Corien Staels, founder of Staels Designs and inventor of the cooling & heating pad (for more information, visit here) for wheelchair users, teamed up with Blackwood to host a focus group at Belses Gardens care home in Glasgow. Four residents from the care home came along to learn about Corien’s product and add their input.

The four attendees were enthusiastic and gave very valuable feedback. “Co creation, making products together is important”, says Corien. “I'm not in a wheelchair so I can't know what works best. My ultimate goal is to get my product to a stage where it is offered by the NHS. You can create products all you want, but without the actual input from those who will eventually be using the products, there really is no point. Being at Blackwood and talking to a varied group of people helped me think ahead of how I can solve their needs better through my products."

A highlight of the focus group was a cocreation activity, where attendees split into two separate groups and made a large list of preferred additions to wheelchairs, with Corien encouraging them to let their imaginations run wild.

“It was really good” said Denise, a Blackwood customer and a wheelchair user, “and very interesting”.

One of the more “out-there” suggestions was a booster button for hyper speed. But on a more realistic note, all those involved pointed out the lack of colours available in wheelchairs, saying they’d like to have a wider range of bright shades to pick from.

During a discussion around comfort and pressure sores, the residents on the focus group had the opportunity to feel several different fabrics and provide their opinion on which was the best. The most popular options were those made with thin, breathable, mesh-like material. To conclude the interactive segment of the day, Corien brought the first prototype of the temperature regulating cushion for customers to try out. Clearly very proud of her award-winning design, she demonstrated how to activate the fan via a button, and asked for feedback on the fabric she used for the prototype. One of the focus group attendees, Val was particularly enthusiastic, saying: “I liked the fabrics and I would definitely like to have one.”

The day was finished with some tea and Corien’s homemade cookies, and the floor was opened for some final questions and discussion. It was clear to see that the focus group went down very well with the attendees, and all mentioned they would be following Corien’s progress with great interest. 

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