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Many seniors struggle to independently cut their own toenails. PediCure is a toenail trimmer designed to aid elderly in cutting their toenails without bending down.

I am the UX researcher, applying mixed methods to discover our customer and their behavior.

Discovery

Toenail clipping is a serious struggle for elderly. After 100+ elderly contextual interviews with seniors in assisted living centers and senior activity centers, we discovered that 80-90% of our interviewees could no longer independently cut their nails.

Some vividly described their struggles such as balancing themselves on a stool, or scrunching up their bodies to reach their feet in ways that were physically dangerous. Many others cited having to wait weeks for family members, caretakers to cut their nails. Others relied on visits the podiatrist or nail salon to have their toenails trimmed.

Design Process

Our team identified 3 functions of the product and then used a morphological chart to generate design ideas. 

Initially, we believed that an automatic device with sensing capabilities would be preferred by elderly. However, after getting feedback from elderly on our prototype, they wanted to be able to physically control the device.

We modified our design so that users could grip the extension arm and guide the trimmer along their toes as they see fit.

The Future

My team and I are currently in the process of patenting our device and prototyping, so that it could be sold on our website, as well as in retail stores and at doctor’s offices. We hope to launch a kickstarter soon to bring the product to investors and manufacturers. 

These are some of the accomplishments that our team has hit: 

• Filed provisional patent April 2020
• Finalist, Aging Innovation Challenge
  
• 3rd Place, Hotel Ezra Business Plan Competition
  
• Finalist, P&G Ventures with UC Berkley Sky Deck