supplies stores sell tennis balls to go along with the purchase of a walker?
This design shortcoming has even been taken advantage of as a business oppurtunity, the Walkerballs.
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