Mouse Trackball Holster ( Project MTH)
Mentorship Student - Product Design - Ergonomics - Tufts University - June 2023
Challenge: The rise of technology has caused many individuals to spend extended periods of time on their computers, often accompanied by the use of a computer mouse. When using the mouse in a backwards direction, the elbow loses support, resulting in musculoskeletal injury (joints, tendons, muscles).
Solution: Create a holster device that allows the arm to sit at a neutral position during computer use, to solve issue of ‘mouse elbow’, a common Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). Our group aimed to benefit individuals suffering from joint pain, by designing a holster for a wide range of devices, and have the design be accessible to a wide range of users.
My Role: As a mentorship student, I got a look into how the product design and development process goes for a fast paced project. I had the opportunity to work with students and faculty from Tufts University, to collaborate, brainstorm, sketch prototypes, and inform new ideas and make the mouse trackball holster (MTH) come to life.
Beginning steps
Began with market research, ideation and inspiration, understanding who the target audience is, and what mechanisms can help us build this product.
Getting to know the user
Next, we created some user personas to understand potential users better. Our team focused on a wide range of users, with different needs, to make this product accessible and functional.
If these were possible customers, what should the design have to satisfy their needs?
Ideation process
Used a collective design document to collaborate on ideas of what elements and features should be prioritized in a product requirement table.
Using this table, everyone from the team sketched their own low fidelity prototypes, and presented them to the group, explaining what features they included in their design and why.
After presentations, we combined ideas as a group and sketched a new design, implementing ideas from the whole group.
This is a spring loaded trackball / trackpad / mouse holder, that rests on the side of the users waist or leg, allowing them to navigate through their device in a neutral position, eliminating the repetitive strain that occurs after using a mouse for extended periods of time.
The final prototype, and next steps
Our team was able to create this high fidelity prototype using 3D printing, creating the spring loaded holster element of our lo-fi prototype.
Due to the short timeline of this project, this is where we ended off. Our next steps below continue our vision of MTH, and where we hope to continue with this product.
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Addition of a two way strap, looking into cushioning to maximize comfort during long periods of use.
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User research
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Usability testing interview
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Finalizing design and getting a patent
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Find companies and/or institutions that may be interested in developing such products, processes, services or research tools
Constraints: no access to lab/nolop, remote project, limited timeline
More Content
During this project, I made a final presentation, and an accompanying review of literature / research paper. See below to learn more!